The Web 3.0 Development in 2024: Essence, Hidden Pitfalls, and More

IT researchers these days make extravagant claims about the end of the Web 2.0 era and the start of Web 3.0 (or Web3) — the Internet generation which will facilitate data processing due to modern technologies used.

Web 3.0 isn’t just a buzzword in modern society but an upcoming reality. The stats prove it: according to Good Word News, the worldwide Web 3.0 (namely, crypto) market capitalization reached $3 trillion. The Web3 developer profession is in-demand and well-paid: for example, Glassdoor states that the US developers working with Web 3.0 obtain a $118,546 yearly salary.

The Web 3.0 topic is a completely new one in the IT domain, and there’s much to explore in it. We conducted a deep research of this notion in detail, and prepared an article to help you find out Web 3.0 essence and value, hidden pitfalls, what’s the tech stack the domain specialists typically use, how to hire Web 3 developer and other necessities.

Before discussing Web 3 development specifics, let’s first find out its basics. This is the latest web know-how that helps to create more secure and modern content, process information in a more straightforward and quicker way due to the cutting-edge modern technologies (e.g., AI and ML, Blockchain, etc.) implemented by Web 3.0 developers.

What is a Web3 developer? This is a specialist that builds solutions distributed on a decentralized P2P network or on the Blockchain and having the essential features of Web 3.0 technology. These are decentralization and the absence of a single body of censorship or control.

What does this mean? Today’s Internet (or Web 2.0) works on the basis of a client-server architecture which means that all data is centralized on servers. They belong to particular companies or people that establish their own content publishing policy. Such a policy has particular restrictions: for instance, service users cannot leave comments contrary to the platform’s policy. The search engines can also have their own functioning algorithms that boost peculiar information (like advertisements) and hold one they suppose unnecessary.

The Internet of the future won’t have such issues. All the Web3 data will be saved in Blockchain and copied to numerous nodes, which excludes even the slightest probability of data manipulation or falsification.

Nevertheless, Web 3.0 isn’t fully implemented yet, there are already examples of its successful use. Progressive Web 3 developer specialists created a video service Theta that allows users to perform different operations with content (e.g., creation, sharing, publication, etc.), and saves all the collected data in nodes. The people can even share their device capacities while utilizing the service and be rewarded for sharing. The above-discussed decentralization is one of the essential Web 3.0 characteristics that facilitates data sharing and improve inside security.

What are other vital features of the upcoming Internet generation?

• Omnipresence. Now we have access to the Internet at any time and use a lot of communication channels and devices, not only smartphones and laptops.
• Openness. Web3 development is performed with open-source digital instruments by the available IT specialists community and can be used by everybody.
• Reliability. Thanks to Web 3.0, every user can operate on the Internet privately and publicly without mediators that can provide them with suspicious data.
• Availability. Everybody can perform various operations with data through Web 3.0.

We looked at Web3 in general. Let's go deeper into considering its differences from Web2, the Internet of today.

The Internet has totally altered thousands of people’s lives, and they can hardly imagine a day without digital interaction. However, the web wasn’t always the same as we’ve gotten accustomed to seeing. Web3 is the upcoming reality of the Internet, and to learn more about it, we should dive deeper into the fundamentals of the World Wide Web (WWW) appearance, defining its characteristics and comparing them. Everything started from Web 1.0. It was the first variant of the Internet represented as storage of static data with no (or very little) interactive capabilities. The content was centrally managed: thus, you could use only files provided by website owners. Mostly textual communication was possible to be performed.

Web 2.0, also called Social Web, is the next stage of the Internet evolution available in our times. It is also closely associated with the notions of social networking: blogs, social media, and video streaming gained traction. Moreover, search engine browsers progressed to the point a large number of users could manage them at the same time. Websites improved their interactivity features during this period which can be clearly visible in the examples of YouTube or Blogger.

But it should be mentioned that Web2 still has some drawbacks that push the professionals to search for a more advanced solution. Thus, we will analyze below the imperfections of today's Internet and identify what Web3 can offer.

Web 3.0 brings a notion of the Blockchain-powered DApps — decentralized apps whose distinctive features are described above. The dreams will come true: the digital world will cooperate with humans; for example, social network communication will be changed to one in Metaverse — a virtual space for users' interaction with each other via the newest technologies. Moreover, the machines will be able to process data like people do, identifying the concept and context of every notion.

