Reflection of Co-Learning Mantle week 1

Source: Dev.to

Overview

This reflection covers the first week of the Co‑Learning Mantle program, organized by Hackquest—a platform for learning Web3 development. Participants aim to learn about and build a Web3 project on the Mantle Network, an Ethereum Layer 2 solution described as the “Liquidity Chain of the Future.” Mantle combines modular blockchain design, zero‑knowledge (ZK) proofs, and a large treasury governed by token holders.

Day 1 – Town Hall: Introduction to Hackquest and Mantle

• Hackquest platform – overview of the learning environment and resources.
• What is Mantle? – a Layer 2 (L2) network built on Ethereum that offers:
  • Much lower transaction fees.
  • Higher throughput (hundreds to thousands of TPS).
  • Security guarantees inherited from Ethereum.
• Layer 1 (L1) vs. Layer 2 (L2) Ethereum
  • L1 (Ethereum mainnet): runs smart contracts directly, provides security via Proof‑of‑Stake, stores all transaction data permanently. Drawbacks include high gas fees during congestion and scalability bottlenecks because every node processes every transaction.
  • L2: designed to alleviate L1 limitations, delivering lower fees, higher throughput, and retaining Ethereum’s security.

Day 2 – Town Hall: Solidity Basics

• Solidity – the primary programming language for writing Ethereum smart contracts.
• Topics covered:
  • Data types, struct & enum.
  • mapping & arrays.
  • Modifiers & events.
  • Payable functions & time‑based logic.
• Hands‑on exercise: Implemented a simple smart contract using Remix, applying the concepts learned.

Day 3 – Town Hall: Foundry and the EduLoan Project

• Foundry – a fast, modular Ethereum development framework written in Rust, used for building, testing, and deploying Solidity contracts efficiently.
• EduLoan project – a smart‑contract‑based lending system for students, featuring:
  • Admin‑controlled top‑up of the loan pool.
  • Transfer of funds to a student’s wallet address.
  • Repayment functionality with interest.
• The EduLoan contract was deployed on the Mantle network.