Greenfinch won the Best Infrastructure Project in the Polaris Launchpad hackathon by incorporating the NeoFS distributed storage network into its decentralized Dropbox-like application. The Greenfinch GUI allows users to upload and access files stored on NeoFS through an easy-to-use desktop application.  

Greenfinch was built by React developer Robin Green and Go developer Alex Walker. Walker was inspired to create the Dropbox-like application to explore the capabilities of NeoFS. In a conversation with NNT, Walker said: 

In my opinion, the blockchain community needs to start thinking about tangible products that make a difference. Blockchain needs to become more approachable; to do that, it mustn’t make you feel like you don’t understand. When I came across the capabilities of NeoFS, I saw, really for the first time, a tangible product opportunity that anyone could understand – Dropbox doesn’t need explaining. After that, it was a case of figuring out what direct benefits I could offer the user.

The Greenfinch Application

Greenfinch is a desktop application for macOS and Windows that allows users to upload, download, and store content on the NeoFS distributed storage network. Users can manage wallets, create containers, upload files, and share containers. Containers are locations on NeoFS that allow users to determine where objects are stored and to define the level of redundancy of the storage. Objects is a term used for the data within a container and the attributes related to that data.

Source: Greenfinch Application

To access Greenfinch, users must have a Neo N3 wallet, which will allow them to pay GAS fees for using the NeoFS distributed storage network. In future versions of Greenfinch, users will be able to manage access to particular containers through a contact list. 

Looking forward, Walker and Green intend to expand Greenfinch’s offerings beyond that of just a decentralized Dropbox, to become a distributed content management system. The Greenfinch team wants to enable a “container as a website” service and an NFT management platform.

The Direction of Neo’s Developer Experience

When Walker joined the Neo ecosystem in late 2021, his primary objective was to create and provide documentation to help developers more easily integrate NeoFS. His first contribution was the NeoFS overview documentation. 

Walker’s perspective of Neo’s developer experience is forward-thinking and inquires how the developer community can participate in the direction of the platform. He said, “I think I’ve noticed that the community has a bit of influence on the technical direction some of the Neo developer tools take, which is important as the community is Neo. I think Neo has a long way to go before the community feels that they are driving its future, but I do think we have seen evidence of that in this hackathon, and that is great.”

The Greenfinch project was rewarded with a multiplier of 1.5x from the Polaris Launchpad Planathon event, and won a total grand prize equivalent to USD $52,200. Walker was also the recipient of a Neo News Today microgrant and was recently awarded funding from the GrantShares DAO to build a Greenfinch API.

Walker said, “We need to do everything in our power as a community to reach out beyond our four walls and speak to people who either have not heard of Neo or don’t take it seriously. This is what I see as the responsibility of the community.”

The Greenfinch GitHub repos can be found at the link below:
https://github.com/configwizard/greenfinch-api
https://github.com/configwizard/greenfinch.react 

Visit the following link to use Greenfinch:
https://www.greenfinch.app/

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