Web3 isn't totally implemented by Web 3 developers into current business flows and users' lives. Nobody knows how such a process will happen and what consequences it will bring. However, separate projects based on the newest tech concepts are already available. Let's analyze them and find out how this technology will change the world.

Web 2.0 Internet generation used by millions of today’s users is a major breakthrough. A number of its powerful advantages help both businesses, and ordinary people boost their services and goods, share necessary information, and so on. However, Web2 still has some weaknesses that can interfere with proper work in it. Let’s discuss such problems and ways to deal with them.

Authorship and ownership

Using WWW, the content authors can find their audience, earn a reputation and make a profit. But the author of the content isn't always its owner - every Internet resource is a property of a particular corporation or separate people. They have the users' personal data and are able to sell it to advertisers and other third parties.

Web 3 development won't support centralized platform activity. The users will receive rights to preserve confidentiality, save their personal data, and build more secure digital resources based on decentralization principles. Moreover, the customers, as the data proprietors, will be able to monetize their effort results without any mediators earning more money.

The hacking threat

Forbes proves that Internet security expenditures grew to $123 billion in 2020. CyberSecurityVentures gives an even worse prediction for future cybersecurity spending, stating that it will amount to $10,5 billion. It is understandable because the services' centralization allows hackers to control them by receiving as much data as they need.

The Web3 app development will be based on Blockchain, making the upcoming Internet space more secure. Penetration of the system will be harder for third parties. But even if they succeed, every suspicious operation will be easily detected and canceled.

Censoring data and ownership monopoly

In the Web 2.0 era, hosting companies have complete control over practically all of the online resources and are able to block access to the ones that, in their opinion, are the least dependable.

Web3 will provide individuals with space that is free from all forms of control and censorship thanks to its Blockchain foundation. Regardless of their country, sex, income, or place of residence, they will be able to participate in the production of new resources and the decision-making process for all activities involving data.

Ubiquity questions

The Internet became more powerful and speedy, and mobile gadgets' appearance played a significant role in it. So, today we can receive and share information from laptops, mobile phones, and tablet PCs — special devices for data gathering and exchange.

Request perception

Web3 development platform will make available access to information regardless of gadget. The users will obtain data from devices that were not earlier adapted for that (like fridges, TVs, and so on) but can connect to the Internet.

The Web 2.0 gadgets badly understand spoken requests and have mistakes while analyzing them. Web 3.0 will use semantic networks, letting machines perceive and proceed with information better (e.g., being able to separate the jaguar predator from the car named Jaguar).

We identified the most common problems of today's Internet reality and Web3 development concepts to solve them. Let’s look at how the newest tech concepts are implemented in already existing Web3 apps — some examples for your better understanding are given below.

Data storages, browsers, and social networks are not the only spheres of Web3 use. There are also solutions for remote work, video/audio streaming, cryptocurrency exchange, banking, and so on. They enhance people's everyday lives, working operations and make data collection more secure.

Let's find out how to build a decentralized solution and what web development stack to use for gaining the app creation purposes. For better understanding, we split the stack Web3 for developers into the several main categories presented in the illustration below, along with their examples.

Identity

The notion of public-key encryption and crypto wallets are at the heart of Web3 identity. Every Web3 programmer of your development team has to understand how to work with the user's address and wallet.

First off, you must gain entry to the user's wallet. WalletConnect or Solana's Wallet Adapter are usually utilized to connect the wallet via the browser. Consumers may use their mobile wallets to connect straight from their smartphones with the help of WalletConnect.

Allow the user to sign a transaction, which you can then decode and use to authenticate them. However, keep in mind that this process almost always necessitates the use of a server.

What about a decentralized approach to handling user profiles? Both Ceramic and Spruce implement the W3C DID specification.

File storage

Where do people store photos, movies, and other things on web3? The protocols for file storage listed below can assist you and your Web3 developers:

• Arweave. A service that lets you keep data indefinitely for a single transaction price.
• IPFS is a P2P protocol that is well-organized and documented, stable, and supported by a huge ecosystem. However, keep in mind that data may be lost when it isn't pinned.
• Filecoin is a protocol aimed to offer a way of permanent data storage developed by Protocol Labs, IPFS founder.

