
Last month, [EthGlobal held another ground-breaking hackathon called web3jam](https://jam.ethglobal.com/) to help further promote the creation of foundational tech for the next evolution of the web. Unlock Protocol was also a sponsor of the event and we were blown away by the number of teams that integrated Unlock into their projects. Let’s take a minute to celebrate several winners of the hackathon who used our protocol to power their projects over the finish line and into the winner's circle!

[**Backer by Mark Carey**](http://unlockshowcase.com/project/backer)

Backer is a Web3-native platform for creator patronage and provides an alternative to Patreon. Backer allows individuals to directly support creators, without needing payment processing intermediaries like Stripe or PayPal.

Unlock Protocol is used to facilitate the patronage membership, with each tier of support represented by a different lock. To learn more about the project, explore its features, and watch a demo video [please click this link](http://unlockshowcase.com/project/backer).

**[Huddle01](http://unlockshowcase.com/project/huddle01/)**

Huddle01 created a web3 alternative to Zoom, allowing users to have conduct video conferences using wallets, token gating and ENS names. We’re excited to see more options in web3 that provide the possibility for replacing these web2 legacy platforms! Learn more about Huddle01 and [watch the demo video here!](http://unlockshowcase.com/project/huddle01/)

**[Portals](http://unlockshowcase.com/project/portals/)**

Portals was created as a response to Web 2.0 models of Patreon, OnlyFans, and Substack. Portals uses a Web3 stack to allow creators to keep 100% of their subscription revenue and have more flexibility in how their content is presented to their audiences. The protocol was deployed to allow creators to manage membership tiers.

We’re all about restoring the power and control to creators and Portals gets it! Explore the features and [watch the team demo the platform at this link!](http://unlockshowcase.com/project/portals/)

**Adoption & Integration**

Approximately 17 teams worked with our protocol in some capacity in their projects and that gives us both hope in the future direction of web3 and joy in the fact that so many teams saw what was possible with Unlock. While we’re still so early in the web3 world, we are very excited to see so much adoption of the protocol is in motion for the devs building the foundational elements of the next evolution of the web.

A special thanks to EthGlobal for creating such powerful hackathons and for giving us an avenue to sponsor so many amazing projects. wagmi.


A few of last month’s EthGlobal web3jam Hackathon winners used the protocol to help power their projects over the finsh line and into the winner’s circle!

Unlock Protocol is helping create web3 foundations by sponsoring EthGlobal web3jam

Web3jam Winners Deploying Unlock Protocol

<p>Last month, <a href="https://jam.ethglobal.com/">EthGlobal held another ground-breaking hackathon called web3jam</a> to help further promote the creation of foundational tech for the next evolution of the web. Unlock Protocol was also a sponsor of the event and we were blown away by the number of teams that integrated Unlock into their projects. Let’s take a minute to celebrate several winners of the hackathon who used our protocol to power their projects over the finish line and into the winner's circle!</p>
<p><a href="http://unlockshowcase.com/project/backer"><strong>Backer by Mark Carey</strong></a></p>
<p>Backer is a Web3-native platform for creator patronage and provides an alternative to Patreon. Backer allows individuals to directly support creators, without needing payment processing intermediaries like Stripe or PayPal.</p>
<p>Unlock Protocol is used to facilitate the patronage membership, with each tier of support represented by a different lock. To learn more about the project, explore its features, and watch a demo video <a href="http://unlockshowcase.com/project/backer">please click this link</a>.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://unlockshowcase.com/project/huddle01/">Huddle01</a></strong></p>
<p>Huddle01 created a web3 alternative to Zoom, allowing users to have conduct video conferences using wallets, token gating and ENS names. We’re excited to see more options in web3 that provide the possibility for replacing these web2 legacy platforms! Learn more about Huddle01 and <a href="http://unlockshowcase.com/project/huddle01/">watch the demo video here!</a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://unlockshowcase.com/project/portals/">Portals</a></strong></p>
<p>Portals was created as a response to Web 2.0 models of Patreon, OnlyFans, and Substack. Portals uses a Web3 stack to allow creators to keep 100% of their subscription revenue and have more flexibility in how their content is presented to their audiences. The protocol was deployed to allow creators to manage membership tiers.</p>
<p>We’re all about restoring the power and control to creators and Portals gets it! Explore the features and <a href="http://unlockshowcase.com/project/portals/">watch the team demo the platform at this link!</a></p>
<p><strong>Adoption &#x26; Integration</strong></p>
<p>Approximately 17 teams worked with our protocol in some capacity in their projects and that gives us both hope in the future direction of web3 and joy in the fact that so many teams saw what was possible with Unlock. While we’re still so early in the web3 world, we are very excited to see so much adoption of the protocol is in motion for the devs building the foundational elements of the next evolution of the web.</p>
<p>A special thanks to EthGlobal for creating such powerful hackathons and for giving us an avenue to sponsor so many amazing projects. wagmi.</p>



Cohort 5 is in the house and they are ready to launch their amazing ideas into the web3 ecosystem using the Unlock Protocol! And we're here to celebrate each and every fabulous vision of our grantees!

![Cohort 5](/images/blog/cohort-5/cohort-5.png)

Here’s a quick introduction to each grantee, their project and how to find them on the Twitters so you can support their projects. If reading about these projects sparks your creation engine, simply click the link at the bottom of the article and submit your proposal!

**Jenil Thakker - Coinvise**

[https://twitter.com/CoinviseCo](https://twitter.com/CoinviseCo)

Every time a member of a creator community claims a membership on Unlock, they'll be eligible to claim an airdrop on Coinvise. Coinvise is a platform of powerful tools for creators to build and operate tokenized communities.

**Andrew Berkowitz - Socialstack**

[https://twitter.com/trysocialstack](https://twitter.com/trysocialstack)

Socialstack is an impact-driven toolkit to launch and manage a social token community. They're cultivating a curated community of impact-first brands, organizations, creators, and DAOs to launch on their platform and onboard their community into Web3. Socialstack is planning to implement Unlock's functionality into their CommunityOS dApp to enable communities to activate turnkey membership NFTs across all the platforms that Unlock enables, and provide their members with membership NFTs to purchase. Check out [their platform here.](https://www.socialstack.co/)

**Blair Gardner - Dinner DAO**

[https://twitter.com/dinner_dao](https://twitter.com/dinner_dao)

Dinner DAO represents a modern day dinner club that brings together members of the web3 community through IRL meals and events to bond, network, share stories, and extend the connections we're building as a community into the real world. Learn more about [Dinner DAO here.](https://dinnerdao.xyz/)

**Justin Holmes - Gymnasia**

Gymnasia makes it possible for anyone to earn cryptocurrencies & NFTs by participating in virtual fitness challenges. They've also made it possible for the creators of those challenges and participants to earn passive income, in perpetuity. They'll be integrating Unlock to power specific aspects of their platform to help people earn and better understand the web3 ecosystem!

**Gaetan Renaudeau - Greweb Monthly Plots**

[https://twitter.com/greweb](https://twitter.com/greweb)

Gaetan is a generative artist and coder looking to integrate Unlock into various aspects of their NFT artwork. Be sure to check out their artwork [at this link!](https://greweb.me/plots)

**Micol Ap - VCA**

[https://twitter.com/verticalcrypto](https://twitter.com/verticalcrypto)

The VCA Residency vision is to democratise the access to knowledge and give free educational programs dedicated to creators of all kinds interested in Crypto Art and the NFT ecosystem. VCA will integrate Unlock to power their memberships and access for participants in their ecosystem

### Are you ready to join our Grantees?

We’re excited to have such insightful projects in our grant program and are wishing our grantees all the best as they bring their visions to life. If you’d like to join our Discord to connect with our grantees about their projects or explore some ideas of your own, please [join us here](https://discord.gg/Ah6ZEJyTDp).

