FAQ: Apillon’s proposal to promote Web3 adoption as an open-source infrastructure on Polkadot

Any questions about Apillon’s Polkadot Bounty proposal? Here’s a breakdown of the most essential points.

Apillon

Jun 22, 2023 • 9 min read

The Apillon Bounty Proposal, updated and upgraded, is now live on Polkassembly, awaiting your vote.

How did we go about it?

On June 19, on the encouragement of the key ecosystem stakeholders, Apillon submitted a discussion to back the OpenGov proposal for Treasury funding.

We dived into the immense feedback we’ve received and used the inclusive approach to craft, rewrite and re-design the proposal which resonated very well with stakeholders.

The recent alterations made to the Apillon Proposal are about the mechanisms that would ensure more power to the community and a more structured and curated way of Bounty funding. Here is a breakdown of the changes.

With Polkadot funding and community support, the Apillon platform would transition to an open-source product with permanent freemium access and community governance. By becoming a common good project, Apillon would help spur Web3 adoption, Polkadot ecosystem growth, and DOT utility.

Here are the most frequent questions and answers to help you navigate and understand the weight of the proposal.

Common good and open-source approach
Proposal: Apillon, Polkadot, and the Web3 sphere
The Apillon platform

Common good and open-source approach

Polkadot’s common good and open-source approach aims to innovate services that benefit projects and users across the whole ecosystem.

With many new protocol-layer projects regularly developed on Polkadot, the ecosystem is in dire need of an application-layer solution that would allow developers to easily onboard the Polkadot ecosystem and bring Web3 to a mainstream level.

Why would Apillon transition to a common good solution?

With Apillon transforming into a common good solution, the Polkadot ecosystem would get a forever-freemium Web3 development platform. Every new user on the Apillon platform would mean a new developer for Polkadot, boosting the adoption of Web3 technologies. Through DOT-based governance, Polkadot’s native token would get another utility boost and purpose in driving the network’s adoption.

With decentralized governance, existing and new platform users would get to decide on parachain integrations and the evolution of the Apillon platform, thus collaboratively innovating the future of Web3.

Apillon would make a strong commitment to the community and the ecosystem to achieve the set milestones, spend resources as described in the Proposal, and pursue the vision of the developer community. The set of five curators will have a say in those milestones being achieved and only then will the funds be on their way to Apillon.

Proposal: Apillon, Polkadot, and the Web3 sphere

What are the main points of Apillon’s Proposal?

Apillon’s Proposal for Polkadot’s Treasury funding seeks community support to transform into an open-source infrastructure on Polkadot.

The funding would have the following direct consequences on Apillon:

The Apillon platform becomes open-source.
Apillon’s product offering is governed via Polkadot governance.
Apillon’s NCTR token is removed from the open-source project for the duration of the proposal; the main token used is DOT.
Apillon becomes an open-source, common good infrastructure project on Polkadot. It does not pursue a parachain slot in the first year of operation.
Apillon continues large-scale marketing activities and establishes clear adoption KPIs.
By achieving the milestones set in the Proposal, Apillon would upgrade the platform offering in line with user needs and the newest trends in the ecosystem.

Read the full and updated Proposal.

What business model for Apillon does the proposal foresee?

With operational costs covered by the Bounty for two years, Apillon would be able to incentivize developers with freemium plans at no additional fees.

After the end of the two-year period, Apillon would introduce a price margin on top of parachain service cost. However, this would be non-profitable and controlled via governance, allowing the Apillon team to survive on fees to keep the project alive and in the best possible shape.

Apillon’s Treasury-backed transition to open-source presents a strong obligation toward the community. Therefore, The Freemium plan will remain permanently or until the project’s governance decides otherwise.

What does Apillon bring to Polkadot as a common good project?

The Apillon platform would further improve the Polkadot ecosystem and the Web3 space with:

Easy access to Polkadot-based technologies and tools for both rookie and seasoned developers.
Faster, easier, and cheaper engineering process in the Polkadot ecosystem.
Greater number of tangible application-layer products.
Opportunity to build multi-chain decentralized solutions beyond asset transactions.
Community control over currently centralized parts of the platform.

How would an open-source development platform benefit developers and other stakeholders outside the Polkadot ecosystem?

Easier, faster, and cheaper Web3 development would bring developers and other stakeholders:

The option to work on multiple deployment-ready Web3 projects simultaneously.
Equal opportunities for every developer, regardless of their background and expertise.
One-stop-shop for services that would otherwise have to be sourced from multiple individual providers.
Governance-regulated backlog of features and new integration.

How would Apillon address its current centralized points?

In the current stage, three main pillars of Apillon would require the implementation of decentralized control:

Future integrations and portfolio of services: The community would vote on future milestones, prioritize integrations and include them in the platform’s dynamic backlog via a DOT-based governance system setting future milestones.
Payments architecture and control: A decentralized control would manage incoming and outgoing capital streams. Fiat or DOT payments would be converted into stablecoins, while asset custody bags would ensure continuous payment for underlying parachain services.
Treasury milestone delivery: The first Apillon milestone defines integrations and deadlines. The other two milestones are open to public discussion and governance, with the community deciding on KPIs Apillon should be following.

