Thread by @SoorajKSaju

As it stands, the Haskell-Plutus platform serves as the primary tool for developing & deploying smart contracts on #Cardano

However, a novel programming language "Aiken" is emerging as a superior alternative

Discover what sets Aiken apart & why it's a game-changer for #Cardano

2/27
What is Aiken?

It is a pure functional programming language

tailored to offer developers a modern & efficient environment for constructing smart contracts on #Cardano

It is specifically designed to enhance UX by simplifying the process of creating dApps on #Cardano

3/27
Created specifically for the Cardano ecosystem,

Aiken simplifies SC development and deployment while focusing on accessibility and user-friendliness for developers

So let's take a look at the Key Features of Aiken👇

4/27
▪️Familiar Syntax

Aiken employs a Rust-like syntax, making it more accessible to developers familiar with Rust

compared to Haskell’s esoteric syntax

This eases the transition and reduces the learning curve for implementing smart contracts on #Cardano

5/27
▪️ eUTxO Knowledge Required

The eUTxO model governs transaction & SC processing on #Cardano

It is fundamentally different from the accounts-based model of #Ethereum

So, despite its simpler syntax,

developers must still understand the eUTxO model to use Aiken effectively

6/27
▪️On-chain Focus:

Aiken is a development platform that is exclusively designed to run on the #Cardano blockchain

This means that it is not suitable for developing off-chain applications

as it can only be executed on the Cardano blockchain

7/27
▪️Off-chain Compatibility

Aiken ensures compatibility with off-chain processes & external tools like @meshsdk, Cardano-Client-Library & Lucid

This allows developers to harness the strengths of each resource,

facilitating the creation of comprehensive #Cardano-based dApps

8/27
▪️UPLC & Lambda Calculus Foundation:

Aiken compiles to untyped Plutus Core (UPLC) & adheres to lambda calculus principles

This allows developers to build SCs that align with #Cardano's computational models,

while utilizing an accessible syntax with optimized performance

9/27
▪️Purely Functional:

Aiken maintains its pure functional nature while offering a more familiar syntax

This design choice affects developers, especially those with imperative language backgrounds

As it requires a different problem-solving & software design approach

10/27
▪️ Blueprint Stub Generation:

The Aiken team is developing blueprint stubs for various programming languages,

These serve as templates, providing developers a starting point for implementing off-chain functionality in their preferred languages

11/27
By offering stubs, the Aiken team simplifies connecting on-chain smart contracts with off-chain processes,

enhancing the overall development experience and promoting seamless Cardano ecosystem interoperability.

12/27
▪️Property-based Framework & Formal Verification

The Aiken team prioritizes formal verification for security, reliability & correctness

They plan to introduce a property-based framework

enabling developers to define, test & mathematically prove SC properties & invariants

13/27
This will enhance the quality, safety, and robustness of #Cardano smart contracts

Aiken currently offers an integrated unit test and benchmarking framework for code hardening and experimentation

14/27
▪️ Comprehensive Toolchain:

Aiken comes with a full suite of development tools, including

- a compiler
- code formatter
- language-server
- package manager
- documentation generator & testing framework

These tools enable developers to build, test & deploy SCs efficiently

15/27
But is Aiken an alternative to Haskell?

At the moment, #Cardano smart contracts are primarily developed using Haskell

Although Haskell provides powerful tools for SC development,

its complexity is deterring #Cardano from becoming a developer-friendly platform

16/27
In contrast to Haskell,

Aiken offers a

▪️ A more approachable platform
▪️ A modern development environment & compatibility with Plutus
▪️as well as seamless off-chain interoperability with any language stack

So let's take a deeper look at the key benefits of Aiken

17/27
▪️Aiken is a pure functional PL, & comes with a lot of benefits

A- 1st-class functions

Functions are 1st-class citizens in pure functional languages, allowing higher-order functions & a declarative programming style

facilitating seamless composition of functions

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B- These languages support custom types for complex data structures, recursion for elegant algorithms, and generics for reusable, type-safe code

C. Modules & Managers:

Advanced module systems aid code organization & package managers expedite development with reusable code

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▪️Aiken provides a modern development environment

So, What does it mean?

A. Zero configuration, Single tool:

Modern environments require minimal configuration and offer a unified tool for development tasks,

simplifying processes and reducing context-switching overhead.

20/27
B. Quick feedback with error diagnostics:

Enhances productivity & reduces debugging time

C. Language Server Protocol (LSP) with auto-formatting:

Enables cross-platform features like code completion & syntax highlighting while auto-formatting ensures consistent code style

https://twitter.com/1473817139358404612/status/1664422728437313540

21/27
D. Easy library documentation:

Tools for generating comprehensive documentation promote accessible, maintainable codebases

E. Editor integration (VSCode, NeoVim etc.)

Integration with popular code editors enhances productivity & provides a tailored development experience

22/27
▪️Aiken provides a unique set of toolkits for working with Plutus

that cater to the unique requirements of SC development on #Cardano

A. Built-in unit test framework:

Simplifies writing & maintaining tests for SC ensuring reliability & robustness

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B. Optimized for on-chain execution:

Offers tools for efficient, resource-conscious SC well-suited for Cardano’s constraints.

C. Plutus interpreter & disassembler:

Provides insights into compiled representation and execution, aiding debugging and optimization

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D. Execution cost evaluation & trace reporting:

Allows monitoring resource usage, enabling optimized, cost-effective SC development

E. Low-level script argument injection:

This offers greater control & flexibility in contract design

25/27
The Aiken Team:

The core Aiken development team, consisting of @rvcas @MicroProofs
, and @_KtorZ_

Aiken's inception within the Cardano community led the @Cardano_CF to join forces with the team to advance its development further

@rvcas @MicroProofs @_KtorZ_ @Cardano_CF 26/27
Aiken team has recently released an interactive playground for developers to explore and experiment with the language.

This platform allows developers to write, test & debug Aiken code snippets,

helping them familiarize themselves with the language, syntax, and features

https://twitter.com/1473817139358404612/status/1660812032759812096

27/27
TLDR:

▪️Aiken is a user-friendly programming language tailored for streamlined smart contract development on #Cardano.

▪️ It's intuitive syntax and integration capabilities, coupled with modern features, has the potential to make #Cardano a developer-friendly platform

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if you are keen to learn more about @aiken_eng, here are some links 👇

- aiken-lang.org

- github.com/aiken-lang/aik…

- developers.cardano.org/docs/smart-con…

- cardanofoundation.org/en/news/aiken-…