AND if you already have an idea for an integration using Unlock, please submit your project [proposal here](https://share.hsforms.com/1gAdLgNOESNCWJ9bJxCUAMwbvg22).

Unlock Protocol is driven by and for our community. We’re here to help YOU build the future path of blockchain technology and together we’ll explore all that’s possible with community and decentralization as our core foundations. [Join the conversation.](https://unlock.community/)


We're so excited to announce our fifth cohort of Unlock grantees! Please check out their projects and follow their progress!

And we are so grateful to have all of these amazing projects implementing the protocol!

Cohort 5 Grantees have arrived!

<p>Cohort 5 is in the house and they are ready to launch their amazing ideas into the web3 ecosystem using the Unlock Protocol! And we're here to celebrate each and every fabulous vision of our grantees!</p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/cohort-5/cohort-5.png" alt="Cohort 5"></p>
<p>Here’s a quick introduction to each grantee, their project and how to find them on the Twitters so you can support their projects. If reading about these projects sparks your creation engine, simply click the link at the bottom of the article and submit your proposal!</p>
<p><strong>Jenil Thakker - Coinvise</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/CoinviseCo">https://twitter.com/CoinviseCo</a></p>
<p>Every time a member of a creator community claims a membership on Unlock, they'll be eligible to claim an airdrop on Coinvise. Coinvise is a platform of powerful tools for creators to build and operate tokenized communities.</p>
<p><strong>Andrew Berkowitz - Socialstack</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/trysocialstack">https://twitter.com/trysocialstack</a></p>
<p>Socialstack is an impact-driven toolkit to launch and manage a social token community. They're cultivating a curated community of impact-first brands, organizations, creators, and DAOs to launch on their platform and onboard their community into Web3. Socialstack is planning to implement Unlock's functionality into their CommunityOS dApp to enable communities to activate turnkey membership NFTs across all the platforms that Unlock enables, and provide their members with membership NFTs to purchase. Check out <a href="https://www.socialstack.co/">their platform here.</a></p>
<p><strong>Blair Gardner - Dinner DAO</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/dinner_dao">https://twitter.com/dinner_dao</a></p>
<p>Dinner DAO represents a modern day dinner club that brings together members of the web3 community through IRL meals and events to bond, network, share stories, and extend the connections we're building as a community into the real world. Learn more about <a href="https://dinnerdao.xyz/">Dinner DAO here.</a></p>
<p><strong>Justin Holmes - Gymnasia</strong></p>
<p>Gymnasia makes it possible for anyone to earn cryptocurrencies &#x26; NFTs by participating in virtual fitness challenges. They've also made it possible for the creators of those challenges and participants to earn passive income, in perpetuity. They'll be integrating Unlock to power specific aspects of their platform to help people earn and better understand the web3 ecosystem!</p>
<p><strong>Gaetan Renaudeau - Greweb Monthly Plots</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/greweb">https://twitter.com/greweb</a></p>
<p>Gaetan is a generative artist and coder looking to integrate Unlock into various aspects of their NFT artwork. Be sure to check out their artwork <a href="https://greweb.me/plots">at this link!</a></p>
<p><strong>Micol Ap - VCA</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/verticalcrypto">https://twitter.com/verticalcrypto</a></p>
<p>The VCA Residency vision is to democratise the access to knowledge and give free educational programs dedicated to creators of all kinds interested in Crypto Art and the NFT ecosystem. VCA will integrate Unlock to power their memberships and access for participants in their ecosystem</p>
<h3>Are you ready to join our Grantees?</h3>
<p>We’re excited to have such insightful projects in our grant program and are wishing our grantees all the best as they bring their visions to life. If you’d like to join our Discord to connect with our grantees about their projects or explore some ideas of your own, please <a href="https://discord.gg/Ah6ZEJyTDp">join us here</a>.</p>
<p>AND if you already have an idea for an integration using Unlock, please submit your project <a href="https://share.hsforms.com/1gAdLgNOESNCWJ9bJxCUAMwbvg22">proposal here</a>.</p>
<p>Unlock Protocol is driven by and for our community. We’re here to help YOU build the future path of blockchain technology and together we’ll explore all that’s possible with community and decentralization as our core foundations. <a href="https://unlock.community/">Join the conversation.</a></p>



![Introducing the Unlock WordPress plugin.](/images/blog/wordpress-plugin/unlock-wordpress.jpg)

The [Unlock Protocol WordPress plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/) brings web3 to WordPress.

Unlock Protocol is a fundamental layer of web3, and uses NFTs to manage membership, access, and monetization. Unlock is used by websites and applications including [The Defiant](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/thedefiant-case-study) (media and publishing), [MintGate](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/mintgate-unlock-case-study) (token-gated access), [MyCrypto](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/mycrypto-unlock-case-study) (blockchain tools), and many others.

The plugin creates an Unlock Protocol block that can be used on WordPress posts and pages in the same manner as any other block. Creators can nest any "members-only" content they desire within the Unlock block.

Site visitors who have the appropriate "key" (in the form of an Unlock NFT) in their crypto wallet are granted immediate access to the content within the Unlock Protocol blocks on the website. Unauthenticated visitors, on the other hand, will see that there is content available, and will be prompted to become a member of the site in order to access that content.

Using the Unlock Protocol plugin, WordPress creators can build membership sites, provide exclusive features and benefits, grant perks, or monetize any other content they wish using Ethereum, xDAI, Polygon (Matic), and many other crypto-based assets.

For site visitors who are not yet onboarded into web3, the Unlock Protocol plugin also supports credit card transactions via Stripe integration.

**Why does it matter?**

WordPress [powers 43% of all websites](https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress), and is the de facto standard for Content Management Systems. To date, there has been no robust mechanism for WordPress site creators to bridge the gap to web3.

From the site visitor side, WordPress site visitors did not have a means to authenticate themselves to WordPress websites using web3-based mechanisms such as connecting with their crypto wallets (vs. logging with a username and password). The Unlock Protocol plugin solves this.

From the website owner and creator side, site owners and creators did not have a way to either provide member-specific content or to monetize that content without relying on the centralized mechanisms of legacy solutions. The Unlock Protocol plugin solves this as well.

It's important to note that Unlock Protocol is built not only on the technology, but also the principles of web3. As such, any time a purchaser purchases a key using the Unlock Protocol plugin, not only do they get an NFT that provides access to exclusive content, but the key purchaser _also receives some amount of UDT, the protocol's governance token_. UDT holders can vote on proposals in the Unlock DAO, and literally have a vested interest in — and can help to set the future direction of — the protocol itself.

The Unlock Protocol enables a new business model for the web, gives creators the power to be compensated directly from their community, and enables creators and their community to connect directly as well as have direct say and influence into the future of the protocol.

The Unlock Protocol plugin brings these capabilities to WordPress.

**How do I get started?**

To get started, install and activate [the Unlock Protocol plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/) into your WordPress site. **Note:** The general WordPress settings must allow user ("Subscriber") registration, since the plugin creates a WordPress subscriber account for each crypto wallet.

A site admin can choose which crypto networks (e.g. Ethereum mainnet, Polygon, Rinkeby, etc.) are available as options in the plugin admin settings. The admin can also set global styling for the "Connect to Crypto wallet" and "Purchase" button colors.

The Unlock Protocol block is available as soon as the plugin is installed and activated. It is a block just like any other WordPress content block.

