Kurt Wuckert Jr. and Zachary Weiner hosted a workshop at the Bitcoin Citadel in Florida to demonstrate the Magic Dapp, a ‘no code’ tool allowing people to easily build Bitcoin applications.
Two flavors of the Magic Dapp
Weiner opens by explaining that there are two flavors of this app: a do-it-yourself version (Magic Dapp) that he’ll walk the attendees through, and Alpha Dapp, which can be done for you by Weiner and his team.
Kicking things off, Weiner shows us an application built for ‘Cardinal University.’ He shows us how elements like tables can be created with fields like student ID, course ID, credits, course instructors, etc. Adding new data is as simple as clicking a number tab and filling out the fields. In this example are pass/fail grades, course names, and so on.
Weiner then demonstrates how this new record can be added to the BSV blockchain with just a click and a micropayment. He finds the transaction ID and shows the data that has been added to the chain, creating an immutable record.
Is there a process for editing or deleting incorrect or maliciously entered data? Weiner says transactions can’t be removed but can be updated by publishing new transactions.
How do we know the data is authentic, and records are valid? That’s where signatures kick in. Every transaction is created and signed by someone. We can verify that they’re really the professor, administrator, or whoever is authoritative for the record.
Different types of users
There can be a few different types of users of the Magic Dapp. Admins can create new apps, add data, set user permissions, and more. User accounts don’t have the same permissions; they can read records but not create them, and guests can do neither.
“We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for people to forget that the blockchain existed,” Weiner says, highlighting how it will ultimately become plumbing underpinning user-friendly apps. For example, users aren’t required to remember their 12-word seed phrase, but they can get it just by entering a password.
Profiles also have lots of optionality. For example, they can be set so that certain records aren’t written on the blockchain. Weiner says they’re not “infinitely configurable” but that if standard profiles don’t have the settings users want, they can reach out, and he and his team will help create them.
Setting up applications
Weiner gives a live example of how to create an app. Rather than manually enter every field, he drags a spreadsheet into the Magic Dapp settings. It’s as easy as clicking ‘import data’ and doing so, and apps can be created in seconds. Magic Dapp can interpret data and can automatically create headers, fields, etc.
During the demonstration of the data import, Weiner shows how, if an upload fails, such as by an internet connection dropping, that’s fine. By just clicking ‘start’ again, the upload resumes right where it left off.
Weiner then builds a distributed application live for the audience. It’s designed to broadcast an announcement from the Bitcoin Citadel, and he can build it in a couple of minutes flat. He shows how it’s even possible to create a custom template to present data in a way that’s more visually appealing to whoever is building the app.
Weiner then talks about what sort of use cases might be possible. He mentions billing and invoices, social networks, and data management for organizations ranging from governments to corporations. In most cases, Magic Dapp can get you most of the way there, but where it can’t, his team can help you using Alpha Dapp to get it across the finish line.
Wrapping up the session, Weiner answers some technical questions about encryption, hashing, data privacy, and how the tool works under the hood. Watch the presentation via the video link to learn more!
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