Please describe your proposed solution

Our main goal is development of software for high quality off-chain decentralized ecosystem of servers. We can greatly improve the sustainability of running dApps by helping people to run off-chain code. Placing Dandelion-lite in the governance structure of Gimbalabs. We intend to have a very relaxed approach to the API's that can be added. As long as the code is open source, so it can be worked on independently without permission. Dandelion-lite is already used in production as the API service provider for the Gamechanger wallet. See how easy it is to use: https://x.com/M2tec_1/status/1810946043288101224. Dandelion-lite is proven technology.

Making sure the API's will run using a local test-cluster. Because of this Dandelion-lite can run without an external internet connection. Allowing for easy setup, low resource requirements and minimal dependencies.

Part of the governance structure is an educational program based on the tools already created at Gimbalabs. Here we intend to help people understand the system and onboard people into contributing.

In future we intend to research / build several incentive programs for DNO's (Dando Node Operators). As a starting point, direct funding of DNO's is included in this proposal. This will be a montly funding payout with checks on if services were running that month. Funding will be for hardware and running cost.

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

For dApp developers and especially starting blockchain developers, it is essential to easily run the services needed to build breakthrough applications. With the proposed work we intend to remove roadblocks and streamline the access to publicly available API's.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our team has extensive experience in blockchain development, building advanced wallet features. software engineering, and educational technology, making us well-suited to deliver this project. We’ve successfully delivered complex projects on time, within budget, and with full transparency.

Team Expertise:

• Our developers work on successful Cardano projects, building the Gamechanger wallet and supporting the Cardano ecosystem with Dandelion API services.
• The team includes, systems engineers, DevOps experts, dApp developers, a product designer and a project manager skilled in systematic project approach.

Validation of Approach:

• Dandelion regular has been running since the early days of Cardano. Helping developers get started with freely accessible API's.
• Dandelion-lite is the next evolution and is already battle tested as the main API service provider for the Gamechanger wallet.
• We have run tech demo's and install help sessions. Proving ease of installation and validating the product interest.

Trust and Accountability:

• Regular stakeholder updates will include milestone progress and Q&A sessions.
• Community engagement through our public channels such as discord, X, etc. will ensure transparency and feedback-driven refinement.

With our proven track record, technical skills, and commitment to transparency, we are confident in our ability to deliver this project and contribute positively to the Cardano ecosystem.

What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1: General planning stage

Milestone Outputs:

• Planning document
• Assignment to team members to tasks.

Acceptance criteria:

• Stages in JSON format ready

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Published on github.

Milestone 2: DNO onboarding stage

Milestone Outputs:

• Dandelion-lite is released from private beta
• Onboarding people to be DNOs (6 to 12 people)

Acceptance criteria:

• API services are live and accessible for query

Evidence of milestone completion:

• The following API services can be used on 6 DNO's
• GraphQl can be queried
• Koios can be queried

Milestone 3: Education course

Milestone Outputs:

• Andamio course using the Gimbalabs PPBL format, consisting of the following Modules
• Docker basics
• Podman basics
• Installation guide
• Services overview

Acceptance criteria:

• Course is live as Gimbalabs PPBL

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Link is provided to the online course and accessible for review

Milestone 4: Maintainers on-boarding stage

Milestone Outputs:

• Used Dandelion PPBL education course to educate new developers on the system. To develop faster for personal use. Or to become maintainers in the future. 5 people have completed the course material and have received a completion-certificate
• Dandelion-lite has 3 additional maintainers.

Acceptance criteria:

• 3 new team members have submitted

Evidence of milestone completion:

• New users: 5 certificates of course completion available on the Cardano blockchain.
• 3 new team members have submitted patches. To dandelion lite github repository.

Final Milestone: Wrap-up stage

Milestone Outputs:

• Evaluation meeting on Gimbalabs Goverance.
• Final close-out report.
• Final closeout video.

Acceptance criteria:

• Evaluation meeting is completed.
• Close-out report is ready.
• Final closeout video is ready.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Video of final meeting in posted online.
• Closeout report is available in Dandelion-lite github repository.
• Closeout video is available on Youtube.

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

Gimbalabs

Gimbalabs is an organization that has been around for a considerable time already. Being a central point for people to learn about Cardano and how to develop on Cardano. Recently this is developing further into structures for governance about project planning and funding. Dandelion has been a part of this from the beginning and is a good fit for hosting API's. The structure of Gimbalabs welcomes all in the community to collaborate effectively. https://gimbalabs.com/.

