Developer Spotlight: Usman Asim has Big Plans for Rust and ZKs on Avalanche

The tech Usman Asim needed for his dApp didn’t quite exist. He had a big idea, but also a problem set without a clear solution.

He needed a blockchain with leading speed, decentralization, and flexibility. He needed the architecture that could incorporate ZKs for privacy-centric goals. He needed to customize his own Rust VM to fine-tune an ideal execution environment.

Essentially, he needed a unicorn. Usman found one with Avalanche.

In about two weeks, Usman built a custom Rust VM with ZKs on Avalanche — BulletproofVM — to be the foundation for his dream dApp.

Usman, 21, is a developer relations engineer at Chainstack, a blockchain managed services platform. At Chainstack, he focuses on “four or five chains, mostly Avalanche.” Chainstack helps clients manage their Avalanche infrastructure, including providing validators and other tooling for builders launching Subnets. “I’ve been preaching the Avalanche song for a long time,” Usman said. “It’s super customizable, you can create whatever VM you want, and you can write in whatever language you want.”

To build his own custom Rust VM, Usman used the Avalanche Rust SDK. New to Rust, Usman supplemented the SDK with a few questions to friends more practiced in the language. Aside from these few questions, Usman built the VM himself from research to implementation.

He said his custom VM lets him:

  • Maintain a state of accounts with balances/assets
  • Execute standard transfers between accounts
  • Execute smart contracts using arbitrary code
  • Execute multi-asset transfers
  • Support a decentralized governance system
  • Use Bulletproof ZK Proofs to ensure everything is accurate and private

Now, Usman is giving his VM a few final touches to make it production-ready. He plans to deploy his forthcoming dApp, Speake, on it. Eventually, he hopes to move Speake to a Subnet.

Speake aims to let people post monetizable content that’s verifiable and anonymous. In a way, Usman wants to rebuild Substack but with Web3 features designed to empower censored people to regain their voices. He “wants writers to be able to write without fear,” though non-censored people interested in the monetization elements can attach their name to their content if they want. In time, he wants to broaden Speakeinto a “decentralized WeChat,” a one-stop shop for many different features.

Integrating ZKs into the VM is an intriguing step. Usman’s goal here was to provide a way for users to share an absolute minimum of personal info. He integrated ZKs, he said, so that “people can do things without verifying themselves, maintaining privacy.”

Usman knows Avalanche is the ideal chain for both building and performance.

“Honestly, I love building on Avalanche,” he said. “It gives me everything that every other platform gives me. It gives me everything I’m looking for as a developer and takes it 10 steps further.”

Usman praises Avalanche’s big-picture technical specs, such as low transaction fees, rapid finality, and infinite scalability. But it’s also the customization for builders — a less appreciated but equally important property of Avalanche — that really sells him on Avalanche. “Having that speed and customization is really big for someone like me that’s building a platform catered to Web2 users,” he said.

Usman believes the rate of growth and innovation on Avalanche exceeds what he and fellow developers are seeing on other chains. He has also been impressed by how fast the Ava Labs team addresses the few issues that surface. “Seeing the updates pushed out, the partnerships, it reinforces the belief that us as builders have in the ecosystem,” he said.

Usman continues to direct Chainstack clients and fellow builders to Avalanche. “This is going to be the platform where builders build going forward,” he said. “That’s truly my belief. If you want to build your own custom solution, there’s no better place to build it than Avalanche.”

For more on Usman, check out his website, Github, Speake Twitter, or personal Twitter.

+++

About Avalanche

Avalanche is the fastest, most reliable smart contracts platform in the world. Its revolutionary consensus protocol and novel Subnets enable Web3 developers to easily launch highly-scalable solutions. Deploy on the EVM, or use your own custom VM. Build anything you want, any way you want, on the eco-friendly blockchain designed for Web3 devs.

