The AwesomeAlgo Podcast

In this episode of the Awesome Algo podcast, hosts Al and Mike welcome Uroš, CEO of Valar Solutions and one of the founders of Valar Staking, to discuss their innovative peer-to-peer decentralized staking platform for Algorand. Uroš shares his background in electrical engineering and mechatronics, explaining how his team's vision for blockchain decentralization led to creating Valar - a platform that connects blockchain stakeholders directly with node runners through a permissionless marketplace. The discussion covers how Valar emerged from a winning hackathon project at Decipher 2024 and evolved through the Algorand Foundation's incubator program. The episode explores Valar's unique approach to staking that maintains self-custody while enabling users to participate in consensus through native delegation. Uroš explains the platform's architecture, including smart contracts, the daemon for node runners, and the user interface, highlighting how it differs from traditional staking pools by eliminating commission on rewards and offering transparent service-based pricing. With impressive growth metrics - 320 active stakers managing 57 million ALGO across 70+ node runners representing over 15% of all consensus accounts - Valar is demonstrating significant impact on network decentralization. The conversation also touches on their Certify application for node runner verification and future roadmap items including improved monitoring, distributed validator technology, and solutions for "block anxiety." Uroš concludes with advice for aspiring Algorand developers, emphasizing the excellent developer experience with AlgoKit and the supportive community ecosystem. References: Valar Staking: https://stake.valar.solutions/ Valar on X: https://x.com/ValarStaking Valar Discord: https://discord.com/invite/vSKNznSywt Valar GitHub: https://github.com/ValarStaking Block Anxiety: https://github.com/Algorand-Developer-Retreat/block-anxiety AwesomeAlgo website: https://awesomealgo.com/ Algorand Foundation: https://www.algorand.foundation/ Learn more about MakerX: Website: https://www.makerx.com.au/ Museum of Data History: https://museum.datahistory.org/ QRX Codes: https://qrx.codes/ Subtopia: https://subtopia.io/ Affiliate Links: CleanShot X: https://cleanshot.sjv.io/GKoE29

In this episode of the Awesome Algo podcast, hosts Al and Mike discuss the 'use-wallet' framework, a comprehensive wallet management solution for Algorand dApps, with guest Doug Richar, co-founder, and lead engineer at TxnLab. Doug explains how UseWallet simplifies connecting various wallet providers through a unified interface, easing the complexities of wallet management for Algorand applications. The interview covers the development history, moving from React dependency to a more flexible, framework-agnostic solution, and integrating different wallets including the new Defly web extension. Doug highlights the open-source contributions and community feedback that have elevated 'use-wallet', showcasing its evolution and potential future improvements. The episode also touches on upcoming Algorand developments and the significance of open-source cooperation in advancing blockchain toolsets. --- If you would like to appear on the podcast and have an interesting project related to Algorand or web3, submit your application at https://bit.ly/awesomealgo. To support the podcast, please subscribe and follow new episodes on your favorite podcasting platforms. Thank you for listening, and we hope you enjoy this episode! --- References: Doug on X: https://x.com/drichar Getting started with use-wallet: https://txnlab.gitbook.io/use-wallet TxnLab website: https://www.txnlab.dev/ NFDomains: https://app.nf.domains/ Reti Pooling overview: https://txnlab.gitbook.io/reti-open-pooling AwesomeAlgo website: https://awesomealgo.com/ Algorand Foundation: https://www.algorand.foundation/ AlgoKit GitHub: https://github.com/algorandfoundation/algokit-cli Learn more about MakerX: Website: https://www.makerx.com.au/ Museum of Data History: https://museum.datahistory.org/ QRX Codes: https://qrx.codes/ Subtopia: https://subtopia.io/