To use the Unlock Protocol block, drag it onto a page or post. Each block needs to be configured by choosing which crypto network it works on, and the address of the Unlock Protocol lock that is associated with the particular block. Locks must be created using the [Unlock Protocol dashboard](https://app.unlock-protocol.com/dashboard) on the Unlock Protocol website prior to configuring a block, since the block needs the address of the lock for configuration.

Once the block is configured, you can place other content blocks inside of it. Site visitors will need to have — or purchase — a key to that lock to view its content.

**See the plugin in action.**

There is a demo site at [https://unlockwpdemo.com](https://unlockwpdemo.com). This demo site was built on top of the WordPress Twenty Twenty theme. Certain areas of the site, a fictitious site for the "UMoMA" modern art museum, are "members only" sections. To access these sections, the site visitor must "purchase" a key using the Unlock Protocol plugin. For this demonstration, the key is priced as "free," although the key "purchaser" will need to have a small amount of Polygon (Matic) in their crypto wallet to cover gas for the transaction. In a live site, the keys can be priced at any price, and can be perpetual or time-restricted (e.g. 30 days or any other length).

**Want to check it out? You can install the latest version of the plugin from the WordPress.org plugin repository today.**

The plugin is here for installation or for download: [https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/)

## Videos of the Unlock Protocol WordPress plugin

### Admin view of the experience

<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9qNeoJeZ6I8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

### Member view of the experience

<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GQGqhkz6ZUg" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

## Screenshots of the Unlock Protocol WordPress plugin

### Configuring the plugin: Networks

![admin network config](/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-admin-networks-min.png)

### Configuring the plugin: Button colors

![admin button config](/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-admin-button-colors-min.png)

### Adding an Unlock Protocol block to a post or page

![block menu](/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-block-menu-min.png)

### Configuring the network and lock address for a specific block

![configuring unlock block](/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-unlock-block-min.png)

### Embedding a nested image block inside the Unlock block

![embedding image content block](/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-image-block-min.png)

### After embedding a nested image block within the Unlock block

![embedded image content](/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-admin-image-content-min.png)

### Experience of a site visitor who does not have a key when visiting the post

![locked content](/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-locked-content-min.png)

### Returning site visitors can log in with their crypto wallet

![login to wordpress with crypto wallet](/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-log-in-with-crypto-wallet-min.png)

### Visitor experience when a subscriber is logged in with their crypto wallet

![unlocked content for members](/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-member-content-min.png)

## Unlock WordPress plugin documentation

See the [full documentation for the Unlock Protocol WordPress Plugin](https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/guide-to-the-unlock-protocol-wordpress-plugin/).


Use Unlock Protocol to manage membership, access, and monetization with existing WordPress sites.

Use NFTs to manage membership, access, and monetization with existing WordPress sites

The Unlock Protocol WordPress plugin brings web3 to WordPress

<p><img src="/images/blog/wordpress-plugin/unlock-wordpress.jpg" alt="Introducing the Unlock WordPress plugin."></p>
<p>The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/">Unlock Protocol WordPress plugin</a> brings web3 to WordPress.</p>
<p>Unlock Protocol is a fundamental layer of web3, and uses NFTs to manage membership, access, and monetization. Unlock is used by websites and applications including <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/thedefiant-case-study">The Defiant</a> (media and publishing), <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/mintgate-unlock-case-study">MintGate</a> (token-gated access), <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/mycrypto-unlock-case-study">MyCrypto</a> (blockchain tools), and many others.</p>
<p>The plugin creates an Unlock Protocol block that can be used on WordPress posts and pages in the same manner as any other block. Creators can nest any "members-only" content they desire within the Unlock block.</p>
<p>Site visitors who have the appropriate "key" (in the form of an Unlock NFT) in their crypto wallet are granted immediate access to the content within the Unlock Protocol blocks on the website. Unauthenticated visitors, on the other hand, will see that there is content available, and will be prompted to become a member of the site in order to access that content.</p>
<p>Using the Unlock Protocol plugin, WordPress creators can build membership sites, provide exclusive features and benefits, grant perks, or monetize any other content they wish using Ethereum, xDAI, Polygon (Matic), and many other crypto-based assets.</p>
<p>For site visitors who are not yet onboarded into web3, the Unlock Protocol plugin also supports credit card transactions via Stripe integration.</p>
<p><strong>Why does it matter?</strong></p>
<p>WordPress <a href="https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress">powers 43% of all websites</a>, and is the de facto standard for Content Management Systems. To date, there has been no robust mechanism for WordPress site creators to bridge the gap to web3.</p>
<p>From the site visitor side, WordPress site visitors did not have a means to authenticate themselves to WordPress websites using web3-based mechanisms such as connecting with their crypto wallets (vs. logging with a username and password). The Unlock Protocol plugin solves this.</p>
<p>From the website owner and creator side, site owners and creators did not have a way to either provide member-specific content or to monetize that content without relying on the centralized mechanisms of legacy solutions. The Unlock Protocol plugin solves this as well.</p>
<p>It's important to note that Unlock Protocol is built not only on the technology, but also the principles of web3. As such, any time a purchaser purchases a key using the Unlock Protocol plugin, not only do they get an NFT that provides access to exclusive content, but the key purchaser <em>also receives some amount of UDT, the protocol's governance token</em>. UDT holders can vote on proposals in the Unlock DAO, and literally have a vested interest in — and can help to set the future direction of — the protocol itself.</p>
<p>The Unlock Protocol enables a new business model for the web, gives creators the power to be compensated directly from their community, and enables creators and their community to connect directly as well as have direct say and influence into the future of the protocol.</p>
<p>The Unlock Protocol plugin brings these capabilities to WordPress.</p>
<p><strong>How do I get started?</strong></p>
<p>To get started, install and activate <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/">the Unlock Protocol plugin</a> into your WordPress site. <strong>Note:</strong> The general WordPress settings must allow user ("Subscriber") registration, since the plugin creates a WordPress subscriber account for each crypto wallet.</p>
<p>A site admin can choose which crypto networks (e.g. Ethereum mainnet, Polygon, Rinkeby, etc.) are available as options in the plugin admin settings. The admin can also set global styling for the "Connect to Crypto wallet" and "Purchase" button colors.</p>
<p>The Unlock Protocol block is available as soon as the plugin is installed and activated. It is a block just like any other WordPress content block.</p>
<p>To use the Unlock Protocol block, drag it onto a page or post. Each block needs to be configured by choosing which crypto network it works on, and the address of the Unlock Protocol lock that is associated with the particular block. Locks must be created using the <a href="https://app.unlock-protocol.com/dashboard">Unlock Protocol dashboard</a> on the Unlock Protocol website prior to configuring a block, since the block needs the address of the lock for configuration.</p>
<p>Once the block is configured, you can place other content blocks inside of it. Site visitors will need to have — or purchase — a key to that lock to view its content.</p>
<p><strong>See the plugin in action.</strong></p>
<p>There is a demo site at <a href="https://unlockwpdemo.com">https://unlockwpdemo.com</a>. This demo site was built on top of the WordPress Twenty Twenty theme. Certain areas of the site, a fictitious site for the "UMoMA" modern art museum, are "members only" sections. To access these sections, the site visitor must "purchase" a key using the Unlock Protocol plugin. For this demonstration, the key is priced as "free," although the key "purchaser" will need to have a small amount of Polygon (Matic) in their crypto wallet to cover gas for the transaction. In a live site, the keys can be priced at any price, and can be perpetual or time-restricted (e.g. 30 days or any other length).</p>
<p><strong>Want to check it out? You can install the latest version of the plugin from the WordPress.org plugin repository today.</strong></p>
<p>The plugin is here for installation or for download: <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/">https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/</a></p>
<h2>Videos of the Unlock Protocol WordPress plugin</h2>
<h3>Admin view of the experience</h3>
<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9qNeoJeZ6I8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h3>Member view of the experience</h3>
<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GQGqhkz6ZUg" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>Screenshots of the Unlock Protocol WordPress plugin</h2>
<h3>Configuring the plugin: Networks</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-admin-networks-min.png" alt="admin network config"></p>
<h3>Configuring the plugin: Button colors</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-admin-button-colors-min.png" alt="admin button config"></p>
<h3>Adding an Unlock Protocol block to a post or page</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-block-menu-min.png" alt="block menu"></p>
<h3>Configuring the network and lock address for a specific block</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-unlock-block-min.png" alt="configuring unlock block"></p>
<h3>Embedding a nested image block inside the Unlock block</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-image-block-min.png" alt="embedding image content block"></p>
<h3>After embedding a nested image block within the Unlock block</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-admin-image-content-min.png" alt="embedded image content"></p>
<h3>Experience of a site visitor who does not have a key when visiting the post</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-locked-content-min.png" alt="locked content"></p>
<h3>Returning site visitors can log in with their crypto wallet</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-log-in-with-crypto-wallet-min.png" alt="login to wordpress with crypto wallet"></p>
<h3>Visitor experience when a subscriber is logged in with their crypto wallet</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/unlock-wordpress-plugin/unlock-wp-member-content-min.png" alt="unlocked content for members"></p>
<h2>Unlock WordPress plugin documentation</h2>
<p>See the <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/guide-to-the-unlock-protocol-wordpress-plugin/">full documentation for the Unlock Protocol WordPress Plugin</a>.</p>



