Calling the Next Generation of Open Source Blockchain Contributors: Applications are Open for the 2023 Hyperledger Annual Mentorship Program

Looking to get a jumpstart on a software career? Want to roll up your sleeves and dive into open source or blockchain development? Ready for some one-on-one mentoring and a project that will help drive a technology ecosystem forward? Then now is the time to apply for the annual Hyperledger Mentorship Program. 

Now in its seventh year, the Hyperledger Mentorship Program provides a structured and guided learning opportunity for anyone, at any career stage looking to gain exposure to or entry into the Hyperledger open source development community. The program offers mentees an opportunity to hone not only their development skills but also gain real experience in collaborating with a global open source community working on complex cutting edge technologies. 

This year, there are 30 projects focusing on coding, documentation and/or research. Each project is designed and proposed by active members of the Hyperledger community. Those who propose the projects serve as the mentors and work closely with their mentees on developing a project plan, setting milestones and solving problems. 

Mentees can expect regular evaluations and feedback as well as a stipend. Mentees will also have the opportunity to showcase their work through blog posts and speaking opportunities at meetups and conferences. They may receive free tickets to attend our global events. For more about the program, including the schedule and stipend details, go here.

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Learn even more about the program, including both the project and application processes, from active mentors and past mentees by watching this session on How to Apply to Hyperledger’s Annual Paid Mentorship Program.

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This global program draws mentees and mentors from around the world. To date, there have been mentees from 25 countries, spanning North, South and Central America as well as Europe, Asia and Africa. Their code, research, and documentation contributions have helped advance the Hyperledger code base. For many, the skills, experience and networks they built have also accelerated their professional, academic, and research careers.

Read on for descriptions of some of the projects planned for this year.

Hyperledger Bevel documentation redesign
Project focus: Documentation, Research

Documentation serves best when understood and designed based on user needs. Although Hyperledger Bevel current documentation is comprehensive and robust, it still requires improvement and can be much more effective and useful if designed based on user and community needs. The project scopes to structure the existing documentation of Hyperledger Bevel and redesign it from the perspective of user personas and their deployment needs. It would equally benefit product users and developers, and increase usability and adoption.

The learning objectives for this project are

• Hyperledger Bevel concepts, features and operations
• Documentation techniques and best practices
• Hyperledger Bevel community, users and use cases 

The expected outcome of this project is

• Complete redesigned of documentation based on the decided structure and theme

Hyperledger Cacti: Ledger Data Sharing with Proof in Hyperledger Besu and Ethereum
Project focus: Coding, Documentation, Research

Hyperledger Cacti provides a protocol and trigger mechanism for the sharing of ledger data or data derived from smart contracts (called “view,” and identified by a “view address”) deployed in a network with another network using relays for communication and consensus-driven proof generation and verification in the end networks. Some parts of the protocol are generic and DLT-agnostic, but others, specifically protocol drivers or connectors and core ledger operators (typically built as smart contracts, are DLT-specific. 

Presently, Cacti provides DLT-specific data sharing mechanisms for Hyperledger Fabric and Corda. The goal of this project is to add similar support (i.e., build modules, plugins, and APIs) for permissioned networks built on Hyperledger Besu. As an optional extension, these mechanisms will then be extrapolated to share data to and from public Ethereum. This will involve designing and basic building blocks or capabilities for view proof generation, proof verification, and access control of remote data requests, in the form of smart contracts. Higher up the stack, the Cacti SDK for Besu must then be augmented to enable network apps to trigger data sharing requests and submitting the responses for validation to local smart contracts.

The initial phase of the project will require some research and design that builds on existing research done by Cacti maintainers. The implementation will be validated by demonstrating data sharing among test networks within Cacti built on Besu, Fabric, and Corda, and using sample apps available in Cacti. If time permits, the end-to-end data sharing protocol can also be augmented with end-to-end confidentiality features whereby the data and proof are kept confidential from the relays, which are intermediary communication modules.

