A former software engineer for cryptocurrency exchange startup Coinbase has launched a new search engine for ethereum, the second largest blockchain platform by market cap.
Created by Antonio Juliano, dubbed Weipoint and unveiled in a Medium post, the tool is designed to provide a means to search for, say, a smart contract underlying a particular project or token.
Though unrelated, the release comes days after Coinbase itself revealed that it is testing an app called Token, which will act as both wallet and browser for ethereum apps.
According to Juliano, Weipoint will eventually act as a decentralized application (or DApp) browser as well, with planned functionality for other ethereum-based resources.
Juliano wrote:
“Weipoint can be used to search for and interact with ethereum smart contracts. We’re planning to add search for entire dapps in the near future and eventually anything behind decentralized domain services such as ENS.”
The project is, according to Juliano, envisioned to go one step further, acting as a means to verify the code underlying smart contracts.
“It’s currently too hard for all but the most technical users to determine which dapps are trustworthy and secure. Similarly, it’s also difficult for dapp creators to establish trust for their users,” he wrote.
In this way, he said Weipoint will aim to verify reputation and ownership, while helping ensure their security.
It’s a compelling pitch, given issues in the past with ethereum smart contract-based projects such as The DAO.
That initiative collapsed following the exploitation of a flaw in the code that resulted in the loss of tens of millions of dollars with of ether, the cryptocurrency of the ethereum network, last year.
Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in Coinbase.
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