What would Apillon governance look like?

With DOT-based governance, the developer community would be able to co-decide the development direction of the Apillon platform, making it more agile in addressing market demands.

Apillon’s product governance would address questions such as:

What parachains, protocols, and services should get integrated into the Apillon platform, and when?
What improvements could the platform make to enhance the user experience?
What business models make sense within platform users’ context and could get implemented in the platform’s future versions?
What product partnerships would be a good fit for the platform?
What is the priority of accepted proposals, which upgrades should be implemented faster, and why?

The Apillon governance model is designed to run on the OpenGov mechanism, an upgraded decentralized governance system for Kusama and Polkadot.

Where can I comment on the proposal and join the discussion?

The official discussion and voting on the Apillon Proposal will be taking place at Polkassembly. You can engage with the broader Web3 and Polkadot community on the Polkassembly discussion post and Polkadot Forum as well.

How long do the discussion and the voting process last?

The voting process on Polkassembly begins on July 18, 2023, lasting 28 days. Follow our social media channels and stay updated on the latest developments.

Where can I vote?

If you are a DOT holder, you will be able to vote with your Polkadot.js wallet, Talisman, or Subwallet on Polkassembly once the proposal moves into the voting period.

If you’re not sure how to navigate the voting process, stay tuned for detailed voting tutorials.

Why should I vote Aye?

Do you care about boosting Web3 adoption? Providing access to easier, cheaper, and faster Web3 development for all developers? Expanding the possibilities for the growth of Polkadot’s ecosystem?

If you do, you should vote Aye on the Apillon’s Proposal.

If you have second thoughts, please share them with our team on the Polkassembly right below the post or on Polkadot Forum. We’ll be happy to answer all your questions.

The Apillon platform

What is Apillon?

Apillon is a Web3 development platform that allows developers of all ranks to create Web3 projects.

Primarily, it supports Web3 development in the Polkadot ecosystem, though in its essence remains blockchain-agnostic. It gives access to Web3 services, abstracted decentralized functionalities powered by Polkadot parachains, and delivered in a familiar UI environment. These ready-to-use, few-click Web3 modules can be combined to power multi-chain Web3 projects.

Moreover, simple API connectivity to the supported parachains, CLIs, and SDKs allows for the easy creation of decentralized applications using only Web2 programming knowledge and skills.

Apillon applies Web3 technology following the Web2 logic.

What is the mission of Apillon?

Apillon is a small team following a big vision — to boost Web3 adoption by making the transition from Web2 to Web3 and Polkadot technologies easier for all developers.

How does Apillon work?

Apillon abstracts away the complex code of individual Polkadot parachains and transforms their core functionalities into Web3 services. This enables developers to create Web3 projects using multiple decentralized services in one project.

Developers can use APIs, SDKs, and other familiar developer tools to source Polkadot parachains, and customize the code to the needs of their project. For the less code-savvy users, the few-click building approach delivers decentralized features in minutes.

What does the Apillon platform offer?

The current version of Apillon provides three fully-fledged Web3 services that harness the powerful technologies and features of Polkadot parachains.

Developers can create decentralized projects using Web3 Storage and Web3 Hosting, powered by Crust Network, and easily launch NFT collections on the Moonbeam or the Astar networks.

Several new functionalities are in the pipeline, including the Web3 Authentication service powered by KILT Protocol and Web3 Computing powered by Phala Network.

How many developers are currently using the Apillon platform?

Over 700 developers have started using the Apillon platform since the launch of the Closed Beta version, and more are joining on a weekly basis.

Is Apillon part of the Substrate Builders Program?

Yes, it is. In May 2023, Apillon successfully passed Milestone 1 of Parity Technologies’ advanced Substrate Builders Program.

After receiving this mark of trust from the main organization behind the Polkadot Network, the Apillon platform is currently on track to achieve Milestones 2 and 3 of the program.

How does Apillon help grow the Polkadot and Web3 ecosystem?

Apillon’s efforts to bring the Web3 sphere closer to the mainstream extend beyond our development cave.

The Apillon team organizes regular Polkadot Ljubljana Meetups, co-hosts and attends other blockchain events and conferences.

The official Apillon Twitter account and the community Apillonation account both educate and encourage more than 37,000 followers with educational content and fun giveaways.

The Apillon Telegram and Discord channels keep the Web3 debate lively with technical discussions and regular updates on Apillon’s development.

Apillon’s Proposal for Polkadot Treasury funding is live for voting. Join in and co-shape the future of Web3 evolution.

⧓ About Apillon

The Apillon platform serves as a unified gateway to the Web3 services provided by linked Polkadot parachains. Following the multi-chain vision, Apillon powers the transition of developers to Web3, simplifying its adoption in the real economy, and expanding its versatility as the ecosystem grows. With Apillon, Web3 services are within reach for every developer, regardless of their background and experience with blockchain technology.