VelvetShark

30 Days with Ethereum Standards

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Controlled Substances
Controlled Substance Key Spot/Ph by Damien Hirst

Intended audience: Web3 developers, investors, entrepreneurs, blockchain enthusiasts, policy makers and regulators.

I have been spending more and more time learning about different Ethereum Standards. The more I learn, the more I see how much there is to understand, and how significant the need is to make sense of it all. There simply are too many standards with various names and numbers (e.g., EIP-XXXX, ERC-XXXX, RIP-XXX, CAIP-XXX).

How can one know which is which and what the differences are?

How can one determine which standards are important, which are negligible, and which are groundbreaking?

EIP Directory

I have even built EIP.directory to help navigate this complexity, but even that might not be enough to fully understand what’s going on.

What to expect for the next 30 days?

This is why I will be doing "30 days with Ethereum Standards": to help you make sense of it all.

  • I will explain the differences between different standards: EIP, ERP, RIP (this is not Rest In Peace), and CAIP.
  • I will then choose one standard a day and analyze it:
    • What the standard is about
    • Why it is important
    • Background information about what came before it and what might come after
    • Use cases
    • Anything other interesting or noteworthy details

I will focus on the important, interesting, new(ish), and potentially groundbreaking standards, to maximize the usefulness for you.

These 30 days will provide enough opportunity to showcase the most interesting standards and offer a glimpse into the future of Ethereum. Who knows, if this goes well, maybe there will be more than 30 worth discussing and I may continue.

Here's what should come in the next 30 days. The order and the list might change as I go along, but this is the plan for now:

  1. What are Ethereum Standards - EIPs, ERCs, RIPs, CAIPs
  2. ERC-4337 - It's all about Account Abstraction
  3. ERC-1271 - Now smart contracts can sign transactions too!
  4. EIP-3074 - Pass the AUTH, please!
  5. EIP-5792
  6. EIP-7715
  7. EIP-7212
  8. ERC-7679
  9. ERC-7579
  10. ERC-6900
  11. CAIP-25
  12. RIP-7560
  13. EIP-6963
  14. ERC-6492
  15. ERC-7677
  16. EIP-5806
  17. EIP-4844
  18. CAIP-222
  19. EIP-4361
  20. EIP-7702
  21. EIP-5003
  22. ...to be continued.

Why do Ethereum Standards even matter?

Ethereum is an open protocol. It's also a living organism. It's not a set-it-and-forget-it piece of code. Anyone can contribute to it and make it better. That's how it stays relevant, competitive, up-to-date, and continues driving innovation.

As the official Ethereum website says about EIPs:

Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) describe standards for the Ethereum platform, including core protocol specifications, client APIs, and contract standards.

There's more to it, but I'll discuss additional standards in the next post: "What are Ethereum Standards - EIPs, ERCs, RIPs, CAIPs".

Who should follow this series?

Ideally anyone interested in anything blockchain-related, but more specifically:

  • Developers: Gain insights into EIPs, ERCs, RIPs, and CAIPs to get ahead of what's coming soon.
  • Investors and entrepreneurs: Learn how standards influence project viability, security, and interoperability. Know what will be possible soon that is not possible now.
  • Blockchain enthusiasts: Stay updated on the latest developments and understand the role of standards in the evolution of the Ethereum protocol.
  • Policy makers and regulators: Equip yourself with the knowledge to create informed policies that support innovation while ensuring security and compliance. (Wishful thinking here, but ideally, they would pay attention and base their decisions on current and future standards).

How to follow along

Several options are available:

Teaser to get you interested: The next post will be about the differences between all the standards: EIPs, ERCs, CAIPs, RIPs (yep, real thing, and no, not "Rest In Peace").

Resources

Some helpful resources if you want to learn more:

VelvetShark

by Radek Sienkiewicz