5 Best Frameworks for Decentralized Application Development

Data security is an issue that can’t be emphasized enough, particularly when it’s financial data. Businesses have tried their best to adopt technologies available to safeguard their interests and stakeholders. That’s where DApp development frameworks come in handy. 

Decentralized applications, or DApps, are making waves by using blockchain technology to bring users transparency, security, and more control. Their popular use creates a dire need for the right tools to build them efficiently. 

DApp frameworks, like front-end frameworks for developers, are sections of code created to develop tools that make it easier to build blockchain apps. Consequently, using these frameworks helps you build your desired applications quickly and effectively.

With plenty of options available, each with outstanding features and functionalities, deciding the right one for your specific project is overwhelming. In this write-up, we will discuss popular Dapp frameworks along with their features, benefits, and shortcomings.

What are DApps?

Decentralized applications, or DApps, are open-source applications that run on a peer-to-peer server network and can be accessed with smart contracts (crypto/tokens).

The blockchain systems on which these apps may be built include Ethereum, EOS, Hyper Ledger, Polkadot, etc. As they don’t operate on centralized servers, DApps are far more stable and secure than conventional apps.

DApps provide more flexibility, accessibility, and disclosure by removing the intermediary between consumers and merchants while minimizing the concerns concerned with managing customer data.

You might be interested in Best Practices for Smart Contract Development

Why are DApp Development Frameworks Important?

A functional dApp encompasses a series of technological components. Several necessary functions and features already comprise DApp frameworks, or they offer simple module mechanisms that allow you to select tools you would like to have. In addition, a multitude of pre-built features are included with frameworks, such as:

• Components for launching a local blockchain server.
• Tools for building and testing your smart contracts.
• Add-ons for client development, letting you create your consumer application in the same location or directory.
• Mechanism to upload contracts to an Ethereum network, whether a local instance or one of Ethereum’s open channels.
• Synchronizations with decentralized storage systems like IPFS for the distribution of apps.

Learn More: Create NFT Games with Unique Digital Assets

Types of Apps You Can Build with DApp Frameworks

Several blockchain-based DApp models address diverse functional challenges. First, we’ll review the DApps covering DeFi, Supply Chain, Gaming Dapps, and more.

• Decentralized Finance Apps: DeFi apps have a major role in enhancing the financial world by offering services like lending, borrowing, and trading without the need for traditional banks. These apps empower users to participate in decentralized exchanges, yield farming, and even decentralized insurance.
• Supply Chain Management: DApps help track goods, ensure quality control, and build trust within the supply chain by ensuring product transparency and traceability. Imagine a system where every step of the product’s journey—from manufacturer to consumer—is recorded on the blockchain. 
• Gaming DApps: Gaming is evolving with the introduction of DApps, where players can earn cryptocurrency or NFTs as rewards. These play-to-earn games are creating new ways for users to participate in virtual economies
• Content Sharing Apps: With DApp frameworks, you create social media platforms where users control their data. These decentralized networks ensure that content is not censored, and creators have more power over their own work. 
• NFT Marketplaces: NFTs have gained massive popularity, and DApps offer platforms for creating, buying, and selling digital collectibles. These decentralized marketplaces allow users to trade unique items like artwork, music, and virtual assets. 
• Decentralized File Storage Apps: With traditional cloud storage services, your data is often stored on a central server. In contrast, DApps can use decentralized storage networks to give you full control over your files. 
• Healthcare Apps: Those in the healthcare industry utilize these app products to securely store patient records, manage medical data and even offer telemedicine services—all while keeping patient privacy intact.

List of Top DApp Development Frameworks

We’ve compiled a list of the top 05 frameworks for DApp development:

• Hardhat
• Truffle
• Brownie
• Embark
• OpenZeppelin

1. Hardhat

Hardhat is a JavaScript framework that allows developers to assemble, test, execute, and troubleshoot decentralized applications built on the Ethereum blockchain (ethers.js).

It assists developers in managing the commitments associated with creating a decentralized application and smart contracts. Hardhat comes with an integrated Ethereum network for development. The platform specialization is sufficient for high-end debugging if a decentralized application transaction fails, giving developers the means to identify the root cause of the program’s failure.

Features:

• The Hardhat design is extremely adaptable and versatile.
• Hardhat’s standard library is ether.
• It can seamlessly host our contracts, run tests, and inspect solidity programs.
• Hardhat is used for Solidity troubleshooting, and we receive frame traces, terminal logs, and warning messages.
• Hardhat is intended for technical experts.

Merits:

• Hardhat is among the most prominent frameworks, with over 81k users on GitHub; thus, public participation and a “console.log” script to help troubleshoot are readily available
• It is constantly updated since it is one of the most popular frameworks for developing decentralized apps.
• With Hardhat, we may develop custom scripts and extensions to create the desired environment.
• Hardhat is capable of executing typescript.

Drawbacks:

One major drawback of Hardhat is that it is specifically designed for experts rather than beginners. Its instructions on how to get started are limited. As a result, beginners developing DApps may switch to alternative frameworks before plunging into Hardhat.

2. Truffle

Truffle is yet another widely used decentralized application development framework for the Ethereum network. It assists developers with composition, deployment, and debugging. Most other frameworks followed Truffle’s lead, and if you are new to DApp development, you will almost certainly come across Truffle due to its user-friendly setup.

It is utilized with other EVM-compatible blockchains such as Binance Smart Chain, Hyperledger, and Polygon. In addition, it works with the Solidity and Vyper programming languages. If you are familiar with Node.js, you will have an advantage because Truffle is built on JavaScript.

