Stellar (XLM) Devs Deliver: How a Hackathon Spark Turned Into a Mainnet Fire
Behind every ’world-changing’ blockchain upgrade, there’s usually a caffeine-fueled hackathon team working weekends. Stellar’s latest mainnet launch proves no exception.
The Build: From Garage to Galaxy
XLM’s core devs cut through the usual ’consensus paralysis’ with a scrappy testnet rollout—bypassing three months of theoretical debates by just shipping code. Mainnet metrics now show sub-3-second finality (take that, TradFi settlement rails).
The Finance Jab
Meanwhile, Wall Street still charges $50 per cross-border wire and calls it ’innovation.’ Stellar’s throughput? 3,000 TPS for fractions of a cent. The math isn’t hard.
The Close
Whether this triggers actual adoption or just another speculative pump remains to be seen. But for once, the tech might actually be ahead of the hype.

The Stellar (XLM) Development Foundation’s ongoing series, Stellar Dev Diaries, provides a captivating glimpse into the world of Web3 startups. The series chronicles the journey of a team of developers as they leverage the Stellar Network to transition from hackathon success to securing funding and ultimately launching their product on the mainnet, according to Stellar.
Episode 2 Highlights
In the second episode, the series delves into the Freelii team’s experiences. Initially, the team pivoted their project idea to capture broader interest, a strategic MOVE that helped them win more hackathons. Their journey through the grant application process, culminating in securing funding from the Stellar Community Fund, is also a focal point of this episode.
The technical narrative further explores the tools utilized by team members Jose and Joseph in developing the Freelii remittance chatbot, emphasizing key Stellar features that facilitated their project. The episode offers insights into building a Telegram mini app and utilizing Stellar Anchors for seamless on-ramping.
From Partners to Entrepreneurs
The transition from hackathon partners to full-fledged entrepreneurs is a central theme. The series discusses the challenges faced in managing early-stage costs to extend their runway, a crucial aspect of ensuring the startup’s sustainability. By showcasing real code examples and walkthroughs, the series provides an invaluable resource for aspiring developers and entrepreneurs in the blockchain space.
The Stellar Dev Diaries serve as both an educational and inspirational resource, highlighting the intricate processes involved in turning innovative ideas into viable products within the fast-evolving blockchain industry. Each episode is designed to offer practical insights, making it a must-watch for those interested in blockchain development and startup growth.
Image source: Shutterstock- stellar
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- blockchain development