@0270d8acb0ac9cf12fa597e6f48a01e783036826b283168c85d45bcd937de1fe [Posted on DevHub](/devgovgigs.near/widget/Post?id=2783) ## Idea: Maintain and Enhance the Near Explorer with a Dedicated Team #### Problem: The Near explorer (legacy.explorer.near.org) has been an invaluable tool, enabling users to explore on-chain data. Its familiar interface is appreciated by many developers working in the Near ecosystem. However, as Near has rapidly expanded, the legacy explorer has struggled to match the pace. To support Near's continued growth, upgrading the legacy explorer should become a priority initiative. The project team should assess performance issues and identify required features by engaging key users to understand pain points. A phased approach can help implement higher-impact updates first while maintaining service availability. By dedicating adequate resources and planning improvements methodically, the team can bring the legacy explorer up-to-date with Near's advancement. Maintaining this flagship service will be crucial for providing an excellent user experience as Near moves forward. With a proactive management strategy, the legacy explorer can continue meeting stakeholder needs. While Nearblocks has provided an excellent blockchain explorer for Near Protocol, relying solely on this centralized service creates a single point of failure. If Nearblocks experiences any downtime, it could hamper users and developers working within the Near ecosystem. To mitigate this risk, the project team should prioritize decentralizing explorer services by encouraging and supporting development of additional independent explorers. Expanding capabilities through features like transaction receipt examination and visualized execution plans would also add value for users. However, the team must balance innovation with stability, carefully evaluating any major changes for potential impacts on existing functionality. A phased rollout strategy could help introduce new tools while maintaining reliable core services. With careful planning, the Near project can scale up explorer offerings in a controlled manner, improving redundancy and capabilities for its growing community. Some key issues include: - Basic UI/UX - The explorer has a very simple interface lacking many expected features such as charts, metrics, and other analytics. This makes it hard for users to get meaningful insights from the data. - Performance - With increasing network activity, query times have gotten slower and timeout errors occur frequently. This impacts dApp developers building on Near. - Reliability - There have been multiple incidents of downtime or data lagging behind the latest blocks. This reduces trust in the explorer as the source of truth. - Feature gaps - Many new NEPs and ecosystem innovations are not supported or integrated. The explorer risks falling further behind as Near evolves. - Maintenance overhead - Operating the explorer pulls scarce resources away from other priorities within Near core teams like Protocol and DevEx. #### Solution: To address these issues, we propose assembling a dedicated team of 5 engineers and designers to take over maintenance and enhancement of the Near explorer starting in February 2024. The team will focus on: - Implementing all new NEPs and legacy token standards - Dramatically improving performance and uptime - Adding missing features like charts, analytics, and robust APIs - Integrating related services like Aurora and private shards - Building developer tools for smart contract analysis - Improving branding and marketing to drive usage We envision a 12 month roadmap with two major releases: Release 1 (Months 1-6): - Core performance upgrades - Bug fixes, uptime improvements - Basic feature parity with other major chain explorers Release 2 (Months 7-12): - Support for new NEPs - Advanced analytics and APIs - Integrations with ecosystem such as Aurora - Developer tools and contract analysis Team and Operations: To execute this plan, we propose a distributed team of: - 1 senior full stack engineer ($8K/mo) - 1 senior UX/UI/frontend engineer ($6K/mo) - 1 senior data engineer ($6K/mo) - 1 product manager/Co-founder ($6K/mo) - Infrastructure ($500/mo) Total monthly cost: $26.5K The team will coordinate closely with Near core developers but operate independently on a day-to-day basis. We propose a 12 month pilot with funding of $318K to cover team costs. Ready with full stack and data engineers. Staffing will increase gradually per plan as project progresses to meet milestones. After 12 months, we will assess adoption and usage and determine a path to longer-term sustainability through a combination of grants, premium features, and advertising revenue. ##### Impact: Enhancing the Near explorer will benefit: - End users - Better experience discovering and analyzing the Near network - dApp developers - More robust data and APIs for building Web3 apps - Protocol developers - Free up resources to focus on core protocol - Ecosystem - Drive adoption by showcasing Near innovation We're excited about the opportunity to dedicate focused resources to improve this critical community resource. Please let us know if you would like any clarification or have additional suggestions for the proposal scope and roadmap. #### About Author: Yifang Ma is an experienced project manager who makes valuable contributions to blockchain projects. During her 2+ years at Pogoda, Yifang played a pioneering role as the first contributor to the NEAR explorer repository. She has demonstrated skill in leading teams to achieve grant funding, most notably securing over $500k to support web3 project development. Yifang has a track record of delivering high-quality products and videos aligned to grant milestones, exemplifying her commitment to on-time delivery. Her technical knowledge and project management capabilities have been assets to the communities she has served. Yifang's drive to ship excellent work positions her to continue bringing value to decentralized ecosystem initiatives requiring disciplined execution.