Re{solve} Hackathon Workshop: Seamless onboarding of bitcoiners to Starknet

Summary of "Re{solve} Hackathon Workshop: Seamless onboarding of bitcoiners to Starknet"

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Key Technological Concepts and Product Features

• Atomic SDK:
  • A software development kit enabling seamless, trustless swaps between Bitcoin (BTC) and Starknet tokens.
  • Supports on-chain swaps between Bitcoin Layer 1 (main chain) and Starknet, as well as Bitcoin Layer 2 via the Lightning Network.
  • Facilitates bidirectional swaps: BTC ⇄ Starknet tokens.
  • Works peer-to-peer without a centralized backend; requires storage adapters for persistence outside browser environments.
  • Supports modular chain integration (e.g., Starknet, Solana).
  • Provides utilities such as address parsers to identify Bitcoin, Lightning, Starknet, or Solana addresses.
• Swapping Mechanism:
  • Uses market makers/liquidity providers to obtain binding quotes for swaps via RFQ (Request for Quote).
  • Supports partially signed Bitcoin transactions (PSBT) for wallet interoperability (e.g., Unisat, Xverse).
  • Atomic swaps are designed to be trustless, with refund mechanisms if counterparties refuse to proceed.
  • On-chain swaps allow users to send BTC and receive Starknet tokens without needing to stay online during Bitcoin confirmations (unlike some other solutions like Garden).
• Storage and Wallet Management:
  • For browser environments, IndexedDB is used by default for swap data persistence.
  • For backend/Node.js environments, SQLite storage adapter is used, with the option to implement custom storage adapters (e.g., Google Cloud Storage, Cosmos DB, MongoDB).
  • Wallet keys are saved locally in key files to maintain persistent wallets across application restarts.
  • Supports OpenZeppelin accounts for Starknet wallet management.
• Lightning Network Support:
  • Lightning swaps require Hash Time Locked Contracts (HTLCs) and involve more complex secret management.
  • Lightning swaps currently require mainnet usage due to lack of testnet wallet support.
  • UX challenges exist, such as needing a funded Starknet account to receive Lightning payments; improvements are underway.
  • Lightning swaps use external Lightning wallets and invoices for payments.
• Comparison with Garden:
  • Atomic swaps do not require users to stay online during Bitcoin confirmations, improving UX.
  • Garden uses HTLC atomic swaps which require live client presence, which can be a poor experience given Bitcoin's confirmation times.
  • Atomic SDK allows for automatic handling and settlement without constant user interaction.
• Integration and Workflow Suggestions:
  • Atomic SDK can be integrated with invisible wallets like ChPay, allowing users to log in with Google accounts while maintaining crypto sovereignty.
  • The SDK can be used to abstract away Starknet complexity from Bitcoin users, enabling seamless onboarding without users needing to know about Starknet.
  • Possible to combine Atomic with other wallets (e.g., Unisat, Xverse) for signing Bitcoin transactions.
  • Custom storage adapters can enable cloud-based swap persistence for multi-device user scenarios.

Tutorial / Workshop Highlights

• Step-by-step live coding session creating a TypeScript project for atomic swaps.
• Installation of necessary packages: Atomic SDK, Starknet libraries, Bitcoin signer, SQLite adapter for backend storage.
• Setup of wallets for Starknet and Bitcoin with persistent key storage.
• Using faucets to fund testnet wallets for demonstration.
• Creating and initializing the swapper instance to perform swaps.
• Demonstrating getting quotes, sending Bitcoin transactions, and awaiting confirmations.
• Executing swaps from Bitcoin to Starknet tokens and vice versa.
• Showcasing Lightning Network swaps with external wallets and invoices.
• Handling swap lifecycle events like confirmations, updates, and refunds.
• Explanation of the underlying mechanisms like PSBT, HTLC, and escrow.
• Q&A addressing integration questions, storage options, and differences with competing solutions.

Key Sources / Speakers

• Adam:
  • Co-founder and technical lead of Atomic.
  • Main presenter conducting the live coding workshop and answering technical questions.
• Workshop Host / Moderator:
  • Facilitates the session, manages questions, and provides additional context about hackathon resources and related technologies like Garden.

Overall, the workshop provided a comprehensive technical guide on using the Atomic SDK to enable trustless, seamless swaps between Bitcoin and Starknet tokens, including both on-chain and Lightning Network solutions, with practical coding examples and integration advice.