WTF is a zkEVM? ⚡

GM builders,

Welcome back to thirdweb weekly: where we highlight how web3 is disrupting everything from ecommerce to gaming. 🚀 

Speaking of gaming: we built the first web3 game on the Base testnet to showcase at ETHDenver… 5 days later, it has 315k+ total players & 2M+ transactions. See the smart contract, use the source code to build your own web3 games, and play Cat Attack here!

WTF is a zkEVM? The Race to Scale Ethereum ⚡️

One of the biggest challenges facing the Ethereum network is scalability: with throughput of only 15 transactions per second, the EVM can become easily overloaded as the network gets more popular — leading to slower transaction speeds, higher gas fees, and a less inclusive web3 ecosystem.

Despite this, the Ethereum Foundation has agreed they are not going to sacrifice security & decentralization to improve scalability — prompting solutions like sidechains, layer 2 networks, rollups, and more as the race to scaling Ethereum heats up.

If that wasn’t already a mouthful, zkEVMs have now entered the chat: the ‘holy grail’ of scaling solutions, and the potential answer to all 3 properties of the scalability trilemma (scalability, security, and decentralization) — with Polygon, ConsenSys, and zkSync all building their own zkEVM mainnets.

But WTF is a zkEVM in the first place? Why is it better than other scaling solutions? And how do you use one? Learn all of the above (& more) in our talented engineer’s 5-minute explainer:

🚨 BOUNTY ALERT: Build a Web3 Commerce App, Win $9k

We’re teaming up with Shopify to drop Replit’s biggest bounty ever: Build a web3 commerce app to win $9,000 — and get featured as a Replit template to 150k+ followers across Shopify, Replit, & thirdweb channels!

Last week, we introduced CommerceKit to the world — an all-in-one platform for developers to build web3 commerce apps, for use cases like:

• Distributing membership passes and creating on-chain loyalty programs — rewarding loyal customers with exclusive free drops, token-gated products, and discounts

• Selling digital collectibles directly through Shopify storefronts, and collecting royalties from secondary sales

• Leveraging on-chain data and merging it with existing web2 data to build a more complete customer profile

With features like gasless relayers, easy NFT checkout, and seamless wallet sign-in, use Shopify and thirdweb’s robust APIs and blockchain components to develop token-powered commerce experiences. Need inspo on what to build? See our our CommerceKit blog, guides and solutions page!

If you want to participate, get started by applying to the bounty and see our acceptance criteria here:

📹️ YouTube Tutorial: Build a Web3 App on the Base Testnet (Coinbase L2) — in 10 Minutes

In this video, we’ll show you how to deploy any smart contract & build a web3 app on the Base testnet, Coinbase’s new L2, in under 10 minutes! We’ll take you step-by-step through:

• Adding the Base Goerli network to your thirdweb dashboard

• Getting Base Goerli testnet ETH in your wallet

• Deploying any smart contract to the Base testnet in 1 click

📚️ Guide: Deploy a Smart Contract on ConsenSys zkEVM

In this guide, we’ll show you how to deploy any smart contract to the ConsenSys zkEVM testnet — a zero-knowledge rollup built on top of the Ethereum network. We’ll take you step-by-step through:

• What ConsenSys zkEVM is, and what it can be used for

• Adding the ConsenSys zkEVM testnet to your dashboard

• Getting zkEVM testnet funds in your wallet

• Creating & deploying any smart contract in a few clicks

🔥 ICYMI: thirdweb brings its tools to Polygon zkEVM

🗓️ Events & Workshops

Weekly Office Hours | Mon, March 13 | 12pm EST / 9am PST / 5pm GMT

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Have a great rest of your week shippin’! 🚢 🛠️ 

And if you’re ever looking for 32,000+ other builders to learn from & share your web3 journey with, look no further than our Discord community 🤝