Introducing the Ignite Marketplace for Cosmos Builders

Our main goal at Ignite is to provide an enhanced user experience with developer-friendly tools that make it easy for engineers to build their own blockchains and connect to the Cosmos ecosystem. Earlier this year, we presented Ignite Apps (previously known as the plugin system). As the foundational layer of the Ignite Marketplace, Ignite Apps enables open-source contributors to extend Ignite’s functionality by developing custom apps and modules that allow users to pick and choose the features they want their chains to have. From launching as consumer chains with Interchain Security (ICS) to deploying directly into the decentralized cloud, the possibilities are endless.

What Is the Ignite Marketplace?

The Ignite Marketplace is like an app store: a go-to resource for searching, selecting, and integrating custom modules and functionalities for your blockchain through Ignite CLI. The marketplace facilitates the exchange of all the robust features, chain offerings, and composability Cosmos offers in one platform. Because every project has a different vision, goals, and scope, the marketplace allows developers to customize their blockchains to suit their unique needs by accessing all the latest Cosmos-compatible technology. The marketplace allows Cosmos chains to reach new builders easily by introducing them early on to the different applications available. Many well-known Cosmos projects were built using Ignite, including Osmosis, Sifchain, and Crypto.org, and we aim to attract even more builders and become the de facto tool for all Cosmos chains to launch.

How Does the Ignite Marketplace Work?

The Ignite Marketplace is powered by the official Marketplace UI, which is an interface that allows users to easily filter and search the apps they want to use, and integrate other blockchains and tools, such as a block explorer app, a hermes app for relaying IBC packets, a CosmWasm app for creating contracts, and a network app to help launching chains. We’ve also begun working on an ICS app to link the two modules so that any chain launching as a consumer chain for Cosmos Hub can use Ignite and launch with just a few commands and benefit from many other useful features of the ICS app. With these additions, Ignite will continue to be an important on-ramp tool for the Cosmos ecosystem and support the growth of the ATOM Economic Zone for Cosmos Hub Consumer chains. We’ve made steady progress, but there’s still much more to do!

For app creators:

Anyone can contribute to the Ignite Marketplace, develop an app specific to their ecosystem, and take advantage of Ignite’s growing user base. We currently have an open bounty to build a CosmWasm app so the best builders can get rewarded for their work.

For chain builders:

There’s no limit to the scope of apps you can discover and integrate, from fundraising modules to Wasm plugins, Interchain Accounts, or modifying the build system of Ignite CLI.

How to Develop an App for the Ignite Marketplace

We’ve made it easy to create apps for the Ignite Marketplace. Simply run a simple command and create a new directory that contains the app’s code. Your app’s path can even be a local directory, keeping the development path simple and meaning that you don't need to use a git repository. Your app is recompiled each time you run the ignite binary in your project. Once your app is ready and published to GitHub with the "ignite-app" tag via the plugin system, it will appear among the growing list of apps that make Ignite even more customizable. Check out our app development and using apps guides for further information.

We hope to offer a comprehensive marketplace of diverse apps, allowing for the ultimate modular development. We also want to support developers using Ignite when they need our help, as well as projects and builders who want to grow their user bases. To that end, we’ll host regular Office Hours sessions with a member of the core team on Discord, where you can ask questions and share your ideas.

The team will also record and share a monthly Ignite Developer Community Call to assist anyone working with Ignite and encourage them to share their progress, so if you’re actively building with Ignite and are interested in attending, stay tuned. We want to go beyond the docs and give you personalized support. If you are an app creator and/or a chain builder and want to get in touch with us, we’d love to hear from you.

Whether you’re a brand new project considering Cosmos as your home or an established team seeking more exposure for your apps and services, Ignite can spur your innovation. Dive into our code on GitHub, join the conversation on Discord, or follow us for news and updates on our brand-new X handle here.