Project leader

Maarten Menheere is an engineer with a masters degree Industrial design at Technical University in Delft. Founder and for 10 years owner of M2tec design and engineering. Has 15 years experience in project management and engineering of payment systems. M2tec was one of the first to deliver in Fund 5. Completing all set goals of the project within the set delivery schedule. Followed by development of the Totem v1 in Fund 7 . Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maartenmenheere/

Lead developer:

Adriano Fiorenza is Entrepreneur &amp; Senior Full Stack Developer with 15+ years of experience software and IOT development. Founder and Developer of GameChanger Wallet, participated in 1st gen Plutus Pioneer Program, Team member at ALDEA, Gimbalabs collaborator Linkedin: <https://ar.linkedin.com/in/adriano-fiorenza>

Developer:

Nelson Kshetrimayum is a passionate Cardano developer who transitioned from a background in physics to focusing on blockchain technology. He began his Cardano development journey with Gimbalabs, contributing to prototype a Cardano native Learning Management System. With a solid foundation in both physics and computer science, Nelson brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to his work, particularly in the realm of improving science and education through technology. He is dedicated to advancing the open-source software movement and contributing to the growth of Cardano as a leading blockchain. Driven by a desire to learn new concepts, build innovative software, and explore distributed and fractal community governance, he aims to create meaningful change in society through technology.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nelson_ksh

Adviser:

Roberto C. Morano: Gimbalabs co-founder, creator and maintainer of Dandelion. Stake Pool Operator since Shelley Incentivized Testnet (2019), currently running PEACE Pool. Systems administrator and dev-ops magician with experience building at Emurgo and for 12+ years on Open Source systems including community distributions for Linux.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcmorano/

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Personnel cost

Future maintenance work 60.000 ADA

Completed maintenance 50.000 ADA

• Integrating Ogmios
• Integrating Cardano-db-sync
• Integrating Koios
• Integrating Dandelion-postgrest
• Integrating GraphQL
• Integrating Prometheus / Graphana
• Integrating gLiveView
• Integrating Test-cluster
• Integrating Haproxy
• Integrating pgAdmin
• Unimatrix transaction relay
• Modifications for Podman support.
• Direct sql access method to postgresdb.
• Easy to setup proxy tunnel. (no dns setup needed)
• Node monitoring service.

Creation of educational content 30.000 ADA

Hardware

Support running off-chain services 50.000 ADA

Purchase with 5 year depreciation AMD Ryzen 9 - 128 GB RAM - 4TB storage → $2000 = 5714 ADA = 1142 ADA / year

Running Dandelion server yearly 400W → 7 ADA / day = 2492 ADA / year

Running server yearly = 3634 ADA

So funding could run 12 servers for a single year. Or 6 servers for 2 years.

Marketing cost

Design of promotional content - 2,000 ADA

Media and PR engagement - 3,500 ADA

Miscellaneous

Reserved for unforeseen costs or overruns - 3,500 ADA

Total 199,000 ADA

Project is run from within the Gimbalabs governance structure. With help from the developers of the Gamechanger wallet. And M2tec developer op payment infrastructure hardware.

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

Reduced Development and Deployment Costs:

• Simplified Setup: By providing a comprehensive Docker-compose setup, developers can avoid the time-consuming and complex process of configuring and deploying essential services from scratch. This leads to significant savings in both time and money.

• Rapid Development Cycles: With a pre-configured environment, developers can focus more on building their dApps rather than managing infrastructure, leading to faster time-to-market and reduced costs associated with prolonged development phases.

Enhanced Performance and Scalability:

• Future-Proofing with Interoperability: By enabling seamless transitions to alternative indexers like cf-ledger-sync, the project ensures long-term sustainability and flexibility, reducing the need for future investments in major overhauls or migrations.

Open-Source Community Contributions:

• Collaborative Development: By open-sourcing the project, the Cardano community can contribute to its development and maintenance. This communal effort reduces the burden on any single entity and leverages the collective expertise and resources of the ecosystem.

• Shared Innovations: Best practices and innovations derived from projects like Koios and Blockfrost are incorporated and shared, ensuring that the broader community benefits from cutting-edge advancements without duplicating efforts.

Scalability and High Availability:

• Built-In Scalability: The Docker-compose setup is designed for scalability, allowing developers to easily adjust their infrastructure to meet varying demands without incurring substantial additional costs.

• High Availability: Pre-configured services for monitoring and logging enhance reliability, reducing downtime and associated costs with service interruptions.

Long-Term Sustainability:

• Optimized Resource Utilization: The project’s emphasis on performance optimization ensures efficient use of resources, which translates to lower operational costs over time.

• Support and Maintenance: Ongoing community support and regular updates ensure the infrastructure remains up-to-date and secure, mitigating the risk and costs associated with obsolescence and vulnerabilities.