Two Chains, Two Approaches
I've built projects on both Ethereum and Solana, and the experience couldn't be more different. Crypto Coin Launcher was my deep dive into Ethereum and Solidity, while Sol Yetis explored the Solana ecosystem.
Ethereum: Crypto Coin Launcher
Building a token launcher on Ethereum meant mastering Solidity and understanding the ERC-20 standard inside out.
Key technical challenges:
- Gas optimization — every byte of storage costs real money
- Security auditing — smart contract bugs can't be patched after deployment
- Testing — using Hardhat for thorough local testing before mainnet
// Simplified token deployment
function createToken(
string memory name,
string memory symbol,
uint256 totalSupply
) external returns (address) {
ERC20Token token = new ERC20Token(name, symbol, totalSupply, msg.sender);
emit TokenCreated(address(token), msg.sender);
return address(token);
}
Solana: Sol Yetis
Moving to Solana for the Sol Yetis NFT project was a shift in thinking. Solana's account model is fundamentally different from Ethereum's:
- Accounts instead of storage — data lives in accounts, not contract storage
- Rent — you need to keep a minimum SOL balance in accounts
- Speed — transactions confirm in seconds, not minutes
Lessons for New Web3 Developers
- Start on testnet. Always. Losing real money to a bug is not a learning experience anyone needs.
- Read the source code of established projects. OpenZeppelin for Ethereum, Anchor for Solana.
- Security is everything. Get your contracts audited before handling real funds.
- The UX matters more than the tech. Most users don't care about the blockchain — they care about the experience.
What's Next for Web3
I'm excited about the direction both ecosystems are heading. Layer 2 solutions on Ethereum are making gas fees manageable, and Solana's developer tooling keeps improving. The best time to build in Web3 is now.