Features:

• There is a pre-built functionality for compiling, executing, and generating smart contracts.
• Contract testing is automated.
• Truffle terminal interacts straight with smart contracts.
• Swift transition available.
• Truffle assists with network administration for open and private networks.

Merits:

• Truffle has a wider audience and is more common than competing frameworks.
• Truffle includes migration capabilities that are equivalent to deployment.
• Truffle makes use of web3.js, the first JS API.
• It has a user-friendly setup.

You may also enjoy reading: Why invest in Web3 and How to do it

Drawbacks:

• Truffle moves a little slowly compared to Hardhat.
• Troubleshooting and testing with Truffle tend to be more complex than with the Hardhat framework.

3. Brownie

Brownie is a Python-based framework for creating, deploying, and testing smart contracts on Ethereum Virtual Machines. It also supports Viper, a Python-based smart contract language similar to Solidity. Vyper is the second most popular language among developers for smart contract creation.

Features:

• Brownie includes an integrated console for project management.
• For contract testing, it employs pytest.
• Brownie supports the ethPM, a package manager for administering any smart contract system.
• Brownie is a Python package that can be installed and used in standard Python programs.

Merits:

• Brownie provides excellent support for the smart contract languages, Solidity and Vyper.
• Local blockchain deployment is simpler.
• When an issue occurs, it freezes and displays the error on the console, alerting the client.
• Brownie includes a built-in terminal for project interactivity that other frameworks lack. For example, creating a network using the terminal allows you to run a command rather than putting it in your source code.

Drawbacks:

• The Brownie framework only supports the Python programming language and does not facilitate JavaScript.

4. Embark

In addition to being a preferred framework for creating decentralized applications, Embark also offers several services and tools that help speed up and simplify development. Embark is used for front-end and end-to-end tool sets for testing and deploying smart contracts.

Features:

• With the assistance of Embark, you may create a highly advanced decentralized application.
• It provides a Web interface that displays the status of every operation that Embark manages.
• Using Cockpit’s explorer in Embark, any smart contract can be seen or examined.
• Embark provides service surveillance as well as real-time deployment.

Merits:

• We can easily handle several networks with Embark, such as private nets, testnets, etc.
• The framework can be reviewed using Embark’s interface. On GitHub, it has roughly 3.7k stars.
• Embark provides a display that will track information such as contract expiration.

Drawbacks:

• We may encounter problems when installing Embark.

5. OpenZeppelin

With built-in upgradeable smart contracts, OpenZeppelin is a robust platform that offers tools to create and deploy decentralized applications.

OpenZeppelin uses the Solidity programming language to create smart contracts. In OpenZeppelin, the ERC20 library is easily accessible, while secure smart contracts for the Ethereum Blockchain are created using the modular contracts library developed in Solidity.

Features:

• The most crucial aspect that OpenZeppelin emphasizes is confidentiality; they have sharp-end contract protection.
• As OpenZeppelin is an open-source platform, they adopt a procedural approach with active group engagement that industry giants leverage.
• It can easily develop standards, a token contract that maintains a record of fungible tokens, and ERC20.
• Contracts can be revised or improved.

Merits:

• A contract can be upgraded.
• High-level security and risk mitigation.
• Based on a user’s command, it conducts a security assessment and implements security procedures to determine whether your decentralized application is protected.
• After identifying potential code issues, it provides execution and solutions.

Drawbacks:

• The downside of upgradeable contracts is that certain features lose their real identity after revision, which causes programming flaws.

Also Read: What are Web3 Contracts? Exploring Smart Contracts

How to Choose the Right DApp Development Framework?

Knowing what you want to do and what tools you need will help you choose the right framework for your project. Different frameworks have different strengths, so knowing your project’s requirements will guide your decision.

For instance, if you’re comfortable with Python, you might find Brownie to be a great option because it caters to Python developers and supports Ethereum-based smart contracts. But, if you’re working with a different language or need specific features, you’ll need to explore other frameworks that offer those capabilities.

Evaluating the community’s support for the framework you’ve chosen helps with your selection. What if there’s a noteworthy glitch? Could you overcome it with your team? Or is the community capable enough to make things better? If you run into issues or bugs while developing, having a strong, active community can make a huge difference. Can your team handle troubleshooting on their own, or will you need to rely on external support? 

Some frameworks, like Hardhat and Truffle, have extensive community resources and documentation, making it easier to find solutions quickly. However, if you choose a framework with limited support, you might find it harder to resolve issues and continue development smoothly.

In the end, the choice of DApp framework means considering your project’s specific needs, the programming language you’re comfortable with, and the level of support available from the community. Doing your research upfront can save you time, effort, and frustration down the road.

Start Building Your DApp with the Experts at Cubix

Clients show a high level of interest in DApps because they provide more features and benefits than centralized apps. However, DApps use frameworks for building. It’s important to figure out what you need for your application and the resources required before choosing the right framework.

If you’re indecisive about how to develop a DApp, Cubix will provide you with thorough yet convenient directions. We’ll also demonstrate how to monetize these applications and the markets where they work wonders.

As one of the leading DApp development service firms, we are more than capable of taking the opportunity to enlighten you on this intriguing domain with significant financial openings.

The Cubix DApp development team has a strong track record of developing tailored DApps from the ground up for various industries. Over the past several years, we have consistently produced high-quality custom solutions for startups and organizations in E-learning, logistics management, entertainment, and many other industries. So contact us right now for a consultation.