Data protocols

You can utilize multiple protocols if you want to provide off-chain storage additionally to file storage, for example. Here are some examples to use:

• ThreadDB for Textiles is a multi-party database dealing with IPFS and Libp2p.
• GunDB is a peer-to-peer (P2P) decentralized database.

Connecting off-chain digital products with Blockchain-based protocols is the last issue to solve before we have a completely decentralized stack capable of serving any application.

APIs

Relational data, search and sorting, pagination, filtering and other sorts of requesting capabilities are essential in many applications. This necessitates the indexing and organization of data in order to facilitate retrieval.

Typically, databases perform such tasks in the centralized technology stack, however the Web3 toolkit has no indexing layer.

The Graph is a data-processing blockchain protocol for indexing and querying. Everybody can create and deploy open GraphQL APIs, also known as subgraphs, that allow users to query blockchain data.

Blockchain

Dealing with Solidity through the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) may be the best way to get started as a blockchain developer. You'll be able to create solutions not only for Ethereum but also for additional Ethereum Layer 2s, sidechains, and other blockchains (e.g., Avalanche, Celo, etc.).

Rust is also becoming increasingly popular and widespread in the Blockchain realm, with first-class Rust support in Solana, NEAR, Polkadot, and other projects.

There are also a couple of decent Blockchain development environments to choose from:

• Hardhat (JavaScript) is a relatively new and popular alternative to create DApps. Their tooling and developer experience are top-notch, and the documentation is flawless.
• Brownie is a Python-based framework for smart contract functioning and testing for Solidity/ EVM development.
• Truffle (JavaScript) is a toolset for building and debugging EVM applications. It's tried-and-true.

Client

You can work using a JavaScript framework you want regarding the blockchain SDKs from the client side are typically framework-agnostic. Despite such fact, React is utilized in a large amount of apps. There are also a few libraries (e.g., Solana Wallet Adapter) that offer more utilities of React, so learning React is a good idea.

Ethers.js and Web3.js are client-side SDKs in Ethereum. Though Web3.js has been around longer, Ethers is more friendly and has greater documentation. So, you'll probably be working with Web3.js (and hire Web3.js developers) or Anchor in Solana.

Even such a promising topic as Web 3.0 has its own drawbacks and doubts. Let’s talk about the most widespread ones. Hard to manage data flow. According to some analytics, decentralization will make it more difficult to manage Web 3.0. This might, among other things, lead to a rise in cybercrime and online abuse.

Complete digital security cannot be guaranteed. Since that Web2 currently includes stringent security services and algorithms, it is unclear what protection features Web 3.0 would provide to its consumers.

Ownership issues arisen. Contrary to common assumption, regular people will not be the owners of Web 3.0 businesses, says Jack Dorsey, former Twitter CEO. The Internet will belong to venture investors and entrepreneurs: thus, control might still be centralized.

Device incompatibility. Web3 is characterized as quite a powerful technology, so not every gadget will have enough energy to work with it. Older devices with slower CPUs will be incompatible with Web3. So, you'll need a device with above-average hardware to use the future version of the Internet.

Tech drawbacks. Web3 development is a significant expense, beginning with its deployment. It's also inaccurate since the experts lack the knowledge to address new problems properly. Also, Web3 is damaging for the environment since it requires more computing power from the miners' devices to generate new Blockchain units.

Money-based relations. According to different Web 3.0 researchers, the Internet of the future will be concentrated exclusively on monetary relations, which means that the WWW will turn into one big marketplace in the future.

But the Web 3.0 goes well beyond money and cryptocurrencies. According to the proponents' opinion, the new Internet will be able to create a "global village" - a society centered on people and interpersonal connection that will contribute to the advancement of technology and business as well as the support of private projects.

Most of the enlisted issues can be solved in case the researchers will pay more attention to the new technology and gain more experience. Web3 has a huge potential that isn’t fully learnt today, and this should be corrected.

Many businesses are planning to hire Web3 developer with crypto experience since the Blockchain environment has expanded to incredible proportions. That's why we'll talk about how to find Web 3.0 developers and how to make the hiring process go smoothly.

Searching process typically takes up a significant amount of time. Simultaneously, without looking through CVs and conducting interviews you can dismiss appropriate candidates' requests. So, how to ensure a well-balanced and effective hiring process? Here's some tips.

