Built on BlockDAG to provide trustless payments, transparent progress tracking, and verifiable proof-of-work.
Cipher is a decentralized freelance marketplace designed to eliminate trust issues in traditional platforms by using blockchain escrow, milestone-based streaming payments, and cryptographic work verification.
Current platforms (Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer) are:
- Centralized
- High-fee
- Untransparent
- Easy to exploit
- Lacking verifiable reputation or proof of progress
Cipher solves all of these with an on-chain, trustless workflow powered by BlockDAG.
Freelancers and clients face major issues:
- Freelancers fear clients refusing payment after delivery
- Clients fear paying before any progress is shown
- No verifiable or tamper-resistant progress proofs
- Reputation systems can be faked or manipulated
- Traditional platforms charge 10–20% fees
- Dispute resolution is centralized and biased
- Deliverables can be faked or disputed unfairly
Cipher offers a transparent, decentralized, automated collaboration system:
Client funds are locked in a smart contract at project start. Funds cannot be frozen, stolen, or mismanaged.
Funds are released progressively when freelancers submit milestone proofs, eliminating the fear of non-payment.
Freelancers submit:
- Screenshots
- Code
- Assets/files
- Videos
These are stored on IPFS/Filecoin, and the hash is recorded on-chain for verification.
Every completed job becomes a permanent record:
- Immutable ratings
- Verifiable work history
- No fake portfolios
BlockDAG offers:
- 2–3 seconds finality
- Parallel processing
- High scalability
- Low transaction fees
This makes Cipher significantly faster than typical EVM-only systems.
Cipher is architected for global adoption.
BlockDAG allows:
- Thousands of simultaneous job escrows
- High-frequency proofs submitted instantly
- Continuous streaming payments
- Minimal network congestion
Each module is isolated:
- Escrow contract
- Proof contract
- Reputation contract
- IPFS storage
- Frontend
This supports:
- Easy upgrades
- Independent scaling
- Horizontal architecture
The interface connects directly to:
- BlockDAG RPC
- IPFS/Filecoin
- Wallets
This ensures:
- Instant loading
- Global CDN compatibility
- No backend bottlenecks
Freelancers fear:
- Not getting paid
- Fake clients
- Disputes without evidence
Clients fear:
- Paying upfront
- Fake progress
- Low-quality deliveries
Cipher removes all trust barriers.
- Global freelance market: $1.5 trillion+
- 1.5+ billion freelancers worldwide
- Web3 work platforms growing 300% YoY
Even capturing 0.1% = $1.5 billion opportunity.
Cipher uniquely offers:
- On-chain escrow
- Proof-of-progress
- Immutable reputation
The combination does not exist today.
Cipher scores highly on all judging criteria:
- Problem fit
- Innovation
- Technical execution
- Scalability
- Ecosystem impact
- UI/UX readiness
Client → Escrow Contract → Freelancer
│ │ │
│ ├── IPFS: deliverables
│ ├── Proof contract: milestone hashes
│ ├── Reputation contract: rating + record
│ │
└──────────→ Automated payment stream → Freelancer Wallet
- CipherEscrow.sol – Fund locking, release, disputes
- CipherProof.sol – IPFS hash storage for proofs
- CipherReputation.sol – Immutable freelancer ratings
- Next.js Frontend – Dashboards for both parties
- IPFS/Filecoin – Decentralized storage
- BlockDAG Wallet – Authentication and signing
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Frontend | Next.js, TailwindCSS |
| Smart Contracts | Solidity on BlockDAG |
| Storage | IPFS / Filecoin |
| Backend (Optional) | Firebase |
| Wallet Integration | BlockDAG Wallet / MetaMask |
| Diagram | Excalidraw / Figma |
Handles:
- Escrow creation & funding
- Payment distribution
- Disputes & state tracking
Handles:
- Milestone submissions
- IPFS hash & timestamp storage
Handles:
- Final job ratings
- Reputation scores
- Freelancer history
Included in:
ui/early_ui.html
Screens:
- Client dashboard
- Freelancer dashboard
- Job posting form
- Milestone view
- Proof submission
- Escrow funding panel
- Idea validation
- Initial architecture
- Basic documentation
- Contract scaffolds
- Wireframes
- Architecture diagram
- Updated README
- Contract → UI integration
- Testnet deployment
- Improve workflows
- Add dispute demo
- Polish UI/UX
- Optimize performance
- Final presentation
- Demo video
- Impact narrative
Cipher targets:
- Freelancers (developers, designers, writers)
- Small teams and agencies
- Startups & founders
- Smart contract auditors
- Remote workers
Freelance ecosystem = $1.5T+ Decentralized work = fast-growing niche
Cipher fits perfectly into remote, trustless, cross-border work.
- Immutable, tamper-proof reputation
- Transparent, automated payments
- Trustless arbitration
- Decentralized proof-of-progress
- Secure & censorship-resistant
BlockDAG offers:
- High throughput
- Fast settlement
- Low fees
- Great scalability
- Founder / Product Lead: You
- Smart Contract Developer: VO
- UI/UX: (TBD)
MIT License
Cipher combines:
- Escrow
- Proof-of-progress
- On-chain reputation
- Streaming payments
- BlockDAG speed