District0x is a network that serves as a group of decentralized communities and marketplaces, which are known as districts. District0x is powered by Aragon, Ethereum, and IPFS, joining a growing list of platforms designed to facilitate transactions and more. It lets you create your own own decentralized marketplaces and communities on the blockchain using Ethereum smart contracts, anyone is able to deploy a district on the network free of charge.

The district0x team is made up of developers from around the world, creating a truly global community. Matus Lestan, the lead developer and founder, has been developing throughout his lifetime and is passionate about decentralization. Before his current efforts to enhance and spread the Clojure-Ethereum ecosystem, he worked as a freelance developer for nearly a decade.

Joe Urgo is the co-founder and in charge of operations as well as the founder and CEO of Sourcerers.io. He also spends time exploring decentralized business models along with token-enabled governance structures. The other members of the team have similarly impressive experiences, including co-founding technology companies.

What Are The Districts And What Traits Do They Have?

Each district within district0x is a community or marketplace acting as a decentralized and completely autonomous organization within the Network. Each district is capable of searching, filtering, posting and listing, ranking and reputation, and payments and invoicing.

The d0xINFRA framework sits as the core component of each district. This framework is a stack made up of front-end libraries and smart contracts from Ethereum. They are then distributed on IPFS and power the basic functioning of each district. In developing d0xINFRA, its creators made it extendable and open. This allows districts to plug in auxiliary modules as a way to improve functionality and create their own unique features.

What Districts Exist?

At the moment, one district is fully launched with others under development. Ethlance was launched in January of 2017. This is a job market which is decentralized just like other districts will be in the future. Ethlance aims to provide listings for those in search of all types of jobs, ranging from steady careers to freelancing opportunities. This first district will operate continuously forever.

Name Bazaar is being developed at the moment and will be the second district to be completed. This peer-to-peer marketplace allows users to exchange names that have been registered using the Ethereum Name Service. This district aims to make finding and purchasing ENS names simpler.

The Meme Factory will be the third district deployed and will allow users to create rare digital assets via the Ethereum blockchain. Users can then immediately post these assets on a marketplace to exchange them. The marketplace will be in the style of a bulletin board for simplicity and usability.

The Project Team behind district0x plans to continuously deploy new districts as additions to the district0x network. These districts will function as sandboxes to help refine the d0xINFRA framework. They will also show users and non-users around the world the how useful decentralized communities and markets can be.

Will Others Be Able to Create Districts?

At the moment, only the district0x Project Team can create districts, but this will change in the near future. After ironing out final details, the developers will launch a district creation platform. Once this platform is released, anyone on the internet can quickly create their own district to be part of the district0x Network.

District0x is designed to be free of intermediaries and censorship, giving internet citizens the ability to build whatever they need. While waiting for the district creation platform to launch, those interested can vote on which districts they would like to be deployed next. This is being done via community proposals, allowing users to suggest districts as well as vote on the existing suggestions.

What Are district0x Network Tokens?

The district0x Network Token, DNT, is a token for staking. It will allow participants of a district to be involved in decision-making processes. DNTs are used to join a district and participate in governing it. The number of district0x Network Tokens a participant stakes in a district directly corresponds to his or her voting rights within the district. These voting rights are used to participate in all decisions of the district. Decisions can include branding, code of conduct, which auxiliary modules are used, how fees are collected, and more.

What Other Developments Will district0x Include?

The district0x Project Team has released a detailed road map explaining how it plans to progress. The first step involves releasing the final draft of its white paper and conducting three external audits of its district0x Contract. White Paper v0.2 was already released on July 17, 2017, indicating progress in this step.

In the next period, district0x will deploy d0xINFRA and migrate Ethlance to it. It will then deploy both Name Bazaar and the Meme Factory, both of which are in progress. The final step before the contribution period will include deploying an additional five districts as well as governance and staking modules. This phase will also include allowing for auxiliary modules to extend the district.

Following the contribution period, the team will deploy the auxiliary module registry, the district creation platform, and the district0x Network registry. At this point, the district0x Project will be governed by those who hold district0x Network Tokens.

Who Powers district0x?

As mentioned earlier, district0x is powered by Aragon, IPFS, and Ethereum. IPFS is responsible for the file storage, providing security and easy access for those in every district. The d0xINFRA framework that provides the basis for each district uses Ethereum resources as previously described. The entire system is governed by Aragon.

Aragon is a new platform that was designed to deploy virtual entities and organizations. As a new district is created within the district0x Network, this will create a new Aragon entity. This Aragon entity is the location for all decision-making processes and governance for the district.

Conclusion

District0x seems to be a great project to participate in, with a strong creative team of developers working to create a system that will prove useful to those around the world who wish to see a more decentralized web. It is already proving to be a valuable tool for employers and job seekers with Ethlance as a proof of use case.

As more districts launch, the project should become even more beneficial. The token, DNT has already seen a big rise in value since it’s ICO and should rise even further as more districts are launched by the team and the ability for the general public to start creating their own districts.