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Building a DAO Management Platform

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to build a DAO management platform similar to dao.cafe. It covers architecture, backend and frontend implementation, user experience considerations, and deployment strategies.

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Architecture Overview

A DAO management platform needs to interact with CreateDAO contracts, index events, store data, and provide a user-friendly interface. Here’s a high-level architecture:

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Key Components

1. User Interface: React/Next.js frontend with wallet connection
2. API Layer: REST or GraphQL API for data access
3. Blockchain Interaction Layer: Viem or ethers.js for contract interaction
4. Database: For storing indexed events and platform-specific data
5. Event Indexer: Service that listens for contract events and indexes them

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Technology Stack Recommendations

• Frontend: Next.js, React, TailwindCSS
• Backend: Node.js, Express or NestJS
• Database: PostgreSQL for relational data, Redis for caching
• Blockchain Interaction: Viem or ethers.js
• Indexing: Custom indexer or TheGraph
• Hosting: Vercel for frontend, AWS/GCP for backend services

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Backend Implementation

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Contract Event Indexing

To keep your platform in sync with on-chain data, you need to index events from CreateDAO contracts:

import { ethers } from 'ethers';
import { DAO_ABI } from './abis';

async function indexDAOEvents(daoAddress, provider) {
  const daoContract = new ethers.Contract(daoAddress, DAO_ABI, provider);
  
  // Listen for new proposals
  daoContract.on('ProposalCreated', async (proposalId, proposer, description, event) => {
    // Store proposal in database
    await storeProposal({
      proposalId: proposalId.toString(),
      proposer,
      description,
      blockNumber: event.blockNumber,
      timestamp: (await provider.getBlock(event.blockNumber)).timestamp,
      daoAddress
    });
  });
  
  // Listen for votes
  daoContract.on('Voted', async (voter, proposalId, support, weight, event) => {
    // Store vote in database
    await storeVote({
      voter,
      proposalId: proposalId.toString(),
      support,
      weight: weight.toString(),
      blockNumber: event.blockNumber,
      timestamp: (await provider.getBlock(event.blockNumber)).timestamp,
      daoAddress
    });
  });
  
  // Listen for proposal execution
  daoContract.on('ProposalExecuted', async (proposalId, event) => {
    // Update proposal status in database
    await updateProposalStatus(proposalId.toString(), 'executed');
  });
}

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Database Design

Your database should store the following entities:

1. DAOs: Information about deployed DAOs
2. Proposals: All proposals created in each DAO
3. Votes: All votes cast on proposals
4. Users: Information about users who interact with the platform
5. Transactions: Record of transactions initiated through the platform

Example schema for a PostgreSQL database:

CREATE TABLE daos (
  address VARCHAR(42) PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  token_address VARCHAR(42) NOT NULL,
  treasury_address VARCHAR(42) NOT NULL,
  staking_address VARCHAR(42) NOT NULL,
  chain_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL,
  creator_address VARCHAR(42) NOT NULL
);

CREATE TABLE proposals (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  dao_address VARCHAR(42) REFERENCES daos(address),
  proposal_id VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  proposer VARCHAR(42) NOT NULL,
  description TEXT NOT NULL,
  proposal_type VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
  status VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL,
  end_time TIMESTAMP NOT NULL,
  UNIQUE(dao_address, proposal_id)
);

CREATE TABLE votes (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  proposal_id INTEGER REFERENCES proposals(id),
  voter VARCHAR(42) NOT NULL,
  support BOOLEAN NOT NULL,
  weight NUMERIC NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL
);

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API Structure

Your API should provide endpoints for:

1. DAO Management: Create, retrieve, and list DAOs
2. Proposal Management: Create, retrieve, list, and vote on proposals
3. User Management: User profiles and activity
4. Analytics: DAO statistics and insights

Example API endpoints:

GET /api/daos - List all DAOs
GET /api/daos/:address - Get DAO details
GET /api/daos/:address/proposals - List proposals for a DAO
POST /api/daos/:address/proposals - Create a new proposal
GET /api/daos/:address/proposals/:id - Get proposal details
POST /api/daos/:address/proposals/:id/vote - Vote on a proposal
GET /api/daos/:address/treasury - Get treasury balance and transactions
GET /api/users/:address - Get user profile and activity

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Frontend Implementation

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User Interface Components

Your frontend should include these key components:

1. Wallet Connection: Support for MetaMask, WalletConnect, etc.
2. DAO Dashboard: Overview of DAO activity and metrics
3. Proposal Creation: Form for creating different types of proposals
4. Voting Interface: UI for viewing and voting on proposals
5. Treasury Management: Interface for viewing and managing treasury funds
6. Staking Interface: UI for staking and unstaking tokens

