If you’ve gone down a few Holochain exploratory rabbit holes, there may be a point where you realize there's an application you’d just love to see built. And, you might have a creative way to design it—what’s missing…coding skills.
You may know developers from exploring different platforms like Dev.hc, or the various Discord servers of Holochain Projects. You could decide to create your team from individuals within (and without) the Holochain ecosystem. And, you may not have a clue where to find developer support.
At this particular juncture in the “Holoverse” we have a good handful of amazing Developer Groups who offer a variety of ways to help you build your dream application! Each will have differing interests and passions about the types of projects they’d gravitate towards, and each has differing skill sets. Here are some groups to consider!
The Coasys team are a group of core Holochain and hApp developers who came together to create Synergy Engine a distributed search and reward system. Working at the cutting edge of Web3 development they previously developed the ADAM interoperability layer to coordinate different digital ecosystems and also Flux, the social platform. Through their DAO they are collaborating with partners who would like to integrate ADAM and Holochain into their own projects. You can contact them at contact@coasys.org or join their Discord server.
If you’d like to see our past feature on Coasys, go here.
darksoil studio is made up of expert Holochain core developers and long-standing ecosystem advocates. They specialise in small, interoperable, open source distributed applications. Their intention is to support communities and groups to reduce their administrative burden and achieve their goals using peer to peer software and self-sovereign digital spaces. They are currently building co-budgeting, mutual credit and coordination hApps. If you’d like to integrate these into your own project, or have your an idea you think will resonate with them, you can email them hello@darksoil.studio. Read their stories on Substack and watch their YouTube conversations.
Generative Objects (GO) is the first open source meta low code development platform allowing “non-technical” users to build their own tools and applications. For those with a ‘meta’ model of their own application Generative Objects helps them to implement their ideas without getting bogged down in the technical coding. Each application built using the GO platform is owned by the user and sent to their server where they can continue to update and use it. GO-XL, another development tool, is for those who want to spin up collaborative web and mobile applications using their spreadsheets (such as Excel and Google Sheets) to generate GO applications. If you’d like to discuss your needs or have training and support using Generative Objects you can email them info@generativeobjects.com.
EYSS have been involved in building core Holo technology and numerous hApps including Health Commons Connect, Orion Protocol and RedGrid. They have worked across industries including construction, education, training, manufacturing and recycling and have offices in the UK, Australia and Venezuela. They offer a full digital consultancy services with marketing, design and digital transformation strategy capabilities along with a full stack development skillset. You can email them info@eyss.io to discuss your project.
Lightningrod Labs (LRL) was created by Eric Harris-Braun (co-founder of the Holochain Foundation) and his son Will. They’ve brought together “a band of code-monkeys, designers, and others to build the soil and play in the garden of the emerging Holochain ecosystem.”
LRL is a unique developer group whose key purpose is to help build out key infrastructure modules on Holochain. They want to find more people who want to build new core modules and/or test their existing ideas on the apps they’ve already created (such as We, Acorn, etc). You can see their open-source code on GitHub. Contact them at: info@lightningrodlabs.org.
Neighbourhoods is an open-source, social coordination framework for creating groupware out of customizable holochain apps. Groups can customize things like governance rules, data access, and even app behavior.
“Neighbourhoods is a new kind of community hub where you can choose your algorithms, control your data, and crowdfund projects you want to build. It's more than just a design; it's an ecosystem of community activators, applet developers, and user-members. Being a core project in the Holochain ecosystem, our goal is to make its uniquely efficient and secure application framework easily adoptable and fun to use!”
Here are two ways to participate:
Become an early “community activator” and build your own unique neighbourhood. Reach out to the team at on Discord.
Develop Neighbourhoods Applets! “An "applet" is a lightweight, miniature holochain application. Neighbourhoods is seeking developers of applets to help realize a network of self-determined communities using fully distributed social apps to work, play, and connect.”
To read more about Neighbourhoods, check our past feature article here.
Terran Collective: The Terran Collective is the stewarding organization for Hylo.com. Here’s how they describe themselves:
“We build infrastructure for the future we wish to inhabit. We collaborate with purpose-driven communities to create tools and systems that bring us closer together, build trust, and allow us to coordinate to care for our world.”
Tibet Sprague, their senior developer recently wrote: “I am looking for a consistent, part-time software engineering or technical leadership job on a well funded, values-aligned project. This would be either just for myself (in a senior dev or CTO type role) or could include other members of our epic Hylo product team, to supplement our income while we continue the beautiful progress we are making on Hylo.” Past partnerships have included; Planetary Health Alliance, Zebras Unite, and ProSocial World. Contact Tibet at tibet@terran.io
For more information about Terran and Hylo, see our past feature article here.
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Here are some suggestions to help you in your process:
Get your vision clear, and any specifics about your application into a Lite or White Paper. This way the developers you speak with will be able to get some context into your project. It doesn’t have to be deeply specific, just enough to get a good handle on what you’d like to do and accomplish. Remember…it will change as thoughts evolve! That’s part of the creative fun!
