While Ethereum, Solana, and other blockchains have been at the forefront of building dApps, developers are now considering the untapped potential of building on Bitcoin with Rootstock.

Explore a paradigm shift that could redefine your dApp development experience and open doors to unparalleled innovation.

How does Rootstock enable building on Bitcoin?

Rootstock is a smart contract, EVM-compatible sidechain on Bitcoin that enables developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) on top of Bitcoin.

It is a layer 2 solution that provides smart contract functionality and scalability without sacrificing the security of the Bitcoin blockchain. Its native cryptocurrency is called RBTC used as gas for all transactions happening on the Rootstock chain.

Read this comprehensive guide to get introduced to Smart Contract development and deployment, getting RBTC, tooling and developer resources and how to get help when building on the Rootstock Blockchain.

If you want to get an in-depth view of the Rootstock Blockchain and why developers choose to build on Rootstock including EVM-compatibility, scalability, security of Bitcoin, and lower fees, read part one in the hackernoon series: DeFi on Bitcoin Part 1: A Guide To Building dApps on Rootstock.

Prerequisites for Smart Contract Development on Rootstock

Smart contracts are self-executing code that are stored on a blockchain. They can be used to automate a wide range of transactions and agreements, without the need for intermediaries. It is essential for building dApps, as they provide the foundation for decentralized applications.

For a quick intro, read the quick-start guide to get a quick introduction to Rootstock, learn how to interact with Rootstock in your web browser, and how to view Rootstock transactions.

Rootstock Smart Contract Capabilities:

Rootstock offers a variety of smart contract capabilities, including:

Developing on Rootstock: DeFi on Bitcoin Porting dApps and benefits over Ethereum

Watch video on Merged Mining and Why it matters

Rootstock’s Programming Languages

Programming Languages use to develop dApp on Rootstock includes:

To level up your knowledge of smart contracts, enroll for the Rootstock Blockchain Developer Course. Learn how to write, test, compile, deploy, secure, and verify smart contracts using Solidity.

Additional resources include:

Want to integrate with Rootstock? Get in touch with us or visit the Developer Portal to get started.

Developer Tooling

If you’ve already developed any dApps on Ethereum, you should be ready to hop on Rootstock and start building on Bitcoin.

Here are some developer tooling to enable smart contract deployment on Rootstock including explorers, frameworks, libraries, demo code snippets, blockchain oracles, node infrastructure, and smart contract monitoring:

  1. Explorers (Rootstock Explorer)

The Rootstock blockchain explorer provides an in-depth visualization of all the transactions, blocks, addresses and tokens in the blockchain. It also supports contract verifications / interactions.

  1. Frameworks

Frameworks enable Rootstock developers to participate in the Rootstock ecosystem at different levels, such as  running full nodes, trading tokens, mining cryptocurrency, and more.

Following are some frameworks used to build Rootstock dApps:

  1. Libraries

  1. Demo Code Snippets

    The demo code snippets is a github repo full of code snippets demonstrating dev tasks on Rootstock. Each folder within this repo contains a separate demo, and has its own dependencies to install.

  2. Blockchain Oracles

    Blockchain oracles are entities that connect blockchains to external systems, allowing smart contracts to execute depending on real-world inputs and outputs.

Here are some oracles integrated with Rootstock:

  1. Node Infrastructure

  1. Blockchain Data Analytics, Asset Monitoring and Management

  1. No-Code Infrastructure

    Forward Protocol enables creation of Blockchains, Subnets, and dApps with a No-Code interface.

Want to integrate with Rootstock? Get in touch with us or visit the Developer Portal to get started.

Getting RBTC

RBTC, or Smart Bitcoin, is the native token of the Rootstock blockchain and it is pegged 1:1 to BTC. It plays a crucial role in the functioning and security of the Rootstock ecosystem and is the token to be used for transaction fees, smart contract execution, Bitcoin peg maintenance, and as a store of value as it has the same value of BTC.

To start building on Rootstock, you will need to acquire RBTC. For a detailed guide on Exchanges, Cryptocurrencies and the various ways to get crypto on Rootstock. See 3 Easy Ways to Get RBTC or  Get Crypto on Rootstock.