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Wallet Integration

Integrate with wallets using libraries like Web3Modal or RainbowKit:

import { useConnect, useAccount, useDisconnect } from 'wagmi';

function WalletConnection() {
  const { connect, connectors, isLoading } = useConnect();
  const { address, isConnected } = useAccount();
  const { disconnect } = useDisconnect();
  
  if (isConnected) {
    return (
      <div>
        <p>Connected: {address}</p>
        <button onClick={() => disconnect()}>Disconnect</button>
      </div>
    );
  }
  
  return (
    <div>
      {connectors.map((connector) => (
        <button
          key={connector.id}
          onClick={() => connect({ connector })}
          disabled={isLoading}
        >
          Connect with {connector.name}
        </button>
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}

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Transaction Handling

Implement a transaction handling system that provides feedback to users:

import { useState } from 'react';
import { useContractWrite, useWaitForTransaction } from 'wagmi';

function ProposalVoting({ daoAddress, proposalId }) {
  const [support, setSupport] = useState(true);
  
  const { write, data, isLoading } = useContractWrite({
    address: daoAddress,
    abi: DAO_ABI,
    functionName: 'vote',
    args: [proposalId, support],
  });
  
  const { isLoading: isConfirming, isSuccess } = useWaitForTransaction({
    hash: data?.hash,
  });
  
  return (
    <div>
      <div>
        <button onClick={() => setSupport(true)} className={support ? 'active' : ''}>
          Vote For
        </button>
        <button onClick={() => setSupport(false)} className={!support ? 'active' : ''}>
          Vote Against
        </button>
      </div>
      
      <button 
        onClick={() => write?.()}
        disabled={isLoading || isConfirming}
      >
        {isLoading ? 'Preparing...' : 
         isConfirming ? 'Confirming...' : 
         isSuccess ? 'Vote Successful' : 'Submit Vote'}
      </button>
      
      {isSuccess && (
        <div className="success-message">
          Your vote has been recorded!
        </div>
      )}
    </div>
  );
}

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User Experience

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Proposal Creation Flow

Design an intuitive proposal creation flow:

1. Select Proposal Type: Transfer, Upgrade, Presale, etc.
2. Fill Details: Based on the selected type
3. Preview: Show a summary of the proposal
4. Submit: Sign transaction to create the proposal
5. Confirmation: Show success message with proposal details

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Voting Interface

Create a clear voting interface that shows:

1. Proposal Details: Description, type, and specific parameters
2. Voting Status: Current votes for and against, quorum progress
3. Timeline: Creation date, voting end time, execution status
4. Voting Controls: Buttons to vote for or against
5. User’s Voting Power: Based on their staked tokens

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Treasury Management

Provide a comprehensive treasury view:

1. Balance Overview: Total value in native currency and tokens
2. Transaction History: All incoming and outgoing transactions
3. Token Holdings: List of all tokens held by the treasury
4. Transfer Proposal: Interface to propose new transfers

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Analytics and Reporting

Offer insights into DAO activity:

1. Proposal Statistics: Success rate, participation rate
2. Voting Patterns: Active voters, voting distribution
3. Treasury Growth: Value over time, major transactions
4. Staking Metrics: Total staked, staking distribution

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Deployment & Maintenance

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Hosting Recommendations

1. Frontend: Deploy on Vercel or Netlify for global CDN distribution
2. Backend API: Use AWS ECS, Google Cloud Run, or similar containerized services
3. Database: Managed database service like AWS RDS or Google Cloud SQL
4. Indexer: Run on reliable compute instances with automated failover

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Monitoring and Alerts

Implement monitoring for:

1. Contract Events: Ensure all events are being indexed
2. API Performance: Track response times and error rates
3. User Activity: Monitor user engagement and transactions
4. Blockchain Sync: Verify your indexer is in sync with the blockchain

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Upgrade Procedures

Plan for platform upgrades:

1. Contract Upgrades: Process for handling CreateDAO contract upgrades
2. Database Migrations: Safe migration procedures for schema changes
3. API Versioning: Strategy for introducing API changes
4. Frontend Deployments: CI/CD pipeline for testing and deploying UI changes

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Conclusion

Building a DAO management platform requires careful planning and integration of multiple components. By following this guide, you can create a platform that provides a seamless experience for DAO creators and members, while ensuring reliable interaction with CreateDAO contracts.

For more detailed information on specific aspects of platform development, refer to the following guides:

• Frontend Integration
• Contract Interaction
• JavaScript SDK