_Chris Cacace is the Founder and CEO of Content Rooms and presented at Unlock's [Developer Meetup](https://youtu.be/s7w_MDmqeUQ?t=412)._

[Content Rooms](https://www.contentrooms.com) is a platform for Creators to connect with and monetize their community. We enable Creators to build a subscription fanbase and host exclusive events that are protected using Unlock Protocol.

The level of access Creators have to their following makes fandom feel more like friendship. This social phenomena is changing media as quickly as decentralization is changing the web. As Creators gain bigger followings, it’s important that they maintain control of their relationships. We’re using Unlock to empower both Fans and Creators to build and benefit from the value they generate together.

## NFTs as stores of Value

NFTs are unique because they can transfer and hold value at any level. On a Layer2 chain like Polygon, a single NFT Key can be minted from an Unlock Lock for a cost lower than a dollar (including gas!). Many are still not aware that NFTs can be bought and transferred at such low prices. Thanks to the KeyPurchaser function, we will make this pricing available for all users - whether they can “bridge Polygon” or not.

Over time, lower priced NFTs can grow in value, but only if the experience associated with it is memorable and the NFT keeps utility. Content Rooms’ goal is to help associate NFTs with incredible experiences and lifelong memories. Imagine if you bought one of twenty NFTs to a ContentRoom that Post Malone made early on in his career - and then he reopened the Room today. What might it be worth?

## Moving across the Web3 Landscape

The most powerful part of building on top of Unlock is that ContentRoom Creators will automatically have the ability to move across physical, online, and metaverse realms. For example, the ticket you buy to a physical concert could immediately give you access to a ContentRoom. In the ContentRoom, the artist you’re going to see would engage with concertgoers in the weeks leading up to the performance. Then when the time comes, you could show up to the concert with your NFT ticket to enter the venue. If you can’t make it in person, you might pop into Decentraland instead to gain access to a livestream party we’re hosting in the metaverse.

The sweetest part is that Content Rooms gains these abilities simply because we’re built on Unlock. We didn’t need to spend time integrating into Decentraland or Discord — thanks to the other members of the [UnlockDAO](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-dao) who did. Creators and organizations using Content Rooms will benefit from their work and vice versa.

## Reducing the friction to purchase

In the short term, web3 is still really hard to understand for most people. It is Content Rooms’ goal to make it as simple as possible. We make minting an NFT on Content Rooms as simple as signing up and putting in your credit card. The immediate reward for buying the NFT is also very tangible - you get access to the Creator’s Room.

Our vision is to make web3 friendly.

<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TEm82GVDYms" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>


Content Rooms is a platform for Creators to connect with and monetize their community powered by Unlock Protocol.

Online events that help build a subscription fanbase

Creators and their fans connect with Content Rooms

<p><em>Chris Cacace is the Founder and CEO of Content Rooms and presented at Unlock's <a href="https://youtu.be/s7w_MDmqeUQ?t=412">Developer Meetup</a>.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.contentrooms.com">Content Rooms</a> is a platform for Creators to connect with and monetize their community. We enable Creators to build a subscription fanbase and host exclusive events that are protected using Unlock Protocol.</p>
<p>The level of access Creators have to their following makes fandom feel more like friendship. This social phenomena is changing media as quickly as decentralization is changing the web. As Creators gain bigger followings, it’s important that they maintain control of their relationships. We’re using Unlock to empower both Fans and Creators to build and benefit from the value they generate together.</p>
<h2>NFTs as stores of Value</h2>
<p>NFTs are unique because they can transfer and hold value at any level. On a Layer2 chain like Polygon, a single NFT Key can be minted from an Unlock Lock for a cost lower than a dollar (including gas!). Many are still not aware that NFTs can be bought and transferred at such low prices. Thanks to the KeyPurchaser function, we will make this pricing available for all users - whether they can “bridge Polygon” or not.</p>
<p>Over time, lower priced NFTs can grow in value, but only if the experience associated with it is memorable and the NFT keeps utility. Content Rooms’ goal is to help associate NFTs with incredible experiences and lifelong memories. Imagine if you bought one of twenty NFTs to a ContentRoom that Post Malone made early on in his career - and then he reopened the Room today. What might it be worth?</p>
<h2>Moving across the Web3 Landscape</h2>
<p>The most powerful part of building on top of Unlock is that ContentRoom Creators will automatically have the ability to move across physical, online, and metaverse realms. For example, the ticket you buy to a physical concert could immediately give you access to a ContentRoom. In the ContentRoom, the artist you’re going to see would engage with concertgoers in the weeks leading up to the performance. Then when the time comes, you could show up to the concert with your NFT ticket to enter the venue. If you can’t make it in person, you might pop into Decentraland instead to gain access to a livestream party we’re hosting in the metaverse.</p>
<p>The sweetest part is that Content Rooms gains these abilities simply because we’re built on Unlock. We didn’t need to spend time integrating into Decentraland or Discord — thanks to the other members of the <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-dao">UnlockDAO</a> who did. Creators and organizations using Content Rooms will benefit from their work and vice versa.</p>
<h2>Reducing the friction to purchase</h2>
<p>In the short term, web3 is still really hard to understand for most people. It is Content Rooms’ goal to make it as simple as possible. We make minting an NFT on Content Rooms as simple as signing up and putting in your credit card. The immediate reward for buying the NFT is also very tangible - you get access to the Creator’s Room.</p>
<p>Our vision is to make web3 friendly.</p>
<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TEm82GVDYms" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>



Today, the whole team is extremely excited to announce that we have deployed Unlock on [Optimism](https://www.optimism.io/about), making it the first NFT-based protocol to be available on 5 networks, including a roll-up L2!

## Ethereum's future

Gas fees on the Ethereum mainnet have now been outrageously high for more than a year, moving Ethereum away from its target of being a "world computer" accessible to everyone with an internet connection. It also makes use cases like Unlock much harder to use: our membership NFT should work well for $1 as well as $10,000 memberships!

Don't get us wrong: in some ways, high gas fees are a good problem to have for the Ethereum community. They mean that demand for the very precious block space is much higher than the available supply.

