Please describe your proposed solution
The problem I am addressing is the lack of reliable tools for developers to simulate Cardano's blockchain behavior during unit testing.
Current TypeScript transaction builders depend on incomplete emulators and/or private testnets, which require the use of bash scripts and raw Docker commands.
These tools are outside the direct control of the testing framework, creating challenges in maintaining consistency and reliability during the development and testing processes.
My approach involves building a comprehensive package that enables developers to create private testnets utilizing a real Cardano node for transaction processing.
By leveraging Dockerode/Testcontainers, this solution will provide easy control of Cardano private testnet environments directly from TypeScript.
All testnet operations, including node startup, shutdown, and state management, will be controllable through a TypeScript API, improving integration with existing development workflows.
Developers will be able to provision throwaway, on-demand containers, significantly streamlining their development and testing workflows.
Additionally, while Hydra is a Layer 2 solution for Cardano and not a provider of Lucid Evolution, I will integrate its functionalities to enhance the Provider package capabilities. This integration will further improve the flexibility of lucid-evolution, offering developers more robust tools for building scalable applications on the Cardano platform.