Python Developers Hold the Key to Blockchain Adoption

I’ve worn many hats throughout my career — from derivatives analyst to applied cryptographer — but I’m a software engineer deep down. I always loved coding, and like many others who identify as a “dev,” I know multiple programming languages — the usual suspects like Java, Swift, C, and Rust, among others. So when the cryptographer in me became hooked on decentralized computing, following ideas like Bitcoin and Monero, the developer in me took on the challenge of learning the new programming languages that blockchain required. Through this experience, I immediately saw a big hurdle: the need to learn a whole new programming language. Even if that language shares similarities with existing ones (like Solidity’s resemblance to JavaScript syntax), it could still limit how many people could build applications for decentralized operating systems.

Fast forward to today, and the landscape has shifted. Blockchain is no longer a fringe concept, but its mass adoption still faces a hurdle: developer accessibility and UX. Without developers to build them, we don’t have decentralized applications; without these applications, widespread adoption will not happen. That’s where Python — one of the world’s most used and in-demand coding languages — comes in.

Python Powers Popular Apps

Python is an easy-to-learn and versatile language. It’s a workhorse across industries that powers much of the internet as we know it today. Instagram, which started as a simple photo-sharing app, is now one of the leading social media apps in the world. Its backend infrastructure? Python.

Spotify, the ubiquitous music streaming service with its algorithms picking the songs we want to listen to, is powered by Python. Many large language models, including ChatGPT, Meta’s Llama3, and Google Gemini, rely on Python and PyTorch for their development and functionality. The list of industry-defining Python-powered apps goes on. Python’s familiarity provides a sense of trust, and this is precisely what blockchain needs to gain widespread acceptance and approachability.

Programming on blockchain in Python is possible, but it hasn’t been properly executed yet. We recently integrated Python as the native programming language on the Algorand blockchain. It was a significant, multiyear undertaking that resulted in a seamless Python-native coding experience.

Why did we spend the time and effort to do this when we previously had (like many other blockchain networks do) a Python-similar language called PyTEAL? We see authentic Python as one of the primary onramps in blockchain for enterprises. It lets them build with what they already have — a talented workforce of Python developers. They don’t need to spend more money hiring specialists fluent in niche languages; their current development team can leverage their expertise to build and maintain secure, transparent, decentralized blockchain solutions. It’s this kind of accessibility and reduced engineering cost that will help blockchain reach mainstream adoption.

Blockchain: More Than Just Cryptocurrency

When we think of blockchain, we typically think of cryptocurrency — justly so, as it was the catalyst that sparked the blockchain revolution. Cryptocurrency allows for secure, verifiable transfer of value across borders without intermediaries. However, blockchain has far more use cases that are just waiting to be unlocked by entrepreneurial developers. The problem lies in developers’ hesitation to jump into this Web3 technology, first because of the language barrier (which is resolved for many with Python) and secondly because there still isn’t a widespread understanding of how companies across industries can leverage blockchain in their operations.

Blockchain tackles issues the traditional centralized web struggles with — for example, secure permanent record keeping. For most companies today, data is held on centralized servers, making it siloed. Instead, blockchain offers verifiable, tamper-proof tracking and provenance — important in situations like permanent public records, clinical research data, supply chain logs, and decentralized ID. Many systems that manage this data are already built in Python. These same developers can leverage their skills to create more secure, auditable solutions on blockchain.

Smart Contracts: Automate Agreements

Another feature of many blockchains today is smart contracts. These programmable contracts (apps) automate agreements and transactions according to predetermined conditions. This enables entirely new business models and transaction types, making it possible for automatic payments and document workflows that execute precisely as programmed without risk of failure or manipulation. As part of my work at ConsenSys, I architected Covantis, a post-trade settlement system for the biggest agriculture traders globally that leverages smart contracts — the goal was purely operational efficiency. Of course, smart contracts usage goes far beyond agriculture: industries such as insurance, real estate, and legal services could streamline complex processes through programmable (if this, then that) smart contracts. Atomic transfers take this efficiency to the next level by ensuring all agreed-upon actions happen together in one transaction. It makes it possible to trade with someone you’ve never met, but you both get what you want, trustlessly and guaranteed.

Python: A Path to Web3 Adoption 

These opportunities are still in their early stages. But it’s incredible to think about how blockchains may reshape entire industries or global systems by realigning financial relationships, trust, and decision-making throughout peer-to-peer networks. Python could be the key that unlocks these possibilities. This is how the 10 million Python developers worldwide can become architects building the future on blockchain, driving widespread adoption.

Blockchains must make it easier for developers to build applications to achieve widespread adoption. That’s why Algorand, the programmable enterprise-grade layer-1 blockchain, is the first to provide native support in semantically and syntactically regular Python. This experience is much easier and more approachable than when I started my career in blockchain years ago. You don’t need to know a niche language or have specialist skills in cryptography to participate; you just need Python. This unparalleled accessibility is what will drive blockchain adoption. The present and the future are built with Python!