That said, the community has realized this for a long time, and multiple "layer 2" solutions have emerged. Vitalik Buterin [wrote many times](https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2021/12/06/endgame.html) about why he believes that "roll ups" are the way to scale beyond the limited block space, and we agree!

## Unlock on Optimism

A few months ago, we launched Unlock on [xDAI](/blog/xdai), on [Polygon](/blog/unlock-on-polygon) and more recently on the [Binance Smart Chain](/blog/binance-smart-chain). All of these are great solutions for anyone who wants to deploy a lock, even today! They generally reduce some requirements around permissionlessness in favor of greater usability and much lower fees.

However, roll-ups represent an opportunity to find another balance between cost and security and we believe Unlock should embrace these too!

So, starting today, Unlock is available on Optimism. We have deployed the same contracts deployed on all the other chains and our front-end fully supports it! For this initial release, locks deployed on Optimism will not yield UDT governance contracts, but we hope to enable that by the end of the year! Get started by [going to the Unlock Dashboard](https://app.unlock-protocol.com/dashboard) and select "Optimism" in the network dropdown!

We can't wait to hear what memberships are going to be unlocked on Optimism :) Like always, please join our community and share your experiments with us!


The Unlock Protocol is now available on Optimism, making it the first NFT-based protocol to be available on 5 networks, including a roll-up L2!

The Ethereum world is moving to Layer 2, Unlock paves the way

Unlock is available on Optimism

<p>Today, the whole team is extremely excited to announce that we have deployed Unlock on <a href="https://www.optimism.io/about">Optimism</a>, making it the first NFT-based protocol to be available on 5 networks, including a roll-up L2!</p>
<h2>Ethereum's future</h2>
<p>Gas fees on the Ethereum mainnet have now been outrageously high for more than a year, moving Ethereum away from its target of being a "world computer" accessible to everyone with an internet connection. It also makes use cases like Unlock much harder to use: our membership NFT should work well for $1 as well as $10,000 memberships!</p>
<p>Don't get us wrong: in some ways, high gas fees are a good problem to have for the Ethereum community. They mean that demand for the very precious block space is much higher than the available supply.</p>
<p>That said, the community has realized this for a long time, and multiple "layer 2" solutions have emerged. Vitalik Buterin <a href="https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2021/12/06/endgame.html">wrote many times</a> about why he believes that "roll ups" are the way to scale beyond the limited block space, and we agree!</p>
<h2>Unlock on Optimism</h2>
<p>A few months ago, we launched Unlock on <a href="/blog/xdai">xDAI</a>, on <a href="/blog/unlock-on-polygon">Polygon</a> and more recently on the <a href="/blog/binance-smart-chain">Binance Smart Chain</a>. All of these are great solutions for anyone who wants to deploy a lock, even today! They generally reduce some requirements around permissionlessness in favor of greater usability and much lower fees.</p>
<p>However, roll-ups represent an opportunity to find another balance between cost and security and we believe Unlock should embrace these too!</p>
<p>So, starting today, Unlock is available on Optimism. We have deployed the same contracts deployed on all the other chains and our front-end fully supports it! For this initial release, locks deployed on Optimism will not yield UDT governance contracts, but we hope to enable that by the end of the year! Get started by <a href="https://app.unlock-protocol.com/dashboard">going to the Unlock Dashboard</a> and select "Optimism" in the network dropdown!</p>
<p>We can't wait to hear what memberships are going to be unlocked on Optimism :) Like always, please join our community and share your experiments with us!</p>



The Defiant, headed by CEO, journalist, and author Camila Russo, is “The Bloomberg of DeFi.” (Russo should know; she’s a former Bloomberg journalist.) Fiercely independent from its name to its actions and its editorial voice, The Defiant is a rapidly-growing media network that spans newsletters, videos, podcasts, and articles covering decentralized finance (DeFi).

The Defiant funds its operations through paid subscriptions from readers as well as through sponsorships. True to its journalism roots, The Defiant does not accept any paid article placements in editorial content, nor does it accept compensation for tweets or retweets.

[See the full case study](https://19942922.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/19942922/The%20Defiant%20-%20Unlock%20Case%20Study.pdf).

[![The Defiant thumbnail](/images/blog/thedefiant-case-study/thedefiant-thumbnail-2.png)](https://19942922.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/19942922/The%20Defiant%20-%20Unlock%20Case%20Study.pdf)


When The Defiant was looking for a crypto-native way to monetize its content and newsletter subscriptions, it turned to the Unlock Protocol.

Newsletter Monetization at The Defiant | Unlock Case Study

<p>The Defiant, headed by CEO, journalist, and author Camila Russo, is “The Bloomberg of DeFi.” (Russo should know; she’s a former Bloomberg journalist.) Fiercely independent from its name to its actions and its editorial voice, The Defiant is a rapidly-growing media network that spans newsletters, videos, podcasts, and articles covering decentralized finance (DeFi).</p>
<p>The Defiant funds its operations through paid subscriptions from readers as well as through sponsorships. True to its journalism roots, The Defiant does not accept any paid article placements in editorial content, nor does it accept compensation for tweets or retweets.</p>
<p><a href="https://19942922.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/19942922/The%20Defiant%20-%20Unlock%20Case%20Study.pdf">See the full case study</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://19942922.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/19942922/The%20Defiant%20-%20Unlock%20Case%20Study.pdf"><img src="/images/blog/thedefiant-case-study/thedefiant-thumbnail-2.png" alt="The Defiant thumbnail"></a></p>



In an effort to provide more support to our community builders, members and supporters, we're launching a retroactive funding campaign. The short and sweet is that we want to support the supporters of the protocol in a way that is decentralized and open to the entire community to vote to decide who gets rewarded for their _past_ participation.

Unlock Inc is allocating 100 UDT each month to the community and, more importantly, we want to let the community decide who should get them, with the hopes that the community will allocate them to whoever had the biggest impact on the protocol in the previous month.

Here is how we're doing it:

- On the first of every month, we will create a new thread for nominations on [https://unlock.community/](https://unlock.community/). Anyone in the community is free to apply for themselves or someone else and explain why they should get some governance tokens. The only requirement is for the person to post the address that should receive tokens!
- On the 8th, we will close nominations and open a Snapshot vote for each and every address that was nominated. We will use a [quadratic voting strategy](https://docs.snapshot.org/proposals/voting-types#quadratic-voting) so that the number of voters matters (vs. just their token balances). Voting is off-chain and gas-less (free!)
- At the end of the voting period (8 days), Unlock Inc. will split the number of tokens between all the addresses, using their relative share of votes. We will distribute these tokens on the Polygon network in order to reduce the impact of high gas fees.

And it starts... [today!](https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-november-2021/199) We hope to do that every month for at least one year, but we will re-evaluate every quarter.

Our mission here is simple. We believe that the more adoption we have by builders and creators across the ecosystem, the stronger the protocol will become and the more we all benefit as a community. But not every contributor or project falls into our grant program or other means of support, so we feel this retroactive funding will help provide that additional support that is needed to grow our community.

We really put trust in the community and we hope you will all use that mechanism as a way to reward our active community members!


In an effort to provide more support to our community builders, members and supporters, we're launching a retroactive funding campaign.

The community will pick the best contributors to the protocol every month!

