Building an application on a blockchain is a real challenge for developers who are seeking to leverage the power of the decentralized Web. With that in mind, dfuse is inviting experienced developers to share their journey of building these next-generation dapps. To launch the series, we are pleased to speak with Kedar Iyer, Director Of Software Development at Everipedia and one of the early user of the dfuse API.

Could you introduce yourself?

Hello guys, I'm Kedar, Director of Software at Everipedia and Co-founder of LibertyBlock. I started out as a Mechanical Engineer doing robotics before transitioning into robotics and web-based software. I bought my first Bitcoin in 2013 and have been tangentially interested since then. I've been working on crypto software since 2016.

How do you envision the future with Everipedia’s success?

Our goal at Everipedia is to create a decentralized knowledge base that is immune to censorship and manipulation. The blockchain component is only one part of what we consider to be the broader decentralized ecosystem. A future with a successful Everipedia is a future where everyone has access to quality information about any topic they could dream of.

What are the main challenges that Everipedia faces while developing for the blockchain?

User experience and scalability. Blockchain UX (user experience) is fairly atrocious at the moment. That's why we're working on a new account system that allows users to use EOS dapps with their social media accounts. Once that's solved, we have to figure out the best method for storing all this data.

Our dataset is approximately 2 TB, not a big deal for traditional storage systems, but definitely too big to store directly on a blockchain. We are looking into some promising solutions at the moment, but don't have a hard answer to that question yet.

What prominent differences do being based on a blockchain bring to Everipedia compared to other encyclopedias?

Transparency and accessibility. With our blockchain-based editing system, an immutable record is available of exactly who has made updates to each article. And since the data is stored redundantly across multiple nodes it is difficult to censor, making it accessible to people who wouldn't otherwise have access.

What advice would you give to a developer who wants to build a project on blockchain?

Start by reading the Bitcoin white paper, then absorb yourself into the space and determine what use case specifically needs to be addressed. The space is littered with unnecessary projects that don't solve a pressing need.

Go slow and make sure you're doing useful work before you commit years of your life to a project. And if you're confused between Ethereum and EOS, go with EOS ;) You'll thank me later.

If you are a developer and want to share your experience to build on the blockchain, please feel free to contact us. We would be happy to integrate your interview in our series "In the Eyes of a Blockchain Developer".