Polkadot is one of the innovative blockchains in the Web3 ecosystem. It uses parachains to reduce the burden on the main network.
Although Polkadot is built natively with the Rust programming language, it does not support Solidity by default. This limitation hinders Solidity-based developers from building on it.
To solve this problem, several steps and tools have been built. An example of this is the Solang protocol which was described at the Sub0 2023 event.
Cyrill Leutwiler, Rust Core Compiler Engineer at Parity Technologies, explained the fundamental differences between Ethereum and Polkadot in terms of smart contracts.
Polkadot, often referred to as a “layer 0” blockchain, does not natively support smart contracts on its relay chain.
Instead, it relies on parachains, such as Ethereum-compatible parachains, to handle smart contracts. This architecture opens up exciting possibilities but also presents unique challenges for developers.
He introduced Solang, a Solidity compiler serving as a vital bridge between Ethereum’s Solidity and Polkadot’s Contracts Palette to the audience. The speaker said that Solang is a versatile compiler designed to support multiple blockchain platforms, making it a valuable tool for developers looking to deploy Solidity-based contracts on Polkadot.
Using Solang
To deploy solidity contracts on Polkadot using Solang, developers first need to install the Solang compiler. This can be done either from Brew, downloading binaries, using ghcr.io/hyperledger/solang containers, building Solang using Dockerfile, or building Solang from source.
The next step is to write smart contracts in Solidity after which the smart contract is compiled using Solang.
Solang is designed to be easy to use, with a simple command-line interface and a focus on developer experience.
It is also designed to be fast and efficient, with optimizations that can reduce the size of compiled contracts by up to 90%.
Once the smart contracts are compiled, developers can deploy them on Polkadot parachains using the contracts pallet.
The contracts pallet is a built-in module in Substrate that allows developers to deploy and interact with smart contracts on Polkadot.
Benefits of Solang
The speaker also noted that one of the advantages of Solang is that it enables developers to write contracts in languages beyond Solidity, such as Rust or AssemblyScript, further expanding the developer ecosystem on Polkadot.
He added that Solang not only simplifies contract deployment but also facilitates the deployment of production-ready contracts.
Attendees also learned how projects like Nabla Finance have successfully utilized Solang to deploy their contracts on Polkadot, bridging the gap between Solidity and this innovative blockchain ecosystem.
He reminded developers that while Solang simplifies the cross-chain deployment process, they must consider differences in address formats, balance types, and function calls between Ethereum and Polkadot native contracts.
Looking to the future
During the presentation, the speaker outlined Solang’s future plans , encompassing security audits, Ethereum API support, and compatibility improvements.
He also touched upon the potential for Solang to work with RISC-V contracts, potentially paving the way for broader compatibility across multiple blockchains.
The presentation revealed that with the right tools and knowledge, developers can seamlessly integrate Ethereum’s Solidity contracts into the Polkadot ecosystem.
Solang’s role as a Solidity compiler for Polkadot’s Contracts Palette opens up exciting possibilities for cross-chain smart contract development.
As more projects embrace this technology, Cyrill said that the industry can expect to see a more interconnected and versatile blockchain landscape in the future.