Retroactive Funding

<p>In an effort to provide more support to our community builders, members and supporters, we're launching a retroactive funding campaign. The short and sweet is that we want to support the supporters of the protocol in a way that is decentralized and open to the entire community to vote to decide who gets rewarded for their <em>past</em> participation.</p>
<p>Unlock Inc is allocating 100 UDT each month to the community and, more importantly, we want to let the community decide who should get them, with the hopes that the community will allocate them to whoever had the biggest impact on the protocol in the previous month.</p>
<p>Here is how we're doing it:</p>
<ul>
<li>On the first of every month, we will create a new thread for nominations on <a href="https://unlock.community/">https://unlock.community/</a>. Anyone in the community is free to apply for themselves or someone else and explain why they should get some governance tokens. The only requirement is for the person to post the address that should receive tokens!</li>
<li>On the 8th, we will close nominations and open a Snapshot vote for each and every address that was nominated. We will use a <a href="https://docs.snapshot.org/proposals/voting-types#quadratic-voting">quadratic voting strategy</a> so that the number of voters matters (vs. just their token balances). Voting is off-chain and gas-less (free!)</li>
<li>At the end of the voting period (8 days), Unlock Inc. will split the number of tokens between all the addresses, using their relative share of votes. We will distribute these tokens on the Polygon network in order to reduce the impact of high gas fees.</li>
</ul>
<p>And it starts... <a href="https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-november-2021/199">today!</a> We hope to do that every month for at least one year, but we will re-evaluate every quarter.</p>
<p>Our mission here is simple. We believe that the more adoption we have by builders and creators across the ecosystem, the stronger the protocol will become and the more we all benefit as a community. But not every contributor or project falls into our grant program or other means of support, so we feel this retroactive funding will help provide that additional support that is needed to grow our community.</p>
<p>We really put trust in the community and we hope you will all use that mechanism as a way to reward our active community members!</p>



As a community-supported, free and open-source crypto tool suite, MyCrypto needed a solution to turn “users” into “paying users” to help fund future initiatives. In 2019, MyCrypto began looking for a way to offer MyCrypto memberships.

MyCrypto envisioned a future where, when community members offered their financial support, those supporters gained members-only access to exclusive perks in return for becoming a paying member of the community. After exploring a number of options (including building their own solution stack), MyCrypto found their answer in the Unlock Protocol.

[See the full case study](https://19942922.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/19942922/MyCrypto%20-%20Unlock%20Case%20Study.pdf).

[![MyCrypto thumbnail](/images/blog/mycrypto-case-study/mycrypto-thumbnail-3.png)](https://19942922.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/19942922/MyCrypto%20-%20Unlock%20Case%20Study.pdf)


MyCrypto implemented Unlock Protocol and turned "users" into "paying users" for their open-source suite of Ethereum management tools.

MyCrypto Paid Memberships | Unlock Case Study

<p>As a community-supported, free and open-source crypto tool suite, MyCrypto needed a solution to turn “users” into “paying users” to help fund future initiatives. In 2019, MyCrypto began looking for a way to offer MyCrypto memberships.</p>
<p>MyCrypto envisioned a future where, when community members offered their financial support, those supporters gained members-only access to exclusive perks in return for becoming a paying member of the community. After exploring a number of options (including building their own solution stack), MyCrypto found their answer in the Unlock Protocol.</p>
<p><a href="https://19942922.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/19942922/MyCrypto%20-%20Unlock%20Case%20Study.pdf">See the full case study</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://19942922.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/19942922/MyCrypto%20-%20Unlock%20Case%20Study.pdf"><img src="/images/blog/mycrypto-case-study/mycrypto-thumbnail-3.png" alt="MyCrypto thumbnail"></a></p>



Blockchains like Ethereum exist to prevent recorded data from being altered. Once published, the content of a contract can not be changed. Only values stored by the contract itself can be updated (i.e. balance, owner, etc) but the code itself is immutable. However, the same address can still lead to different contracts. At Unlock, we are about to deploy the 10th version of our main contract but the [address](https://etherscan.io/address/0x3d5409cce1d45233de1d4ebdee74b8e004abdd13) never changed since day one. How are these upgrades made possible? black magic? blocks reorg?

## Proxies on Ethereum

A proxy is a piece of code that acts as an intermediary between the entity doing a request and the provider answering it. Instead of directly calling a program, you call the proxy that will take care of passing your demand and brings you back what you asked. As a provider, the proxy will take charge of handling all the incoming, forwarding only what asked.

On Ethereum, _proxy contracts_ are used to forward call to an end contract that does the heavy lifting - often called _implementation_. If you decide to change the way the contract behaves, you just need to point the proxy to a new implementation, and tell him to forward things there. Requests can still be sent to the same address (the address of the proxy) but the behaviour may have changed.

This pattern turns out very useful when developing a product like Unlock, because it allows us to upgrade contracts to provide new features, fix known issues, etc.

## Potential storage conflicts

Upgrading a contract is not like updating a web page though. Everything on-chain is unreversible and mistakes are very costly, destroying entire projects - and accessorily costing tons of gas for a simple upgrade.

One important risk is _storage conflicts_. On Ethereum, contracts have their own storage for persitent information. A simple token contract keeps addresses of all the holders in its storage. The storage lives in the almighty Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and takes the form of a very long list, initially full of zeros. When a contract is compiled, each variable is assigned a _slot_ in the storage following their order in the contract. When data is stored, the EVM picks some of the zeros in the corresponding slots and replace them with the new value.

![](https://programtheblockchain.com/storage/fixed.png)

_Anatomy of a storage slot, from a good [write-up](https://programtheblockchain.com/posts/2018/03/09/understanding-ethereum-smart-contract-storage/)._

When using a proxy, the calls are forwarded to the end/implementation contract, but the data is stored within the proxy itself. To know how to store it, the proxy reads variable from the end contract to define the slots. That means data will be kept when the end contract changes. That also means that if variables changes in the end contract, the storage layout ends up being modified. In certain cases, conflicts in slots can occur, making it impossible for the proxy to find existing slots - or even leading it to erase them.

To prevent this type of conflict in storage from happening, we at Unlock rely on the [Open Zeppelin upgrades library](https://docs.openzeppelin.com/upgrades/2.8/) to ensure that storage layout is compatible before proceding to any upgrade.

## Testing upgrades

Despite avoiding technical failures, we have to make sure to preserve existing features from our contracts during upgrades - and add some new ones! We have an extensive test suite to check that each function does what it is supposed to. However, many features of Unlock relies on external resources, tokens and oracle contracts which is harder to enforce. The complex set of dependencies is hard to recreate locally, so we came up with solutions to tackle it.

First, we developed a set of scripts that are used both for local development and multi-chains deployment. Powered by [hardhat](https://hardhat.org), we now have [tools](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/tree/master/smart-contracts/scripts) to deploy and configure our contracts, submit DAO proposals, upgrade contracts, etc. Before sending an upgade, we run relevant tests on a [local fork of Ethereum mainnet](https://hardhat.org/hardhat-network/guides/mainnet-forking.html), then proceed to an upgrade and finally run the test again against the upgraded version. That way we can check that our contracts behaviours are preserved after an upgrade.

```shell
$ yarn hardhat

AVAILABLE TASKS:

  ...
  deploy           	Deploy the entire Unlock protocol
  deploy:governor  	Deploy Governor Alpha contracts
  deploy:oracle    	Deploy UDT <> WETH oracle contract
  deploy:template  	Deploy PublicLock contract
  deploy:udt       	Deploy Unlock Discount Token proxy
  deploy:uniswap   	Deploy Uniswap V2 Factory and Router
  deploy:unlock    	Deploy Unlock proxy
  deploy:weth      	Deploy WETH contract
  ...
  gov:delegate     	Delagate voting power
  gov:submit       	Submit a proposal to UDT Governor contract
  gov:vote         	Vote for a proposal on UDT Governor contract
  ...
  impl             	Get the contract implementation address
  ...
  upgrade          	Upgrade an existing contract with a new implementation
  upgrade:prepare  	Deploy the implementation of an upgreadable contract
  upgrade:propose  	Send an upgrade implementation proposal to multisig
  ...
  verify           	Verifies contract on Etherscan
  ...
```

## Upgrading contract from another contract

Besides making our main contracts upgradeable, we started to add the upgrade logic inside our product itself. When you deploy a lock with Unlock, a new instance of the `PublicLock` contract (ERC-721) is created with the parameters you defined (name, token, etc). In Solidity, several patterns exist to [deploy a contract from another contract](https://github.com/clemsos/sol-upgrade-pattern/). The previous version of Unlock was using a _Minimal Proxy_ (EIP-1167). Instead of deploying the entire contract for each new lock created, a small proxy is deployed just to hold the data and forward calls to a main instance that deals with all the incoming. That allowed to save a non-negligeable amount of gas when deploying a new lock instance.