Here are some other methods;

Faucets

A crypto faucet is an app or a website that distributes small amounts of cryptocurrencies as a reward for completing easy tasks. The Rootstock Testnet Faucet is used to get test tokens for building and deployments on Testnet.

Decentralized Exchanges

Decentralized exchanges or “DEX”, is a peer-to-peer marketplace where users can trade cryptocurrencies without the need for a central authority. Instead, DEXs use smart contracts to facilitate trades and ensure that they are executed fairly and securely.

Let’s take a look at DEXes that support Rootstock tokens:

Centralized Exchanges

Centralized exchanges are managed by a centralized organization such as a bank that is otherwise involved in financial services looking to make a profit.

Some of these exchanges include:

Bridges

Bridges are software protocols that enable communication and interaction between different blockchains.

2 way peg

The 2 way peg is a protocol that converts BTC to RBTC and vice versa. It is secured by the powpeg, which is a unique 2-way peg system that secures the locked bitcoins with the same Bitcoin hashrate that establishes consensus. See the 2 way peg app to get started.

Tokenbridge

The Ethereum/Rootstock Bridge allows the move of ERC20 tokens between one chain and the other.

Sovryn Cross-chain bridge

The Sovryn Cross-chain Bridge allows easy and permissionless transfers of your tokens from one blockchain to another. There are currently three blockchains included in the bridge: Rootstock, Ethereum, and Binance Smart Chain.

Supported Wallets

Wallets that support RBTC include:

Supported Token Standards

To understand the differences, read Fungible Token standards.

Asset Types

Fungible Tokens

Non-token financial assets

Visit the RIF On Chain decentralized protocol to get started.

Rootstock Community and Support

The Rootstock blockchain is supported by its community of developers and blockchain enthusiasts that together provide a significant knowledge base for newcomers to the community. You can find these communities and support channels on:

Stackoverflow

Get your questions answered on Stackoverflow. Tag #RSK or #Rootstock to get support.

Rootstock Global Discord Community

Join the Rootstock Global Discord Community to get the needed resources and support as you start your journey to build on Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Want to integrate with Rootstock? Get in touch with us or visit the Developer Portal to get started.

Free Education Sources

Take these courses on Rootstock to level up your knowledge of Rootstock Sidechain  and Writing Smart contracts.

Rootstock Blockchain Developer Course

The developer course teaches you how to develop on the Rootstock blockchain, with a major focus on smart contract development. In this course, you will learn how to write, test, compile, deploy, secure, and verify smart contracts using Solidity and it is completely FREE!

Rootstock User Course

The User course aims to teach you how to use and interact with the Rootstock blockchain network. This course is for a technical user, but does not require or involve any programming knowledge and it is completely FREE!

Contribute

Here are the various ways you can contribute to the Rootstock Ecosystem!

Join the Ambassador Program

Become a Rootstock Ambassador, support the Rootstock ecosystem and earn exclusive rewards.

Submit an Issue

Contribute to the Rootstock Developer Portal.

Submit an issue

Participate in a hackathon or grant

Wave three of Rootstock's grants program closes on November 17th — and if you've got a project or an idea that could supercharge our ecosystem, we want to hear from you.

Meet the winners of the first waves of Rootstock Grants Program.

Future Prospects and Potential Impact of Rootstock on the Blockchain Industry

Rootstock is revolutionizing the way decentralized applications are being built and deployed. By providing smart contract functionality and scalability on Bitcoin, Rootstock is enabling developers and businesses to build dApps that are more secure, reliable, and efficient.

Rootstock also has a significant impact on the adoption of Bitcoin, by making it possible to build dApps on Bitcoin, Rootstock has opened up new possibilities for the use of Bitcoin. For example, Rootstock can be used to build decentralized financial applications (DeFi) and other innovative dApps on Bitcoin.

In this article, we covered how to deploy dApps on Bitcoin using Rootstock EVM-compatible sidechain, we looked at developer tooling and resources needed to get started on Rootstock.

Useful Resources