Skip to main content

Intermediate Guides

Welcome to the Intermediate Guides section! These guides are designed for developers who have mastered the basics and are ready to build more complex applications on Cardano.

Coming Soon​

Smart Contract Development​

  • Introduction to Plutus - See Plutus Pioneer Program for comprehensive coverage
  • Getting started with Helios - TypeScript-based smart contract development (Recommended: 80% of developers globally use TypeScript; Midnight also uses TypeScript)
  • Getting started with Aiken - Modern Rust-based smart contract language
  • Building your first smart contract
  • Testing smart contracts - Including QuickCheck methodology for property-based testing

Native Token Development​

  • Advanced token minting strategies
  • Multi-asset transactions
  • Token policies and governance

dApp Development​

  • Frontend integration with Cardano
  • Wallet connectivity
  • Transaction building in applications
  • State management for blockchain apps

Developer Tools​

  • Setting up advanced development environments - Recommended learning ladder by time-to-productive: Helios → Aiken → Haskell/Plutus
  • Using Cardano APIs effectively
  • Debugging Cardano applications
  • Performance optimization

Prerequisites​

Before starting these guides, you should be comfortable with:

Learning Path​

  1. Start with Beginner Guides if you haven't already
  2. Join the Developer Experience Working Group for hands-on sessions
  3. Practice with testnet before moving to mainnet
  4. Progress to Advanced Guides when ready

Getting Help​

  • Discord: First become a member at Intersect and register at members.intersectmbo.org. After joining, you'll get access to our Discord community's #developer-experience channel
  • Working Group: Attend intermediate workshops and open clinic sessions
  • Community: Cardano Stack Exchange

These guides are being developed as part of the Q1 2025 Developer Experience Working Group initiative.