Back to our Developer Showcase Series to learn what developers in the real world are doing with Hyperledger technologies. Next up is Anand Banik, Principal Software Engineer at Walmart Global Tech.
Give a bit of background on what you’re working on and how you got into blockchain.
When I joined Walmart Global Tech’s Supply Chain Tech team, one of the challenging tasks was how to do data reconciliation in multi-party transactions. Conventional technology stacks like API or Messaging frameworks were designed for transactions that involved data-transmission with minimum validations. For the most part, they were point-to-point and required complex architecture for use cases that involved multi-party transactions. Blockchain, with its distributed architecture, immutability and smart contracts, was an ideal candidate for multi-party transactions – especially in supply-chain use cases like food safety, where my journey with blockchain and specifically with Hyperledger began.
What Hyperledger frameworks or tools are you using in your projects? Any new developments to share? Can you sum up your experience with Hyperledger?
Most of the work I have done is on Hyperledger Fabric, but I have also dipped my toes in Sawtooth. I find Explorer to be a great tool for monitoring and Caliper for performance testing. Also, the Blockchain Automation Framework seems to be an awesome tool for deploying the network and maintaining its state in a cloud agnostic way. I am keeping a keen eye on Aries for the work being done on decentralized credentials.
What do you think is most important for Hyperledger to focus on in the next year?
As the adoption of blockchain increases across various industries, data and technology standardization would play a key role in their success. I believe one of the focus areas for Hyperledger should be making interoperability part of its core principles.
What advice would you offer other technologists or developers interested in getting started working on blockchain?
The best way to get started on blockchain is to start reading the “Getting Started Guide” to a framework (e.g., this one for Hyperledger Fabric) and then try to run and tweak any sample application you can get your hands on. It’s also important to understand the design principles of blockchain to effectively implement blockchain solutions to solve business problems.
As Hyperledger’s projects continue to mature, what do you see as the most interesting technologies, apps, or use cases coming out as a result?
In my opinion, one of the most complicated use cases that could benefit from blockchain technology is global trade. Personally, I am also rooting for an implementation of blockchain to maintain travel records like visas and passports.
What’s the one issue or problem you hope blockchain can solve?
To use transparency and visibility to establish trust.
Where do you hope to see Hyperledger and/or blockchain in five years?
In the next five years, I hope to see adoption of blockchain technology in the areas of trade finance, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and learning credentials.
What is the best piece of developer advice you’ve ever received?
Experience is gained through failures, not success.
What technology could you not live without?
Electricity