Gather samples of design ideas! Are there other applications, websites, and mobile apps, where you like how they’ve put their information together? Take screenshots of them, gather the URL’s and put them somewhere where you can show the developers the UI (User Interface). It can help them tremendously!
Think about your application as having modules. What parts need to be included? Imagine these modules are like Legos, fitting into each other to build a needed application. Remember, many Holochain developers from around the world have been building modules (zomes/libraries) which are available to you through open source (Github). These modules can then be copied (forked) and tweaked by your developers! And, think about how you might like to add to the open source wealth with YOUR app!
So, enjoy writing your concepts and finding your team! Reach out to the groups that feel like a possible match for you and start a conversation. Build relationships, and gain trust with others in the community. And, most of all, have fun and enjoy the journey!!!
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Are you part of a developer group looking to collaborate with other projects or build hApps on behalf of others? Let us know so we can add you to our database of Holochain ecosystem developer groups and organisations! We’d love to share your details with the Holochain community and let them know what you’re up to!
🌟 Latest News from hAppenings.community
This is our first anniversary edition of the “What’s hAppening?” newsletter! We would like to thank all of our subscribers, readers and supporters for their encouragement, attention and feedback over the past 12 months. We’re looking forward to sharing more articles, news and events with you in what promises to be an exciting 2024 for the Holochain ecosystem!
Requests & Offers HC/MVP: The team have been busy over the festive break. With the benefit of advice and support from Lynn Foster and Bob Haugen of hREA we have defined the elements of the hApp which need to be built from scratch and the open source modules which we can use from elsewhere in the Holochain ecosystem. We’ve been taking inspiration from some of the existing ‘alternative’ exchanges such as timebanks and gift economy apps. Using that we have refined exactly what we think should be included in our MVP (Minimum Viable Product), and what can wait for later releases. Most excitingly, Sacha Pignot (aka Soushi888), our full stack Holochain developer, has laid down the first lines of code for the profiles module! He gave us a little show and tell earlier this week… it’s looking good!! We’ll share more in the coming weeks and months.
Join our Discord Server! If you want to be part of our hAppenings community, come join us! You can visit as someone who is Curious, or have more options to interact and get deeper information by deciding to be an Advocate for Holochain projects! hApp Creators are also super welcome!!! Come check us out!
🌟 Latest Official News and Events from Holochain and Holo
Blog: Navigating Tension and Discomfort in Global Collaboration #HolochainChats with Catherine Stihler
“As the executive director of an organization exploring new models of human synergy and coordination, I often think about how we can enable more inclusive collaboration globally.
So it was thrilling to have the chance to speak with Catherine Stihler, whose decades of experience in geopolitical relations has given her deep wisdom.”
Video Short: #HolochainChats, LinkedIn: What's the impact of AI on human collaboration
“How can it add to our toolbox for solving new problems? Don't miss the in-depth discussion this week with Catherine Stihler, an open tech leader and CEO of Creative Commons.”
Training: Exciting New Developer Training!
”Remember that time you wanted to learn Holochain? Well, guess what? We're back with another course, and this time it’s free and self-paced. We're inviting you to join the new devs party and learn to build on Holochain at your own pace!
Holochain is an open-source framework for developing peer-to-peer applications that hits a sweet spot of security, reliability, and performance.”Lesson Sneak Peek:
-Lesson 1: Holochain Fundamentals & Basic HDK Functions
-Lesson 2: Basic HDK Functions & Retrieving Source Chains
-Lesson 3: Anchors & Paths, Capability Tokens, and P2P Functions
-Lesson 4: Validation Rules and Dev Environment
Video: Exploring Holochain: A Conversation With Founder Arthur Brock | What Kind of Internet Do You Want?
Learn about Holochain's vision for the future of decentralized internet infrastructure, its potential for reshaping the web, and other valuable insights from Arthur Brock, a pioneer in the world of web3.
Web3 Working Group is a nonprofit organization that educates about web3 infrastructure and how it is distinct from cryptocurrency. We educate regulators and the public at-large about how web3 will permanently restore user control of cyberspace, replacing centralized control with transparent and permissionless protocols through incentives aligned with users. We focus on Blockchain / Cryptocurrency.
Event: Dev Office Hours with Holochain Core Devs - Wednesday, February 7th, 2024 at 17:00 UTC
“Designed to enable developers building on holochain to meet with Core Developers, ask questions, make suggestions, and collaborate on solutions. This one-hour event will be held every other Wednesday.”
Where: Dev.hc/Discord - Voice Channel 1
Event: ETH Denver 2024: Year of The SporkWhale
2024 is The Year of the SporkWhale. SporkWhales are peak contributors to the SporkDAO ecosystem. They #BUIDL, submit projects, create, and frolic in the Bufficorn Sea. Known for their large troves of $SPORK, SporkWhales are indeed a curious and fantastical member of the Bufficorn family. Holochain is sponsoring ETHDenver 2024. Join them for workshops, BUIDL teams, and the Expo with showcases for Defi and Regen. Mary Camacho, other founders and core team devs from the Holochain ecosystem will be there!
