Do you know how many steps are needed to build your own Cosmos SDK blockchain?
Building it from scratch was not the way the Cosmos SDK was intended to work. There’s a lot of “wiring” to do - in essence wiring all the modules and imports together. Most of the time developers do a lot of research on different existing projects and look for inspiration. This needs a lot of research, knowledge and time.

Here’s exactly where Ignite CLI comes in. It scaffolds you a working Cosmos SDK codebase within minutes.

Install Ignite and use the tool on the command line: ignite scaffold chain <yourchainname>

Simplifying Cosmos Blockchain Development

Ignite helps you with the experience of building, testing and launching a range of different Cosmos blockchains.

Furthermore, Ignite accelerates your whole web3 development pace by automating complex tasks, generating reliable boilerplate code and minimizing the risk of errors with well thought-through test scenarios.

After scaffolding your blockchain, start it immediately with the command: ignite chain serve

Before developers would need to dig into the genesis files for their blockchain, initiate the chain, and set up their config and data directories. You can still do all this. But with Ignite CLI’s easy-to-use config.yml file, you can easily add new tokens, validators, staking rewards, ports, wallet addresses and much more.

Ignite’s focus on optimizing the developer experience, lets you focus on what matters: the business logic of your applications.

Connecting to the Interchain

One of the standout features of the Cosmos ecosystem is its emphasis on interoperability.
Ignite wants to empower blockchain creators by allowing them to easily tap into the Interchain Ecosystem.

When creating your blockchain with Ignite CLI, you have direct access to the wider Cosmos Ecosystem via the functionality of IBC (Inter-blockchain Communication). The IBC protocol allows your chain deployment to send and receive packets of information between other Cosmos chains. This interoperability can be used to query other blockchains or transfer tokens and other information across the ecosystem enhancing your chain's reach and usability.

Additionally, IBC allows for functionality like Interchain Security (ICS), where several blockchains can share the same validator set. This shared validator set via ICS significantly reduces the previous overhead of individually onboarding validators to secure your chain. ICS works by having a provider chain, in this case a set of validators, and multiple consumer chains. The consumer chains will be updated to the provider chain's validator set through IBC. The Cosmos Hub has a live deployment of ICS, acting as the provider blockchain to consumer chains like Neutron or Stride.

Ignite CLI allows you to quickly scaffold a consumer blockchain: ignite scaffold chain <yourchainname> –consumer to leverage the advantages of ICS. To learn more about ICS, we’ve released a new tutorial ‘Build your Interchain Security Consumer Chain’ using Ignite.

In addition to IBC and ICS, you can explore a host of other applications like creating a Rollup Cosmos blockchain with Ignite. A full Rollup tutorial is available to help you get started. Finally, for an introduction into how Ignite is playing a key role in the Interchain, catch our recent presentation on ‘Building the Interchain of Ecosystems.’

Extending the functionality of Ignite with Ignite Apps

The Ignite App repository currently has seven readily available integrations with more under development from the core engineering team and ecosystem contributors.

• Ignite CosmWasm App: Using CosmWasm, implement advanced smart contracts that enable seamless interactions with DeFi protocols across the Cosmos ecosystem. Customize contracts for lending, borrowing, and liquidity provisioning directly on your chain.
• Ignite Explorer App: Using GEX, access real-time blockchain data directly from your terminal. Instantly track blocks, transactions, validator status, and node performance to keep your chain running smoothly.
• Ignite Hermes App: Using the Hermes relayer, set up reliable, automated IBC relays that maintain active connections between your chain and others, allowing for continuous token transfers and remote smart contract invocations without manual intervention.
• Ignite Rollkit App: Using the Rollkit framework, bootstrap your chain with modular rollups and a local data availability layer to achieve greater performance and flexibility.
• Ignite Registry App: Explore and install a wide range of extensions to elevate your Ignite blockchain experience.
• Ignite Spaceship App: Deploy your app to any Server using Spaceship App. Control your applications status with Spaceship to start, stop or modify your app on the Server.
• Ignite Connect App: Query data from other chains quickly and easily using the Ignite Connect App.

If you’re interested in building an Ignite App, you can visit the Ignite Tutorials for a guided example of ‘How to build your first Ignite App’ and learn more on Ignite Docs.

Community Support

Ignite is broadening its support to developers with resources designed to assist you in onboarding new blockchain applications and configurations within the Cosmos Interchain ecosystem. Through comprehensive tutorials and documentation, the Ignite team is creating an open, supportive environment that encourages innovation, learning and exploration into the possibilities of the Interchain tech stack.

Join our monthly community calls to interact directly with the team and catch up on past discussions via our YouTube playlist. For ongoing support, feedback, or ideas, our Discord is available 24/7, providing a space to connect and collaborate with both the community and the team.

If you are an active user of Ignite, the team is interested in your feedback! Please take a few minutes to fill out our developer survey, and share your valuable input with us