Welcome to the AwesomeAlgo Podcast! In this episode, we will dive deep into the world of LiquidAuth, an innovative authentication protocol developed powered by WebAuthn and FIDO2, developed by the Algorand Foundation. Our guest, Michael Feher, a full-stack engineer at Algorand Foundation, will break down the intricacies of LiquidAuth, its importance, and how it stands out from centralized solutions like WalletConnect. We will also explore its implications for Algorand adoption and interoperability with Web2 ecosystems. Highlights include: Introduction to LiquidAuth and its significance Comparison with centralized solutions like WalletConnect The role of FIDO2, WebAuthn, and passkeys in LiquidAuth Future developments and community contributions Insights into the Awesome Algorand organization and its projects If you would like to appear on the podcast and have an interesting project related to Algorand or web3, submit your application at https://bit.ly/awesomealgo. To support the podcast, please subscribe and follow new episodes on your favorite podcasting platforms.Thank you for listening, and we hope you enjoy this episode! Episode references: Michael on X: https://x.com/PhearZero Getting started with LiquidAuth: https://liquidauth.com/guides/getting-started/ AwesomeAlgo website: https://awesomealgo.com/ Algorand Foundation: https://www.algorand.foundation/ Algorand Foundation's GitHub: https://github.com/algorandfoundation AlgoKit GitHub: https://github.com/algorandfoundation/algokit-cli What's new/upcoming in algokit ecosystem with Alessandro and Rob: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0mmDCJymJ0&t=130s Learn more about MakerX: Website: https://www.makerx.com.au/ Museum of Data History: https://museum.datahistory.org/ QRX Codes: https://qrx.codes/ Subtopia: https://subtopia.io/

Welcome to the AwesomeAlgo Podcast! In this episode, we explore the latest news in Algorand ecosystem and the AlgoKit project. Joining us are experts John Woods (CTO, Algorand Foundation), Rob Moore (CTO, MakerX), and Alessandro Cappellato (Head of Product, Algorand Foundation). Highlights include: - John Woods discussing Algorand's consensus updates and his vision for protocol decentralization. - Rob Moore on the challenges and innovations in developing AlgoKit, focusing on its impact on developers. - Alessandro Cappellato detailing AlgoKit's design philosophy, aimed at meeting developer needs for seamless integration. The episode features a roundtable discussion on the future of Algorand, decentralized systems in software development, and Algorand's industry influence. Closing thoughts provide insights into blockchain's future and advice for aspiring engineers and startups in blockchain technology. If you are an Apple support engineer listening to this please help John with his feedback id - fb13463773 :-) For more information: - Algorand Foundation: https://www.algorand.foundation/ - Algorand Foundation's GitHub: https://github.com/algorandfoundation - AlgoKit GitHub: https://github.com/algorandfoundation/algokit-cli - AlgoKit Puya dev preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i44Wd1R5Ao&t=253s - Proof of State show with John, Alessandro, Rob, and Ryan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeXuThD4PUs&t=19s MakerX: - Website: https://www.makerx.com.au/ - Museum of Data History: https://museum.datahistory.org/ - Subtopia: https://subtopia.io/ Extra references: - Rob Moore's talk at NDC Sydney '18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSY-zqDfc_s - Awesome Algorand repository: https://github.com/aorumbayev/awesome-algorand - Awesome Algo YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@awesomealgo Enjoy the episode, and thanks for tuning in!

Welcome to the AwesomeAlgo podcast! In this episode we are joined by Bit (D13), a passionate Algorand community member and a talented software developer known for a variety of prominent contributions and activities in the ecosystem! Here's what you can expect from this episode:Introduction to Bit's biography and journey to the domain of Blockchain systems. Discussions on participation node incentives, shift towards P2P, Bit's own advanced use cases for Box Storage and Base32 Fund which is his latest upcoming project. Advice for aspiring Software Engineers. If you would like to appear on the podcast and have an interesting project related to Algorand or web3, submit your application at https://bit.ly/awesomealgo.To support the podcast, please subscribe and follow new episodes on your favorite podcasting platforms.Thank you for listening, and we hope you enjoy this episode! 🙂Resources:https://d13.co/ - D13's website. https://ask.awesomealgo.com/ - refer here to ask your questions to upcoming guests. https://github.com/aorumbayev/awesome-algorand https://www.youtube.com/@awesomealgo