Website | Whitepapers | Twitter | Discord | GitHub | Documentation | Forum | Telegram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Reddit | YouTube

SHARE //
NEXT UP//
Developers

Startup Incubator Codebase by Avalanche Announces Season 2 Winners

Education

Peering Into the Future of Blockchain: 2025 Trends

Gaming

Otherworld Brings ‘Solo Leveling’ Anime Series Digital Collectibles To Avalanche

Developers

The Avalanche Foundation Launches infraBUIDL(AI) Program with up to $15M in Developer Funding

Education

Startup Incubator Codebase Announces Season 2 Cohort

Events

Summit Highlight Series: Gaming Goes Mainstream

Events

Summit Highlight Series: Community & Culture

Platform

Avalanche9000 Testnet Launches with up to $40M in Retroactive Rewards

Events

Summit Highlight Series: Institutional Blockchain Adoption

Developers

Etna: Enhancing the Sovereignty of Avalanche L1 Networks

Institutions

Avalanche Momentum Accelerates as Galaxy, Dragonfly, and ParaFi Lead $250M Investment In Support of Avalanche9000 Upgrade

Enterprise

Uplink to Launch First Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network as an Avalanche L1

Institutions

Tokenization 101: The Institutional Tipping Point For Tokenization

Art & Culture

Suntory Group to Launch Tokenized Premium Malt’s Beer on Avalanche Blockchain

Institutions

BlackRock Launches Digital Liquidity Fund BUIDL on Avalanche via Securitize

Enterprise

Can Blockchain Unlock True Fan Ownership in Sports Through Tokenized Equity?

Community

MeWe to Launch Privacy-Focused Decentralized Social Network on Avalanche

Events

Summit Series: Why We Chose Latin America for Avalanche Summit

Enterprise

StraitsX Leverages AvaCloud and Avalanche to Simplify Cross-Border Payments in Southeast Asia

Enterprise

Uptop Leverages Avalanche to Transform Fan Loyalty

Institutions

AvaCloud Selected to Participate in Kinexys by J.P. Morgan’s Project EPIC – Exploring Privacy and Identity Solutions for Institutions

AvaCloud

AvaCloud Ushers in New Era of Blockchain Privacy with Acquisition of EtraPay and Launch of Privacy Suite

Enterprise

Blockticity Develops Global Trade Verification Standard Using Avalanche

Gaming

FCHAIN Launches as an Avalanche Layer 1 to Power Faraway Gaming Ecosystem

Community

The Arena’s Comeback: SocialFi App on Avalanche Secures $2M Pre-Seed Funding and Plans Mainstream Expansion

Community

Avalanche Summit Admission Is Free for Developers in Latin America. Here’s Why:

Community

Between the Sessions: What to Do and See at Avalanche Summit LATAM

Institutions

Colombian Neobank Littio Leverages OpenTrade to Offer Interest-Bearing USD Accounts to Local Customers via Avalanche Network

Gaming

3thix and Avalanche Unite to Democratize Web3 Gaming Economy For Advertisers and Improve Experience For Consumers

Platform

Retro9000, a $40M Grant Program, Rewards Developers Building Avalanche L1s

Platform

Building on Avalanche9000

Institutions

Legendary Pressman Film Leverages Republic Investment Platform and Avalanche Network to Transform Independent Film Financing

Institutions

ParaFi Tokenizes Fund on Securitize Platform with Avalanche

Platform

GoGoPool: Driving Security, Community, And Liquidity On Avalanche

Developers

The Avalanche Foundation Announces the infraBUIDL() Program

Art & Culture

Tixbase Enters Exclusive Partnership with PASSO to Revolutionize Ticketing with Avalanche Blockchain Technology

Institutions

Franklin Templeton Launches Tokenized Money Market Fund BENJI on the Avalanche Network

Art & Culture

TYB and Shopify Bring Web3 Loyalty Platform to Major Consumer Brands, Powered by Avalanche

DEFI

Agora Launches Its Digital Dollar on the Avalanche Blockchain Network With Initial Cohort of Partners

Institutions

Tokenization 101: Capturing the Growth of Asset-Backed Finance via Blockchain-Enabled Opportunities

Developers

Codebase Incubator Opens Season 2 Applications In Search Of The Next Generation Of Web3 Founders Building On Avalanche

Enterprise

California DMV Makes History, Digitizes 42 Million Car Titles on Avalanche Blockchain

Community

Avalanche Foundation: The Community Airdrop

Community

The Avalanche Ambassador DAO Launches Snowfort, the AVAX Community Bounty Platform

Avalanche Watch: May 2024

Developers

AVAX Startup House Hosts Codebase Demo Day at Consensus

Gaming

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. Unveils Groundbreaking NFT Solution "Resella" in Collaboration with Ava Labs

Gaming

OtherWorld’s New Digital Collectibles Platform ‘Solo Leveling: Unlimited’ Launches on Avalanche, Bringing the Mega-Hit IP On-Chain

Enterprise

Builder Spotlight: The Lemonade Foundation and Insuring Smallholder Farmers with Avalanche

