Polkadot-SDK FRAME @ 2024

Polkadot SDK and FRAME

• in 2024
• blog.kianenigma.com/talks/frame-2024

Stable + Meaningful Releases

--

Past

• substrate, cumulus, polkadot (which contained xcm)
• Git based dependency
• YOLO-major bump everything at all times.

--

Now

--

Now

• stableYYMM
  • Every 3 month, maintained for 1 year with a monthly patching schedule.
  • PRs need to specify major/minor/patch on the crates they alter.
  • No change? no bump 👆
• paritytech/release-registry

Getting Started

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Templates

• Maintained by Parity as part of polkadot-sdk, always updated with our stable releases.
  • polkadot-sdk-parachain-template
  • polkadot-sdk-solochain-template
  • polkadot-sdk-minimal-template
  • All updated automatically after each stableYYMM release.
  • Un-opinionated
• External opinionated templates also listed, open to more suggestions.
  • PoP
  • OpenZeppelin

Notes:

• Make `polkadot-sdk` templates OMNI and GREAT again -- part 2 · Issue #5242 · paritytech/polkadot-sdk · GitHub

• We notice a cunning simplification in the template's Cargo.toml for the runtime.. 🤔

--

Umbrella Crates

[dependencies]
codec = { workspace = true }
scale-info = { workspace = true }
polkadot-sdk = { version = "x.y.z", features = [
	"pallet-balances", "pallet-sudo", "pallet-timestamp", "runtime"] 
}

[features]
default = ["std"]
std = [
	"codec/std",
	"scale-info/std",
	
	"polkadot-sdk/std",
]

--

polkadot-sdk Crate

• Umbrella crate to declutter your Cargo.toml
• Less confusion with which version to use
  • And enablement of features like std, runtime-benchmark, try-runtime

--

polkadot-sdk Crate

• Will it kill my compile time?
• Migration: use polkadot_sdk::*, the rest of your code remains as-is.

Note:

• Compile time: A bit, but not too bad. feature = node, feature = runtime
• polkadot_sdk_docs::reference_docs::umbrella_crate - Rust

--

• Then, if we look at the runtime/lib.rs, we also notice less clutter 🤔
  --

polkadot-sdk-frame Crate

#![cfg_attr(not(feature = "std"), no_std)]

extern crate alloc;
use alloc::{vec, vec::Vec};

use polkadot_sdk::{polkadot_sdk_frame as frame, *};
use frame::{
	prelude::*,
	runtime::{apis, prelude::*},
};

--

polkadot-sdk-frame Crate

• polkadot-sdk simplifies your Cargo.toml
• polkadot-sdk-frame simplifies your runtime and pallet lib.rs by providing sensible preludes.

Note:
polkadot_sdk_frame - Rust
Fetching Title#nysy

--

Past (substrate-node-template)

--

API Documentation

• Simple, underrated, important enabler.
• Fundamental types and macros now all have API documentation, with correct and extensive examples
  • pallet::call, pallet::storage

--

--

Note:

• frame_support::pallet_macros - Rust
• storage in frame_support::pallet_macros - Rust
  --

API Documentation:

• all released crates: docs.rs
• master: https://paritytech.github.io/polkadot-sdk/
  • ⚠️ One doc-only crate cannot yet be published and is only visible in the latter.

Note:

• polkadot_sdk_docs - Rust

--

API Documentation:

• These docs are tightly integrated with polkadot-sdk
• THEY CANNOT GET OUTDATED!

Reflection

All of this, releases, stable and well-documented API, is to say polkadot-sdk is a step closer to a mature mono-repo.

and we shall keep it that way.

FRAME Updates

• Easier getting started: dev_mode
• Easier test setup: [config(with_default)] and #[derive_impl()]
• Syntax: #[runtime] macro
• Advanced: #[pallet::task]
• Advanced: #[pallet::feeless_if]
• Advanced: #[pallet::view_function] Soon™️

All of this is opt-in.

--

Before

impl frame_system::Config for Test {
	type BaseCallFilter = ();
	type BlockWeights = ();
	type BlockLength = ();
	type DbWeight = ();
	type RuntimeOrigin = RuntimeOrigin;
	type RuntimeCall = RuntimeCall;
	type Nonce = u64;
	type Block = Block;
	type Hash = sp_core::H256;
	type Hashing = sp_runtime::traits::BlakeTwo256;
	type AccountId = AccountId;
	type Lookup = IdentityLookup<Self::AccountId>;
	type RuntimeEvent = RuntimeEvent;
	type Version = ();
	type PalletInfo = PalletInfo;
	type AccountData = ();
	type OnNewAccount = ();
	type OnKilledAccount = ();
	type SystemWeightInfo = ();
	type SS58Prefix = ();
	type OnSetCode = ();
	type MaxConsumers = ConstU32<16>;
}

--

After

#[derive_implTestDefaultConfig]
impl frame_system::Config for Test {
	type Block = frame_system::mocking::MockBlock<Test>;
}

Or

#[derive_implTestDefaultConfig]
impl frame_system::Config for Test {
	type Block = frame_system::mocking::MockBlock<Test>;
	type AccountData = pallet_balances::AccountData<u64>;
}

Node

• How cool would it be to download a node that could run any wasm runtime?
  • No need to maintain it, update it, etc.
  • No need to compile it 🫠

--

Omni Node

• Capable of running (most) parachains, and a local dev chain.
• Early docs
• First iteration will be released with stable2412

Closing Remarks

• A lot of what I have said are initiatives that need contributors to push through the finish line!
  • Mentor-able, tip-able issues in the speaker notes
• Developing a blockchain with Polkadot-SDK has gotten even simpler now, but..
  • Contracts will always be easier!

Note:

• All good-first issues: Issues · paritytech/polkadot-sdk · GitHub
• All mentor issues: Issues · paritytech/polkadot-sdk · GitHub