However, the minimal proxy approach _did not allow for upgrades_. We wanted all locks to benefit from the latest features available so we started to investigate how we could deploy a full proxy from a contract and **allow users to upgrade their locks** when new features were released. The problem was twofold: 1) allow all managers of a lock to upgrade themselves (keep things decentralized), 2) make sure upgrades are safe.

We used Open Zeppelin [TransparentProxy](https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts/blob/v4.3.0/contracts/proxy/transparent/TransparentUpgradeableProxy.sol) pattern, and added the following logic to our contract :

- when a lock is created:

  - deploy a proxy
  - point it to the latest implemtation

- when a lock is upgraded:
  - check if the caller is authorized as a lock manager
  - point to the new implementation

We decided to store a single [`ProxyAdmin`](https://docs.openzeppelin.com/contracts/4.x/api/proxy#ProxyAdmin) instance in our main contract that will take care of all the upgrade process. When `upgradeLock` is called, our main contract will check into the deployed lock if the caller is a lock manager. If yes, our proxy admin will proceed to upgrade the lock. If not, the upgrade will be rejected.

```solidity
/**
 * @dev Upgrade a Lock template implementation
 * @param lockAddress the address of the lock to be upgraded
 * @param version the version number of the template
 */
function upgradeLock(
  address payable lockAddress,
  uint16 version
) public returns (address) {
  require(proxyAdminAddress != address(0), 'proxyAdmin is not set');

  // check perms
  require(
    _isLockManager(lockAddress, msg.sender) == true,
    'caller is not a manager of this lock'
  );

  // check version
  IPublicLock lock = IPublicLock(lockAddress);
  uint16 currentVersion = lock.publicLockVersion();
  require(
    version == currentVersion + 1,
    'version error: only +1 increments are allowed'
  );

  // make our upgrade
  address impl = _publicLockImpls[version];
  TransparentUpgradeableProxy proxy = TransparentUpgradeableProxy(lockAddress);
  proxyAdmin.upgrade(proxy, impl);

  emit LockUpgraded(lockAddress, version);
  return lockAddress;
}
```

The various versions are stored in the contract with a version number and its corresponding implementation. For instance, lock managers can launch an upgrade by calling `upgradeLock(0x...lockAddress, 10)` to upgrade their lock to version 10 - or through the dashboard. For better compatibility, we forbid bumps of more than one version number (so version 9 to 10 works, but 8 to 10 will fail).

## Coming release

We are now finalising a new version of the lock template with more features and a few fixes that should come with the upgradeable version! Stay tuned :)


What are contract upgrades on Ethereum, and how we use, test and deploy them at Unlock

Making locks upgradeable

<p>Blockchains like Ethereum exist to prevent recorded data from being altered. Once published, the content of a contract can not be changed. Only values stored by the contract itself can be updated (i.e. balance, owner, etc) but the code itself is immutable. However, the same address can still lead to different contracts. At Unlock, we are about to deploy the 10th version of our main contract but the <a href="https://etherscan.io/address/0x3d5409cce1d45233de1d4ebdee74b8e004abdd13">address</a> never changed since day one. How are these upgrades made possible? black magic? blocks reorg?</p>
<h2>Proxies on Ethereum</h2>
<p>A proxy is a piece of code that acts as an intermediary between the entity doing a request and the provider answering it. Instead of directly calling a program, you call the proxy that will take care of passing your demand and brings you back what you asked. As a provider, the proxy will take charge of handling all the incoming, forwarding only what asked.</p>
<p>On Ethereum, <em>proxy contracts</em> are used to forward call to an end contract that does the heavy lifting - often called <em>implementation</em>. If you decide to change the way the contract behaves, you just need to point the proxy to a new implementation, and tell him to forward things there. Requests can still be sent to the same address (the address of the proxy) but the behaviour may have changed.</p>
<p>This pattern turns out very useful when developing a product like Unlock, because it allows us to upgrade contracts to provide new features, fix known issues, etc.</p>
<h2>Potential storage conflicts</h2>
<p>Upgrading a contract is not like updating a web page though. Everything on-chain is unreversible and mistakes are very costly, destroying entire projects - and accessorily costing tons of gas for a simple upgrade.</p>
<p>One important risk is <em>storage conflicts</em>. On Ethereum, contracts have their own storage for persitent information. A simple token contract keeps addresses of all the holders in its storage. The storage lives in the almighty Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and takes the form of a very long list, initially full of zeros. When a contract is compiled, each variable is assigned a <em>slot</em> in the storage following their order in the contract. When data is stored, the EVM picks some of the zeros in the corresponding slots and replace them with the new value.</p>
<p><img src="https://programtheblockchain.com/storage/fixed.png" alt=""></p>
<p><em>Anatomy of a storage slot, from a good <a href="https://programtheblockchain.com/posts/2018/03/09/understanding-ethereum-smart-contract-storage/">write-up</a>.</em></p>
<p>When using a proxy, the calls are forwarded to the end/implementation contract, but the data is stored within the proxy itself. To know how to store it, the proxy reads variable from the end contract to define the slots. That means data will be kept when the end contract changes. That also means that if variables changes in the end contract, the storage layout ends up being modified. In certain cases, conflicts in slots can occur, making it impossible for the proxy to find existing slots - or even leading it to erase them.</p>
<p>To prevent this type of conflict in storage from happening, we at Unlock rely on the <a href="https://docs.openzeppelin.com/upgrades/2.8/">Open Zeppelin upgrades library</a> to ensure that storage layout is compatible before proceding to any upgrade.</p>
<h2>Testing upgrades</h2>
<p>Despite avoiding technical failures, we have to make sure to preserve existing features from our contracts during upgrades - and add some new ones! We have an extensive test suite to check that each function does what it is supposed to. However, many features of Unlock relies on external resources, tokens and oracle contracts which is harder to enforce. The complex set of dependencies is hard to recreate locally, so we came up with solutions to tackle it.</p>
<p>First, we developed a set of scripts that are used both for local development and multi-chains deployment. Powered by <a href="https://hardhat.org">hardhat</a>, we now have <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/tree/master/smart-contracts/scripts">tools</a> to deploy and configure our contracts, submit DAO proposals, upgrade contracts, etc. Before sending an upgade, we run relevant tests on a <a href="https://hardhat.org/hardhat-network/guides/mainnet-forking.html">local fork of Ethereum mainnet</a>, then proceed to an upgrade and finally run the test again against the upgraded version. That way we can check that our contracts behaviours are preserved after an upgrade.</p>
<pre><code class="language-shell">$ yarn hardhat

AVAILABLE TASKS:

  ...
  deploy           	Deploy the entire Unlock protocol
  deploy:governor  	Deploy Governor Alpha contracts
  deploy:oracle    	Deploy UDT &#x3C;> WETH oracle contract
  deploy:template  	Deploy PublicLock contract
  deploy:udt       	Deploy Unlock Discount Token proxy
  deploy:uniswap   	Deploy Uniswap V2 Factory and Router
  deploy:unlock    	Deploy Unlock proxy
  deploy:weth      	Deploy WETH contract
  ...
  gov:delegate     	Delagate voting power
  gov:submit       	Submit a proposal to UDT Governor contract
  gov:vote         	Vote for a proposal on UDT Governor contract
  ...
  impl             	Get the contract implementation address
  ...
  upgrade          	Upgrade an existing contract with a new implementation
  upgrade:prepare  	Deploy the implementation of an upgreadable contract
  upgrade:propose  	Send an upgrade implementation proposal to multisig
  ...
  verify           	Verifies contract on Etherscan
  ...
</code></pre>
<h2>Upgrading contract from another contract</h2>
<p>Besides making our main contracts upgradeable, we started to add the upgrade logic inside our product itself. When you deploy a lock with Unlock, a new instance of the <code>PublicLock</code> contract (ERC-721) is created with the parameters you defined (name, token, etc). In Solidity, several patterns exist to <a href="https://github.com/clemsos/sol-upgrade-pattern/">deploy a contract from another contract</a>. The previous version of Unlock was using a <em>Minimal Proxy</em> (EIP-1167). Instead of deploying the entire contract for each new lock created, a small proxy is deployed just to hold the data and forward calls to a main instance that deals with all the incoming. That allowed to save a non-negligeable amount of gas when deploying a new lock instance.</p>
<p>However, the minimal proxy approach <em>did not allow for upgrades</em>. We wanted all locks to benefit from the latest features available so we started to investigate how we could deploy a full proxy from a contract and <strong>allow users to upgrade their locks</strong> when new features were released. The problem was twofold: 1) allow all managers of a lock to upgrade themselves (keep things decentralized), 2) make sure upgrades are safe.</p>
<p>We used Open Zeppelin <a href="https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts/blob/v4.3.0/contracts/proxy/transparent/TransparentUpgradeableProxy.sol">TransparentProxy</a> pattern, and added the following logic to our contract :</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>when a lock is created:</p>
<ul>
<li>deploy a proxy</li>
<li>point it to the latest implemtation</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<p>when a lock is upgraded:</p>
<ul>
<li>check if the caller is authorized as a lock manager</li>
<li>point to the new implementation</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>We decided to store a single <a href="https://docs.openzeppelin.com/contracts/4.x/api/proxy#ProxyAdmin"><code>ProxyAdmin</code></a> instance in our main contract that will take care of all the upgrade process. When <code>upgradeLock</code> is called, our main contract will check into the deployed lock if the caller is a lock manager. If yes, our proxy admin will proceed to upgrade the lock. If not, the upgrade will be rejected.</p>
<pre><code class="language-solidity">/**
 * @dev Upgrade a Lock template implementation
 * @param lockAddress the address of the lock to be upgraded
 * @param version the version number of the template
 */
function upgradeLock(
  address payable lockAddress,
  uint16 version
) public returns (address) {
  require(proxyAdminAddress != address(0), 'proxyAdmin is not set');

  // check perms
  require(
    _isLockManager(lockAddress, msg.sender) == true,
    'caller is not a manager of this lock'
  );

  // check version
  IPublicLock lock = IPublicLock(lockAddress);
  uint16 currentVersion = lock.publicLockVersion();
  require(
    version == currentVersion + 1,
    'version error: only +1 increments are allowed'
  );

  // make our upgrade
  address impl = _publicLockImpls[version];
  TransparentUpgradeableProxy proxy = TransparentUpgradeableProxy(lockAddress);
  proxyAdmin.upgrade(proxy, impl);

  emit LockUpgraded(lockAddress, version);
  return lockAddress;
}
</code></pre>
<p>The various versions are stored in the contract with a version number and its corresponding implementation. For instance, lock managers can launch an upgrade by calling <code>upgradeLock(0x...lockAddress, 10)</code> to upgrade their lock to version 10 - or through the dashboard. For better compatibility, we forbid bumps of more than one version number (so version 9 to 10 works, but 8 to 10 will fail).</p>
<h2>Coming release</h2>
<p>We are now finalising a new version of the lock template with more features and a few fixes that should come with the upgradeable version! Stay tuned :)</p>



We’re partnering with [Code4rena](https://code423n4.com/), a platform for community-driven smart contract audits, on a 1-week smart contract audit contest starting **today**, November 17th. The contest runs through November 24th, with $50,000 in prizes!

![Code4rena](/images/blog/code4rena-contest/c4-logo.png)

## What is a smart contract audit contest?

Code4rena's contests are not bug bounties — contests have guaranteed payouts for all legit findings.

From Code4rena's site:

**Bug bounties:**

- _Spec work._ No way to have confidence that the time invested will produce a payout.
- _Dark forest._ Who knows how much competition there is right now? Or how mature the codebase is?
- _Grow on your own._ Researchers have to proactively look for ways to learn and level up their skills.
- _Paradox of choice._ So many projects have bounties. How does an auditor choose which to focus on?

vs.

**Audit contests:**

- _Guaranteed payouts._ Auditors know it’s highly likely they can find a bug that will make it worth their time.
- _Low-hanging fruit._ If a project is seeking an audit, it’s likely fresh code with clear opportunities to dig in.
- _Learning community._ Open contests let auditors compare everyone’s findings and learn new things every single week.
- _No FOMO._ C4 runs a handful of active contests at a time—often just one or two, tops.

## Very interesting — how do I participate?

For more on Code4rena and the competition, visit [https://code423n4.com/](https://code423n4.com/)

Join the C4 Discord: [https://discord.gg/9qr6zgbZbj](https://discord.gg/9qr6zgbZbj)


$50,000 in prizes for participants in the Unlock Protocol smart contract code audit contest, launched in conjunction with Code4rena.

Find bugs. Earn money.

Announcing Unlock Protocol's $50,000 Smart Contract Audit Contest

<p>We’re partnering with <a href="https://code423n4.com/">Code4rena</a>, a platform for community-driven smart contract audits, on a 1-week smart contract audit contest starting <strong>today</strong>, November 17th. The contest runs through November 24th, with $50,000 in prizes!</p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/code4rena-contest/c4-logo.png" alt="Code4rena"></p>
<h2>What is a smart contract audit contest?</h2>
<p>Code4rena's contests are not bug bounties — contests have guaranteed payouts for all legit findings.</p>
<p>From Code4rena's site:</p>
<p><strong>Bug bounties:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><em>Spec work.</em> No way to have confidence that the time invested will produce a payout.</li>
<li><em>Dark forest.</em> Who knows how much competition there is right now? Or how mature the codebase is?</li>
<li><em>Grow on your own.</em> Researchers have to proactively look for ways to learn and level up their skills.</li>
<li><em>Paradox of choice.</em> So many projects have bounties. How does an auditor choose which to focus on?</li>
</ul>
<p>vs.</p>
<p><strong>Audit contests:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><em>Guaranteed payouts.</em> Auditors know it’s highly likely they can find a bug that will make it worth their time.</li>
<li><em>Low-hanging fruit.</em> If a project is seeking an audit, it’s likely fresh code with clear opportunities to dig in.</li>
<li><em>Learning community.</em> Open contests let auditors compare everyone’s findings and learn new things every single week.</li>
<li><em>No FOMO.</em> C4 runs a handful of active contests at a time—often just one or two, tops.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Very interesting — how do I participate?</h2>
<p>For more on Code4rena and the competition, visit <a href="https://code423n4.com/">https://code423n4.com/</a></p>
<p>Join the C4 Discord: <a href="https://discord.gg/9qr6zgbZbj">https://discord.gg/9qr6zgbZbj</a></p>