One we missed sharing from 2023!
Video: This is BIG: How Verifiable Data Powers Up Web3 | Zebu Live 2023
A panel discussion featuring Mary Camacho at last year’s Zebu Live - “Unleash the future with us as moderator Fraser Edwards leads a star-studded panel featuring Garrett Skrovina, Strategic Partnerships at CoinDesk, Paul Mason, CEO of Keyko AG, Mary Camacho, Executive Director at Holochain Foundation, and Sandi Fatic, Founder and CEO at Calimero Network, into the depths of one of the most innovative conversations of the decade.”
Event: Dunia Yetu: Building Tanzania's Digital Future Together
Art Brock attended the Dunia Yetu conference in Tanzania last week. Dedicated to building a safe, private, fair, equal, and prosperous digital future for Tanzania, also attending were Dr. Nkundwe M. Mwasaga, Director General of ICT Commission and Kristof De Spiegeleer, CEO of ThreeFold.
For a complete listing of all of the Holo Ltd and Holochain Foundation events go to their ‘Upcoming Events’ page!
🌟Latest News from the Holoverse:
Post from LinkedIn: “Nor is the first Holo.Host customer” by David Atkinson, Director of Business Development, Holochain Foundation
“It's been a pleasure and a blast working with Brooks B., Mohamed Tawfik Khalifa, and Matt Gabrenya on the Nor platform and Faster integration. Nor is the first Holo.Host customer, choosing to use truly distributed hosting to serve it's web platform, is using Holochain for the distributed identity, matchmaking, game data and Rain Protocol for the onchain tournament system and metagaming rules engine. It's a small step towards an amazing future for the game industry. Stay tuned for a 2024 full of innovation and breaking barriers.
Doing something new takes visionaries and we are lucky to have Brooks B., Mohamed Tawfik Khalifa, Matt Gabrenya and Josh Hardy taking the steps so that others can follow.
What am I most excited about? Having the metagame Brooks B. imagined come to life finally!”
Blog: Next-generation Economic Network Planning and Operations by Bob Haugen and Lynn Foster of Valueflows and hREA.
“This is my vision of how we can meet our resource needs cooperatively in the future. We can build something that is the functional equivalent of million-dollar ERP + Supply Chain Management systems but it will be a lot easier to deploy and understand and also much better designed, for reasons explained in the blog post. And probably a lot cheaper, altho it will take us some work to create it, for which people will want to be paid. So servers to host the networked systems could be a revenue-generator.” - Bob Haugen
Video: Neighbourhoods Toolkit v0.02 Demo
“In the world of web3, it is widely agreed that users should have control over their data. But shouldn't we also strive for more say in how group spaces and social interactions are designed? We're excited to present a sneak peek of version 0.0.2 of our Social Toolkit. With this version, creating a neighbourhood means configuring the social architecture of your digital hub.”
🌟Other Related News & Events
Article: How do we resist the urge to create THE network? by Fabian Pfortmuller
“And how can we learn to instead uplift the whole ecosystem around us? My sense is to weave thriving communities and healthy ecosystems, and to transform our systems towards a more beautiful future, we have to look beyond the borders of our own groups. And instead of trying to create the strongest tribe that rules them all, intentional community weaving is about uplifting everyone around us as well.”
For more, read the article linked above!
Article: Reviewing Amicus Briefs Filed in Appeal of California Age Appropriate Design Code Act Injunction from Tech Policy Press featuring Center for Human Technology
“CHT co-founder Tristan Harris has signed onto an amicus brief in support of California’s Age Appropriate Design Code.
We all know that manipulative design or “dark patterns” drive our engagement with tech. Most of us have struggled (and are still struggling!) to resist those addictive features.
But children’s brains are still growing - making them acutely vulnerable to algorithms that have been designed to addict them.
It’s time to put some sensible safeguards in place to protect kids.”
Paper: Radical Exchange from Dark Matter Labs
“ ...explore how #web3 technology can be used to build decentralised civic infrastructure for rethinking how we organise society for plurality, resilience and mutuality.”
Calvin Po, one of the paper’s authors from Dark Matter Labs, attended Holochain’s 2023 London Hackathon. Both Mary Camacho and Art Brock contributed their expertise, along with E. Glen Weyl, Primavera de Filippi and Vitalik Buterin among others, to this important paper written for Taiwan’s Ministry of Affairs!
WARNING: Trezor are investigating a security incident that occurred on January 17th, 2024, where there was unauthorized access to the third-party support ticketing portal they use. Community members have already received phishing emails.
Please be vigilant when clicking any links inviting you to upgrade your Trezor wallet.
Read more advice from Trezor here.
Do You Have News & Updates?
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