Daily Wink No 68: Builder Spotlight — @0x7Manish

Welcome to the Builder Spotlight Series!

We’re excited to kick off the Builder Spotlight series, where we shine a light on talented developers making waves in the Blinks space. This segment will feature conversations with builders who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on Solana, sharing their experiences, projects, and insights to inspire others in the community. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just getting started, the stories and tips from these creators will offer valuable perspectives on navigating the evolving world of Blinks. If you’d like to support us, make a donation via our blink.

Builder Spotlight: Manish — Innovating in the Blinks Space

In our first Builder Spotlight, we feature Manish, a security engineer who ventured into the world of Blinks with a background in web application security spanning over a decade. After discovering Solana through Superteam Earn, he quickly became captivated by the possibilities Blinks offered. Despite being new to blockchain development, Manish embraced the challenge and began creating Blinks that address real-world needs, from analyzing wallet activity to connecting developers for hackathons.

In this interview, Manish discusses his journey, shares the obstacles he overcame, and gives insights into some of his standout projects like Wallet Analyzer, Job Board, and Gumroad Blinks. He also provides practical advice for developers entering the Blinks ecosystem, making this a must-read for anyone interested in Solana’s innovative applications.

Could you share a bit about your background and how you got involved in the Blinks space? What initially attracted you to building on Solana?

I'm a security engineer by profession, with over 10 years of experience in web application security. I started as a bug bounty hunter during college. I learned about Superteam Earn through a colleague in developer relations at my organization, and that’s how I got introduced to Solana.

Since I’m not a developer by profession, Blinks seemed like a good starting point because it’s a lightweight API application. Initially, I struggled a bit, but after spending some time on it, I was hooked. I remember building 3-4 Blinks in just a week.

What was the learning curve like when you first started building Blinks? Did you encounter any significant obstacles, and how did you overcome them?

There was definitely a learning curve. I quickly grasped the GET parameter metadata structure (logo, description, etc.), but I struggled with executing Solana transactions since I didn’t have prior blockchain development experience.

To overcome this, I went through numerous resources, documentation, and open-source Blink examples. Claude AI was also a big help in summarizing these resources and assisting with the coding.

The Wallet Analyzer Blink offers a range of features, from analyzing transactions to generating personalized avatars. What inspired you to create this Blink, and how do you envision users benefiting from these functionalities?

The idea for Wallet Analyzer wasn’t originally mine; I saw it on Twitter and decided to take up the challenge, applying my Blink knowledge to bring it to life. At that time, there was no option to chain actions to display actual avatars, so I used text instead.

I wasn’t initially thinking about getting users—it was more about building for fun and learning. However, I ended up with 10-15 users who paid to use the Blink, which was a nice bonus.

Your Job Board Blink connects Solana talent with potential employers using Superteam and GitHub profiles. What were some challenges you faced while creating this Blink, and how does it address a need in the Solana ecosystem?

Building a job board was something I had wanted to do for a long time. With Blinks, I wanted to explore what was possible, especially since it was still early days for the technology. I was essentially bringing my old Web2 ideas and seeing if they could work on Solana.

Enabling digital product distribution via Telegram with the Gumroad Blink seems quite innovative. Could you walk us through how the process works and what motivated you to combine Gumroad and Blinks in this way?

Blink commerce felt like the natural next step. Blink actions require a Solana transaction to work, so my idea was to allow people to sell their digital products or services using a Blink. The biggest challenge was validating the transaction and then executing the action to deliver the digital product. Dialect is still working on wallet signing, which will resolve this issue.

Since I had built a Telegram bot before, I thought of asking users for their transaction hash, validating it, and then displaying the final product within Telegram.

You created the Earn Bounty Blink for users who submitted many Superteam Earn entries without winning a bounty. What insights led to the development of this Blink, and how does it enhance the user experience on Superteam Earn?

The Earn Bounty Blink was my way of giving back, offering small tokens to those who hadn’t yet won a bounty on Superteam Earn. I just wanted to motivate them not to give up.

Matching coders with hackathon buddies sounds like a useful tool. Can you share the story behind the Hackathon Buddy Finder Blink? How did you go about creating an effective matchmaking system for developers?

This one was tricky because matching hackers requires enough registrations. Like most of the Blinks I built, this was done for fun and learning. I was also fortunate to receive a grant from Superteam India to support the project.

For the SEND Blinkathon, you crafted a Blink that involves creating engaging threads about Carrot DeFi. What were your key considerations when designing this challenge, and what impact do you think it has had on increasing awareness about Carrot DeFi?

I initially wanted to build a Blink for the Carrot track, but when I discovered that swapping CRT and USD was already built into the JUP swapping page, I had to come up with a new idea. CRT was recently launched, so I thought that giving it some exposure through a Blink application would increase my chances of winning. This led me to create a thread contest within a contest!

What resources or tools do you find most helpful when building Blinks? Are there any specific ones you’d recommend to developers who are just getting started?

The most important resources are documentation, tutorials, and open-source examples. The key tool I’d recommend is using AI assistants like Claude and Cursor. They can double your learning and coding speed.

In your opinion, what are some gaps or unmet needs in the Solana ecosystem that Blinks could potentially address? Are there any areas you’re particularly interested in tackling?

With Blink apps, users don’t have to visit a website to execute actions—they can do it directly from any timeline. User acquisition is the hardest part of a startup, so building a great product with Blink could make it much easier to find users compared to traditional Solana dApps.

Are there any developers, projects, or companies in the Solana ecosystem (or the wider crypto space) that inspire you? If so, how have they influenced your work?

My city has a very active Solana community, and we often discuss our projects during Solana ecosystem calls. I’m particularly inspired by the work of Superteam India members, and I always look forward to their projects and hackathon submissions.

How do you see the future of Blinks evolving? Are there any new projects or ideas you're working on that you're excited about?

Dialect has announced new features that I’m eagerly waiting for. My idea for the Gumroad Blink, which allows users to purchase digital goods and have sellers verify transactions, will be feasible without using Telegram once these updates are live. The ability to verify transactions post-completion will be a game changer.

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting to build Blinks? Are there any common pitfalls to avoid?

Blink is a new technology that’s evolving rapidly. I’d advise getting the basics right—understanding the Blink format is crucial. There are great resources available, including documentation from Dialect and Solana. Also, check out some hands-on YouTube tutorials by Nick Frostbutter; they helped me a lot.

Wrapping Up

Manish’s journey into the Blinks space demonstrates how curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to learn can lead to creating impactful projects, even without a background in blockchain development. His experiences provide a roadmap for developers who are eager to explore the world of Blinks and make their own mark in the Solana ecosystem.

As Dialect continues to roll out new features, the possibilities for what can be achieved with Blinks are only expanding. Now is the perfect time to dive in, experiment, and bring your ideas to life. Whether you’re building for fun, learning, or solving real-world problems, there’s a place for you in this growing community.

Stay tuned for more Builder Spotlight features as we continue to highlight the stories and projects of those shaping the future of Blinks.

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