Institutions

Institutional Products, Pilots Signal Growing Interest in Tokenization

Institutions

Tokenization 101: Institutions Leverage Avalanche to Test Merits of On-Chain Finance

Platform

Icebreaker Program: Phase One Update

Gaming

LiveDuel Brings Web3 Sports Betting to Avalanche

Gaming

Elixir Games Announces Acquisition of RoboKiden and Strategic Partnership with Ava Labs

Art & Culture

Artist Spotlight: Ed Balloon Blending Web2 and Web3 at Avalanche Park

Gaming

Gamestarter introduces ‘GameChain’ powered by Avalanche

Institutions

Wine Capital Fund Leverages Oasis Pro and Avalanche to Make Fine Wine an Investable Asset Class

Community

Introducing Core’s Airdrop Tool: A Free Way to Distribute Tokens and Reward Your Community on Avalanche

Art & Culture

Salvor Secures Avalanche Rush with a $1M Incentive Grant to Build Out Avalanche’s Prime NFT Lending Platform

Gaming

Avalanche & Funtico: Revolutionizing Gaming on the Blockchain

Avalanche Watch: April 2024

DEFI

The Avalanche Foundation Announces Memecoin Rush

Institutions

Homium Issues First Home Equity Loans on Avalanche

Enterprise

Feature.io Uses Avalanche-Powered API to Bring Web3 to Any Streaming Platform or Media File

Enterprise

stc Bahrain and Avalanche forge partnership to drive Web3 progress in the Middle East

Enterprise

Avalanche x Seedhe Maut: Revolutionizing the Fan Engagement Economy with Metasky

Enterprise

Really Launches Avalanche Subnet to Expand Reach of On-Chain Movies

Developers

Frosty: Bringing Strong Liveness Guarantees to the Snow Family of Consensus Protocols

Platform

BitNote Launches Encrypted Notes on Avalanche

Platform

Avalanche Integrates with Stripe for Crypto Onramping

Avalanche Watch: March 2024

Platform

The Avalanche Foundation Unveils the Icebreaker Program

Community

The Avalanche Foundation Launches Ambassador DAO to Usher in the Next Wave of Users

The Avalanche Foundation Announces a New Board

Community

The Avalanche Foundation Discloses Community Coin Holdings

Platform

Avalanche Foundation Launches Community Grants Program with Gitcoin

Institutions

Clearpool Expands to Avalanche with Exclusive Launch of Credit Vaults

Enterprise

Coachella to Gamify the Festival Experience and Distribute New Rewards Using Avalanche

Developers

Startup Incubator Codebase Names First Cohort

Institutions

Diamond Standard Leverages Oasis Pro and Avalanche to Make Diamonds an Investable Asset Class

Institutions

Tokenization 101: The Tokenized Collateral Ecosystem

Enterprise

Avalanche Powers Web3-Enabled Voucher Program on Alipay+ D-store

Institutions

Avalanche and Chainlink Leveraged in Tokenized Asset Settlement Project

Developers

The Graph Expands Data Tools for Avalanche Developers

Community

Avalanche Foundation: Eligibility Criteria Framework for Community Coins

Platform

Avalanche Watch: February 2024

Art & Culture

Best Dish Ever Launches NFTs on Avalanche, Pioneering the Future of Culinary Exploration

Gaming

Legendary MMORPG MapleStory Comes to Avalanche

Platform

Teleporter Makes Avalanche a Fully Interoperable L0 Network

Enterprise

Loyalty+ to Receive Multiverse Incentives to Spur AI-Enhanced Loyalty Programs

DEFI

SteakHut V2 Introduces New Liquidity Features on Avalanche

Enterprise

Avalanche to Power SI Tickets’ NFT Platform, Box Office

Art & Culture

Looty and Inspect Launch Loyalty Platform with Loot Crate Rewards, Boosting Avalanche NFT Season

Platform

Durango: Avalanche Warp Messaging Comes to the EVM

Community

Avalanche DeFi Saga with Rep3

Institutions

Citi Tests Benefits of Private Markets Tokenization With Avalanche Evergreen Subnet ‘Spruce’

Enterprise

Avalanche Named Exclusive Sponsor of Collider on the Lot Startup Accelerator

Platform

Cortina: X-Chain Linearization

Avalanche Watch: January 2024

Gaming

Owned Blends SocialFi and Gaming on Avalanche with Battle Tech