Please describe your proposed solution.

This project will create a RESTful API service that will accept fiat or ADA and provide file upload and retention services on the Arweave protocol.

The current state of file storage on Cardano is inefficient and susceptible to loss. There is an overreliance on the IPFS protocol, which requires additional infrastructure or expensive monthly subscription services for pinning files. There are a number of different file storage providers, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, file storage is often expensive, especially for large files.

The Arweave protocol offers a number of advantages over traditional centralized file storage solutions. Arweave is a permanent storage network, meaning that files uploaded to Arweave are guaranteed to be stored forever. Arweave is also decentralized, meaning that there is no single point of failure.

The proposed service will provide a valuable new tool for file storage for the Cardano network. The service will be built utilizing the Arweave protocol, which offers the advantages of permanent storage and decentralization. The service will provide a permanent link for use by Cardano projects to point to in-transaction metadata that will not require the maintenance of hardware or pinning services.

How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

We believe that this project addresses the challenge through Blockchain interoperability - Research, software or any other useful initiatives that help increase the interoperability of Cardano with other blockchain systems.

The following benefits will be realized with this project:

Scalability: The service will be able to handle large volumes of traffic.

Security: The service will be protected against unauthorized access.

Reliability: The service will be backed up regularly, so that files are never lost.

How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

Our project will be successful if a restful API is built and operational that allows a user to request a file to be uploaded to the Arweave network, and collects the payment from the user necessary to complete the transfer, while providing the user with a receipt that acknowledges the Arweave file location and completion of that transaction.

Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

The outputs of this project will appear in a Github repository. Videos produced will be hosted on YouTube.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

DripDropz has a proven track record of delivering high quality products to the Cardano Community. Our core product services nearly 10,000 wallets every 5 days. Team members have provided a wealth of open source software, as well as powerful tools such as Phyrhose and BuffyBot. We are active in the community and are present at all of the major Cardano events, such as NFTxLV, Rare Evo, Cardano Summit, and the Governance workshops.

What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The main goal of this project is to complete the creation of a web 2.5 Restful API service that will allow users to purchase permanent storage on the Arweave protocol via either fiat or ADA. We have validated that the approach is feasible through a research action that took place prior to the submission of this proposal. We are prepared to complete the work upon approval.

Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1: User Journey

• Research other projects utilizing Arweave cross chain to other chains.
• Perform a survey with developers to gauge interest and pain points with current solutions
• Create a User Journey Map
• Provide a video walkthrough of the user journey.

Milestone 2: UX/UI

• Apply the learnings from the first milestone to build the user experience and the user interfaces that will be used to interact with the API. (creation of accounts, keys, accounting of usage, etc.)
• Create a Figma document with the UI for the management interface.

Milestone 3: Core Development

• Apply the above learnings and built out experiences to complete the code necessary to provide the service to the Cardano community.
• Perform testing and security analysis.

Milestone 4: Documentation

• Document the full usage of the tool.
• Provide API documentation via SWIFT, Postman, or similar services so end users can interact with the API from any environment.
• Provide help documentation for the user interface for provisioning services.
• Perform final check out testing.

Milestone 5: Mainnet Launch

• Launch the product on Mainnet

Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Milestone 1: An explainer video for the user journey.

Milestone 2: A Figma Document

Milestone 3: A Github repository

Milestone 4: A Github WIKI of product usage documentation plus a link to SWIFT/Postman API documentation

Milestone 5: A live gateway available for use by the community.

Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Milestone 1:

UX/UI Designer: 10000

Senior Engineer: 960

Full Stack Developer: 8400 ADA

Media Team: 4000 ADA

Management: 2000 ADA

Milestone 2:

UX/UI Designer: 15000

Senior Engineer: 1200

Full Stack Developer: 8400 ADA

Management: 2000 ADA

Milestone 3:

UX/UI Designer: 5000

Senior Engineer: 18600

Full Stack Developer: 33600

Management: 2000 ADA

Milestone 4:

UX/UI Designer: 10000

Senior Engineer: 1200

Full Stack Developer: 8400

Management: 2000 ADA

Milestone 5:

Senior Engineer: 1200

Full Stack Developer: 8400

Management: 2000 ADA

Administrative Overhead for Catalyst Fund Reporting Administration: 17500

Total Budget: 161860

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

The project team is always kept up to date at <https://dripdropz.io/about-us>. Each team member is public, and available via social media for any questions you may have. The Team member roles are also described at the above link.

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

We believe that this project is worth funding because it has the potential to make a significant impact on file storage solutions on Cardano.

The service will be a valuable tool for users who need to store files securely and permanently that will be linked to on chain transactions.

The project is expected to improve the quality of life for users by making it easier to store permanent unchangeable files that link to metadata.