Job post

The job ad is the first aspect you must organize. You'll need to identify the position you're presenting (e.g., Web3.js developers) whether you use a job board, a developer community, or another source.

Begin by introducing yourself and your company, as well as the project's concept, without revealing too much information, particularly if you do have something unique to offer.

Your job posting should be simple: It's worth noting that you're seeking a blockchain engineer with Web3 development expertise and knowledge of a relevant technological stack.

Discuss the qualities that a perfect applicant should possess. Don't be too broad with them; instead, strive to be as specific as possible. Due to the fact that Web3 is still a relatively new technology, requiring 5-7 years of technical expertise may be impractical, restricting the number of requests.

Include a wage limit in the job description as well. Then make a list of the specialist's duties. Write about both technical and non-technical tasks that a learner would be required to do.

Conducting Interviews

After you've shortlisted candidates, you can begin arranging interviews. What should you pay extra attention to when conducting a remote interview?

Consider breaking the interview down into technical and non-technical sections. Preparing your interview questions beforehand is a smart idea. For instance, you can ask the following questions:

• What coding languages have you previously dealt with?
• What Blockchain-related projects were you participating in? What role did you play?
• How can you test your written code?
• Which communication method do you prefer?

Make a list of your main concerns regarding hiring Web3 developers, and have a copy of each candidate's CV on paper form or on a laptop screen.

Ask about candidates' plans to work distantly, especially if they are in another time zone. Describe your team's tools for communication and processes control, and find out if they are familiar with them. Discuss their earnings and salary aspirations (e.g., hourly, per project, monthly, yearly).

Knowing where to hunt for the best experts in the Web3 area can save you time. Let's look at the most typical resources to look for Web 3.0 professionals.

Online job boards

The tried-and-true way of searching for specialists on job boards may prove to be rather effective. Namely, you should pay your attention to boards concentrated on the Blockchain and cryptocurrency development experts search, post a job vacancy there or look through potential Web3 developers CVs.

Some of the most well-known online crypto job boards are:

• Crypto Jobs List
• CryptoJobs
• Angel

Hiring platforms

You can also look for Web3 developers for your team on well-known hiring platforms which will give you all the essential data as to the possible team members. Moreover, the developer communities are also worth looking at, as they provide not only the information for devs but also various IT job vacancies.

Some of the hiring platforms and dev communities you should check:

• Indeed
• Remote.co
• GitHub Jobs
• Stack Overflow

Talent marketplaces

Do you want to employ a Web3 development specialist for a set period of time or a long-term one? These are significant concerns to think about solving such issues. Online talent markets are a good place to start.

The sources you should check:

• Toptal
• Revelo

Keep in mind that applying to a skilled outsourcing software service provider will help you save your time and money while searching for new staff members or sending a digital project to outsource.

You may facilitate your searching process, choosing an experienced offshore software development vendor to collaborate with. Skilled recruiters will help you select the best candidates, conduct interviews and offer you top-tier results of their work. For example, looking for Web3 devs you can apply to Cleveroad — professional outsourcing and outstaffing IT company situated in Central Europe, Estonia.

We offer web and mobile development services in e-commerce, logistics, healthcare, education, entertainment and other business domains trusting that being honest with consumers, partners, and personnel is a critical component of developing outstanding products. Working with us, you may get:

• Software engineering teams comprised of agile-minded, and certified professionals
• Elaboration of a rapid development process with no bureaucracy
• Highly qualified and certified QA engineers participation in your project
• Strong and in-depth software development experience in various business sectors
• Innovative development approaches and a cutting-edge tech stack, etc.

Collaborate with us, and receive an opportunity to work with top-class development specialists developing digital solutions meeting all the modern business requirements.

Web 3.0 is quite a prospective technology, despite all its drawbacks. Nowadays it is still in a concept view, but the top talent IT researchers and developers do everything possible to develop the notion of Web3, actively working on the resolution of the Blockchain’s essential problems, make the underlying infrastructure more scalable, attract new users and retain the existing ones.

So, day to day Web3 doesn’t stand still passing its way from a set of theories to reality and becoming more powerful. It means you need to hire Web3 developer and start such projects to make a contribution to a successful future.