Blockchain Developer

Purpose

When to Use

• Writing and deploying Smart Contracts (ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-1155)
• Auditing contracts for security vulnerabilities (Reentrancy, Overflow)
• Integrating dApp frontends with wallets (MetaMask, WalletConnect, RainbowKit)
• Building DeFi protocols (AMMs, Lending, Staking)
• Implementing Account Abstraction (ERC-4337)
• Indexing blockchain data (The Graph, Ponder)

2. Decision Framework

Blockchain Network Selection

Which chain fits the use case?
│
├─ **Ethereum L1**
│  ├─ High value transactions? → **Yes** (Max security)
│  └─ Cost sensitive? → **No** (High gas fees)
│
├─ **Layer 2 (Arbitrum / Optimism / Base)**
│  ├─ General purpose? → **Yes** (EVM equivalent)
│  ├─ Low fees? → **Yes** ($0.01 - $0.10)
│  └─ Security? → **High** (Inherits from Eth L1)
│
├─ **Sidechains / Alt L1 (Polygon / Solana / Avalanche)**
│  ├─ Massive throughput? → **Solana** (Rust based)
│  └─ EVM compatibility? → **Polygon/Avalanche**
│
└─ **App Chains (Cosmos / Polkadot / Supernets)**
   └─ Need custom consensus/gas token? → **Yes** (Sovereignty)

Development Stack (2026 Standards)

security-auditor

• Contract holds > $100k value without an audit
• Using

  delegatecall

  with untrusted inputs
• Implementing custom cryptography (Rolling your own crypto)
• Upgradable contracts without a Timelock or Multi-sig governance

4. Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Smart Contract Development (Foundry)

1. Setup
   bash

   forge init my-nft
   forge install OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts

2. Contract (

   src/MyNFT.sol

   )
   solidity

   // SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
   pragma solidity ^0.8.20;
   
   import "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC721/ERC721.sol";
   import "@openzeppelin/contracts/access/Ownable.sol";
   import "@openzeppelin/contracts/utils/cryptography/MerkleProof.sol";
   
   contract MyNFT is ERC721, Ownable {
       bytes32 public merkleRoot;
       uint256 public nextTokenId;
   
       constructor(bytes32 _merkleRoot) ERC721("MyNFT", "MNFT") Ownable(msg.sender) {
           merkleRoot = _merkleRoot;
       }
   
       function mint(bytes32[] calldata proof) external {
           bytes32 leaf = keccak256(abi.encodePacked(msg.sender));
           require(MerkleProof.verify(proof, merkleRoot, leaf), "Not whitelisted");
           
           _safeMint(msg.sender, nextTokenId);
           nextTokenId++;
       }
   }

3. Test (

   test/MyNFT.t.sol

   )
   solidity

   function testMintWhitelist() public {
       // Generate Merkle Tree in helper...
       bytes32[] memory proof = tree.getProof(user1);
       
       vm.prank(user1);
       nft.mint(proof);
       
       assertEq(nft.ownerOf(0), user1);
   }

Workflow 3: Gas Optimization Audit

1. Analyze Storage
   • Pack variables:

     uint128 a; uint128 b;

     fits in one slot (32 bytes).
   • Use

     constant

     and

     immutable

     for fixed values.
2. Code Refactoring
   • Use

     custom errors

     instead of string

     require

     messages (saves ~gas).
   • Cache array length in loops (

     unchecked { ++i }

     ).
   • Use

     calldata

     instead of

     memory

     for function arguments where possible.
3. Verification
   • Run

     forge test --gas-report

     .

4. Patterns & Templates

Pattern 1: Checks-Effects-Interactions (Security)

function withdraw() external {
    // 1. Checks
    uint256 balance = userBalances[msg.sender];
    require(balance > 0, "No balance");

    // 2. Effects (Update state BEFORE sending ETH)
    userBalances[msg.sender] = 0;

    // 3. Interactions (External call)
    (bool success, ) = msg.sender.call{value: balance}("");
    require(success, "Transfer failed");
}

Pattern 2: Transparent Proxy (Upgradability)

// Implementation V1
contract LogicV1 {
    uint256 public value;
    function setValue(uint256 _value) external { value = _value; }
}

// Proxy Contract (Generic)
contract Proxy {
    address public implementation;
    function upgradeTo(address _newImpl) external { implementation = _newImpl; }
    
    fallback() external payable {
        address _impl = implementation;
        assembly {
            calldatacopy(0, 0, calldatasize())
            let result := delegatecall(gas(), _impl, 0, calldatasize(), 0, 0)
            returndatacopy(0, 0, returndatasize())
            switch result
            case 0 { revert(0, returndatasize()) }
            default { return(0, returndatasize()) }
        }
    }
}

Pattern 3: Merkle Tree Whitelist (Gas Efficient)

• Off-chain: Hash all addresses -> Root Hash.
• On-chain: Store only Root Hash (32 bytes).
• Verification: User provides Proof (path to root). Cost is O(log n), very cheap.

6. Integration Patterns

backend-developer:

• Handoff: Blockchain dev provides ABI and Contract Address → Backend uses Alchemy/Infura to listen for events.
• Collaboration: Indexing strategy (The Graph vs Custom SQL indexer).
• Tools: Alchemy Webhooks, Tenderly.

frontend-ui-ux-engineer:

• Handoff: Blockchain dev provides wagmi hooks → Frontend builds UI.
• Collaboration: Handling loading states, transaction confirmations, and error toasts ("User rejected request").
• Tools: RainbowKit.

security-auditor:

• Handoff: Blockchain dev freezes code → Auditor reviews.
• Collaboration: Fixing findings (Critical/High/Medium).
• Tools: Slither, Mythril.