The learning objectives for this project are

• Multi-hop protocol design and implementation, and understanding how operations can be distributed and decentralized
• Blockchain development on Hyperledger Besu and Ethereum
• Art of writing good documentation, both targeted at developers and at users
• Designing software with security and privacy considerations in mind
• Science of blockchain interoperability

The expected outcomes of this project are

• The following features are expected to be completed by the end of the project:
  • Besu protocol driver for data sharing
  • Besu interoperation module with core ledger operators for proof generation, proof verification, policy management, membership management, and access control
  • Besu SDK augmented with data sharing trigger capabilities
• Sample applications and end-to-end data sharing test runs for networks built on Besu, Fabric, and Corda (data sharing for Fabric and Corda is already available in Cacti)
• Documentation: setup instructions, RFCs, tutorials
• (Optional) Extrapolate mechanisms built for Besu to support data sharing in public Ethereum
• (Optional) end-to-end confidentiality (i.e., encryption and decryption) support for data sharing to/from Besu networks

Telecom Decentralized Identities Network (TDIDN)
Project focus: Coding, Research, Documentation

The proposed integration of Decentralized Identity (DID) with telecom services aims to provide customers with a secure and convenient way to manage their digital identities, while also offering telecom companies an opportunity to become trusted identity brokers. The integration addresses the challenge of maintaining customer engagement by enabling customers to have a single identity that they can use to access services. The integration also presents a significant opportunity for telecom companies to become identity brokers, leveraging their existing customer base and regulatory relationships. As issuers of verified KYC information, telecom companies can support identity verification by offering APIs to third-party service providers. The integration of DID with telecom services has the potential to revolutionize the telecom industry and offers significant benefits to customers and operators alike.

The learning objectives for this project are

• Develop a deep understanding of Decentralized Identity (DID) and its potential applications within the telecom industry.
• Analyze the specific challenges faced by telecom companies in maintaining customer engagement and potential solutions for these challenges through DID integration.
• Evaluate the regulatory requirements and compliance standards for DID integration within the telecom industry and develop strategies for ensuring compliance with these requirements.
• Build the technical skills necessary to implement DID integration with telecom services, including understanding API integration, security protocols, and verification processes.
• Develop a comprehensive project plan for implementing DID integration with telecom services, including defining project scope, identifying stakeholders, developing a timeline, and managing project risks and challenges.
• Collaborate with other team members and stakeholders, including Telecom SIG, telecom companies, regulatory bodies, and third-party service providers, to ensure the successful implementation of the project.
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of DID integration on customer engagement, fraud prevention, and convenience in managing digital identities, and identify opportunities for further improvements and enhancements.

Expected outcomes: The intern will join the Hyperledger Telecom SIG meetings, mailing list, and chat room in developing the following:

• A functional DID-based telecom application: The main outcome of the project would be a fully functional application that allows telecom companies to authenticate their customers using decentralized identity (DID) technology. This application will be built using Hyperledger Indy and Aries, two open-source blockchain frameworks specifically designed for building secure and decentralized identity systems.
• Improved user privacy: The application will provide users with more control over their personal information and allow them to manage their identity in a decentralized manner, leading to improved privacy and security. By using Hyperledger Indy and Aries, users can be assured that their identity information is stored in a secure and tamper-proof manner.
• The telecom application will be built using open standards such as DID and Verifiable Credentials, which will ensure that it is interoperable with other identity management systems that use the same standards. This will enable the application to integrate with other DID-based applications and systems, leading to increased interoperability across the ecosystem.
• An ability to monitor and evaluate the impact of DID integration on key metrics, such as customer engagement and fraud prevention, and identify opportunities for further improvements and enhancements.
• The project will involve creating documentation and tutorials that will help developers understand how to use Hyperledger Indy and Aries to build DID-based applications. This will help increase the adoption of decentralized identity technology across telecom industry.
• A valuable experience in implementing cutting-edge technology within a complex industry, and a deeper understanding of the potential for blockchain and decentralized technologies to transform traditional business processes.

The Hyperledger Mentorship Program is part of the Linux Foundation’s overall commitment to mentoring. The application process is being managed through LFX Mentorship, a platform created by the Linux Foundations to train future open source leaders. 

Check out the full list of mentorship projects and start your application today. The deadline to apply is May 15. We encourage applications from diverse communities. All are welcome here!