# Talk Notes: Defining the Web3 Stack (Nader Dabit)

By [David Neuman](https://paragraph.com/@david-neuman) · 2021-10-31

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/b84d523d078728ea37fa1d251f74e75807241e227dc722b928b41e656868ab27.jpg)

Nader Dabit transitioned from a Web2 role at AWS to the Web3 world at Edge & Node. He recently gave a talk at Next.js Conf on the tech stack to build with Web3 technologies. Here are some notes that I took on the talk.

Web3
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*   The decentralized web
    
*   Web1: read-only web. You needed to be a dev to create; everyone else was a consumer.
    
*   Web2: read/write/interactive web. Anyone can be a creator.
    
*   Web3: web protocols (SSH, TCP, HTTP) + native payments & state
    
*   Buying on the internet vs building the internet
    

### Attributes of Web3

*   Decentralized
    
*   Ownership of data/platform
    
*   Native digital payments
    
*   Self-sovereign identity
    
*   Distributed trustless & robust infra
    
*   Open and public backends
    
*   Apps compete on interfaces for the same data
    

Types of Applications
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### Play-to-Earn Gaming

*   **Fortnite**. Web3-fying a Web2 game. 100% of money to this game cannot be taken out. Axie Infinity allows players to earn tokens by playing. 95% of money goes back to the users/players of the game.
    

### DeFi & Stable Currencies

*   Inflation and government crisis in Venezuela, Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Sudan
    
*   People need to leave the country because they've lost their ability to provide for themselves and their families
    
*   Stable coins are pegged against the US dollar; people can get paid in these instead of their local currencies
    
*   1.7B people are unbanked; Web3 can provide access to this under-served demographic
    

### Social Media

*   **Web2**: exploitation, advertising, zero ownership. Exchange your content for hearts and likes (gain followers)
    
*   **Web3**: tokenization, content ownership (follower gains)
    

### Music

*   [Audius](https://audius.co/)
    

### Blogging

*   [Mirror.xyz](https://mirror.xyz/)
    

Building Web3
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### API Layer

*   How do you query data from blocks on the blockchain? The data isn't as easy to query as Web2 databases.
    
*   [The Graph](https://thegraph.com/en/).
    

### Off Chain Data

*   [Ceramic Network](https://ceramic.network/).
    

### Video Streaming

*   [Livepeer](https://livepeer.org/). 10x cheaper than any other centralized alternative.
    

### File Storing

*   [IPFS](https://ipfs.io/). Decentralized file storage network; not guaranteed how long the files will be stored
    
*   [Arweave.org](https://www.arweave.org/). Protocol that allows you to store files permanently.
    

### Authentication & Wallets

*   Public key encryption using some time of wallet
    
*   [Metamask](https://metamask.io/)
    
*   [Rainbow](https://rainbow.me/)
    

Core Infrastructure
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*   Typical infrastructure + smart contracts
    
*   Progressive decentralization --> full decentralization
    
*   Client framework, Blockchain, Client library, Wallet
    
*   **Building a dapp**: Ethereum, Avalanche, Solana, Fantom, Near
    
*   **Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)**: learning this will allow you to build on several different blockchains
    
*   **Starter Stack**: Next.js, Hardhat, Ethersj.js, Metamask
    
*   [https://github.com/scaffold-eth/scaffold-eth](https://github.com/scaffold-eth/scaffold-eth)

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*Originally published on [David Neuman](https://paragraph.com/@david-neuman/talk-notes-defining-the-web3-stack-nader-dabit)*