Developer Showcase Series: Nidhi Singh, Walmart Global Tech

Back to our Developer Showcase Series to learn what developers in the real world are doing with Hyperledger technologies. Next up is Nidhi Singh, Senior Software Engineer at Walmart Global Tech.

Give a bit of background on what you’re working on and how you got into blockchain.

I work as a senior software engineer, building blockchain solutions for scale at Walmart Global Tech India. I have about  seven years of experience working on backend technologies. Prior to joining Walmart, I worked at Jio Platforms as Senior Engineer, solving TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) UCC (Unsolicited Commercial Communication) Spam Prevention using blockchain. The application is known as the biggest influence within the blockchain domain, solving for a billion people. I am more enthusiastic than ever before, and optimistic that blockchain technology can and is the solution for complex real-world problems. 

I actively participate in technology events such as conferences and hackathons to keep myself updated with the latest trends. I enjoy my time contributing to Hyperledger open-source projects. In 2022, I was a mentor in the Hyperledger Mentorship Program. I won the HyperHack organized by the Hyperledger India Regional Chapter and Co(vi)de Warrior Hackathon 2020 organized by WIT (Women In Technology) . I was also a finalist for the NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) Hackathon. 

How are you involved in the Hyperledger community?

I participate in the Hyperledger community on multiple fronts. Code contribution is on top of my list. I was nominated to be a Hyperledger Labs steward earlier this year. I also participate as a Developer Advocate for the Hyperledger India Regional Chapter. In the Hyperledger Mentorship Program 2022, I was a mentor for the Client connector for Hyperledger Besu project, which allows users to connect to a running Hyperledger Besu network in both synchronous and asynchronous way.

I actively maintain Hyperledger Fabric Connector Lab and the collection of community tools in the Hyperledger Tooling repository.  

I started my journey with Hyperledger projects as part of my previous job – building a highly scalable, cross organization network that is impacting a billion cellular subscribers in India. We use several projects at work here in Walmart. 

Why did you choose to become involved?

For most people, open source means something that is freely available. Giving back to the community is important to me. I believe that anybody who uses an open-source project should at the very least help connect the links that helped them. This will be beneficial to newcomers. I appreciate contributing to open-source projects because it forces me to learn about initiatives that we would otherwise overlook. 

Tell us about your experience contributing to the Hyperledger community.

I recall contributing to the Hyperledger tooling repository and learning about Github actions for the first time, which was a good learning experience. After that I received my first badge from the Hyperledger Foundation. It made me happy to know that all my efforts have been recognised and acknowledged, and it inspires you to do more. 

It was fun being a mentor in the Hyperledger mentorship program where I learned how each of these programs are being organized and tracked as well as the effort that goes into delivering a successful project. You get to work with young minds, which bring fresh perspective to the table.

I am excited to contribute to the success and growth of the Hyperledger community. 

Why is contributing important?

It has advantages on many fronts. Let us say you are building a feature for your organization that is on top of an existing open-source project. Unless contributed back, it becomes an overhead. Upon contribution, it goes through peer reviews of best in the industry people, giving an opportunity to improve. Personally, you get to build yourself, working amongst the best. Overall, it’s a win-win-win for everyone – to the community, to the organizations, to individuals. It’s the way we grow the community ! 

What developments are you most excited about?

I am excited about the Fabric operator in Hyperledger Bevel and so am closely following Hyperledger Bevel. I’m also excited about Hyperledger AnonCreds (Anonymous Credentials). 

What is the best piece of developer advice you’ve ever received?

There is never a bad time to start something. If you want to accomplish something but believe you lack the necessary skills, go for it. As you advance, you will learn. 

What technology could you not live without?

Do I even need to say ~ I cannot live without the internet.