Ghost Pay

Inspiration

The inspiration for our project, ghostPay, originated from a gap we noticed in the market – the lack of integration tools between Web2 and Web3 platforms. The payment landscape is rapidly changing with the growth of cryptocurrency usage, and we understood the need for a user-friendly solution that enables subscriptions to be paid via either traditional (fiat) or cryptocurrency directly from a user’s wallet.

What it does

At the point of submission, ghostPay operates as a widget or plugin, serving as a payment gateway. It comes with an open-source SDK that allows users to link their web2 applications to web3. Users can pay for their subscriptions using either fiat or cryptocurrency available in their wallets. We planned to develeop the plugin with ZeroKnowledge encryption to make it unique in terms of its tooling features, also it would offer a proxy/upgradable contract feature, enabling owners to manage and upgrade their subscriptions' order date/time but on submission the project we will not be able to show it up.

How we built it

The development of ghostPay involve a blend of cutting-edge technologies. The backbone of our application was crafted using Solidity for the creation of smart contracts and Next.js for the frontend interface. MongoDB served as our database solution, providing a scalable and flexible structure for data management. We utilized TailwindCSS for responsive design and Canva for aesthetic design elements. The application was meticulously coded in JavaScript and TypeScript, ensuring efficient performance and maintainability.

Challenges we ran into

The journey of developing ghostPay was not without its challenges. One of the most significant hurdles was ensuring a seamless integration of web2 and web3 technologies, a task that required a deep understanding of both realms. We had a crucial problem on changing/updating subscription date since at first, we planned to build it with Chainlink functions which we got all through but we realized that it only offers the payments to approved on the very first day of every month which caused a big obstacle for us. We tried to go through it by creating a subscription proxy contract but we had not much time to handle it. Other thing was ZeroKnowledge which we planned to place it on our proxy contract to provide privacy but could not make it real.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We take immense pride in the successful development of ghostPay, a solution that not only bridges the gap between traditional and blockchain technologies but also democratizes access to web3 technologies. Our open-source SDK, a cornerstone of ghostPay, is a significant achievement that we are particularly proud of.

What we learned

The journey of developing ghostPay was a profound learning experience, providing us with invaluable insights into the integration of web2 and web3 technologies. We learned how to create smart contracts using Solidity, which form the backbone of our application. We also deepened our understanding of blockchain technology, particularly in the context of encryption, through the implementation of ZeroKnowledge in our SDK. This encryption ensures the security of our application, a critical feature in today's digital world. In the backend, we learned how to protect sensitive information such as passwords by using hashing for encryption. This method ensures that even if our data is compromised, the actual passwords remain secure. We also gained experience in using Next.js and TypeScript for building the frontend of our application, and MongoDB for managing our database. These technologies allowed us to create a robust, efficient, and scalable application. We also learned how to create a developer-friendly application, a task that required careful consideration of design and functionality to ensure ease of use for other developers. This experience has equipped us with the knowledge and skills to contribute further to the evolution of the digital landscape.

What's next for Ghost Pay

Our vision for ghostPay extends beyond its current capabilities. We plan to continue refining and expanding its features to enhance user experience and functionality. We aim to add more features that will provide users with even more control and flexibility over their subscriptions. We also plan to improve the user interface to make it more intuitive and easy to use. In terms of our SDK, we aim to promote it within the developer community, encouraging its adoption and fostering a more inclusive and accessible web3 environment. We believe that by making our SDK more widely available, we can contribute to the growth and development of web3 technologies. We also plan to provide comprehensive documentation and support to help developers integrate our SDK into their own applications.