For five years, LimeChain has been a core technical partner for Hedera, driving innovation through critical infrastructure development and EVM compatibility. With more than ten initiatives dedicated to Hedera-related projects, their blockchain-agnostic approach and technical expertise have transformed Hedera's ecosystem, making the network more accessible to developers and enterprises alike.
Projects delivered to date (March 2024)
Clients utilizing LimeChain’s services
Hedera Improvement Proposals spearheaded
George Spasov
CTO, LimeChain
Industry
Web3 Infrastructure
Use Case(s)
Tooling & EVM-Compatibility
Overview
LimeChain, with their technical prowess in EVM compatibility and blockchain development, has emerged as an ideal partner to help Hedera bridge the gap between innovative technology and practical implementation - driving adoption of the Hedera network.
Challenge
Integration with existing EVM-based infrastructure and tooling is essential to attracting developers while maintaining performance advantages. This demands specialized knowledge of both ecosystems and the ability to create solutions that preserve Hedera's unique benefits without sacrificing interoperability.
Solution
LimeChain has emerged as a core development partner for the Hedera network, helping build critical infrastructure including the JSON-RPC Relay, Java SDK, and local testing environments, while contributing to key HIPs related to EVM-compatibility. Their expertise in EVM has further enabled Hedera to connect with the wider Web3 ecosystem while maintaining Hedera’s core advantages in speed, security, and cost efficiency.
The blockchain landscape has evolved dramatically over the past decade, with enterprises increasingly seeking specialized expertise to navigate this complex technological frontier. As demand for Web3 solutions grows across industries, blockchain service providers have emerged as critical enablers of innovation and adoption.
For the past five years, LimeChain has been a cornerstone technical partner of Hedera, bringing blockchain expertise and innovation to the network. This strategic partnership has evolved from an initial proof-of-concept to deep technical integration work that has significantly enhanced Hedera's capabilities, interoperability, and market position.
Among LimeChain's notable contributions to the network are the Hedera JSON-RPC Relay, the Hedera SDK, and Hiero: the Linux Foundation (LF) Decentralized Trust hosted project governing the open source Hedera codebase. LimeChain has also been instrumental in drafting and implementing - in close collaboration with the core Hedera team - multiple Hedera Improvement Proposals (HIPs), with many focused on driving interoperability and further EVM-compatibility for the network.
As blockchain technology continues to mature, this partnership between LimeChain and Hedera represents a model for technical collaboration in the industry. With LimeChain's expertise in EVM-equivalence and their participation on the LF Decentralized Trust Technical Steering Committee, this collaboration has accelerated Hedera's technical roadmap while developing valuable applications that showcase the network's capabilities and highlight its growing ecosystem.
Founded in 2017, LimeChain emerged during the early surge of blockchain innovation with a distinct vision to differentiate itself from traditional service providers. Despite entering the market during the 2017 blockchain boom, when rapid expansion would have been possible, LimeChain's leadership deliberately chose a measured growth approach. The company prioritized building a strong foundation and core culture before scaling, which has proven successful as they've grown to a team of more than 170 Web3 professionals.
LimeChain describes itself as "blockchain-agnostic” - a philosophy that translates to "solution-first, client-first." Rather than forcing a particular technology on clients, the company prioritizes finding the optimal solution for each specific challenge. This approach allows LimeChain to objectively assess different blockchains/DLTs and recommend the most appropriate technology stack based on the unique requirements of each project.
The company has developed specialized expertise across several critical areas of blockchain development that have proven particularly valuable in their work with Hedera:
EVM Equivalence: Deep understanding of Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility - crucial for blockchain interoperability
Decentralized Applications: End-to-end development of user-facing decentralized applications
ZKPs (Zero-Knowledge Proofs): Advanced cryptographic methods enabling privacy-preserving verification
This exploration mindset has served the company well in the rapidly evolving blockchain landscape. By remaining technology-neutral yet deeply knowledgeable across multiple platforms, LimeChain has positioned itself as a trusted advisor and implementation partner for organizations looking to leverage blockchain effectively.
The collaboration between LimeChain and Hedera began in 2019, when LimeChain was first introduced to the Hedera ecosystem. What started as an exploratory engagement quickly demonstrated the potential for a deeper partnership. LimeChain's blockchain expertise and solution-oriented approach aligned well with Hedera's ever-present mission to expand its network of builders who could develop robust infrastructure and tools for Web3.
The partnership was cemented through an initial project where LimeChain created a proof-of-concept solution utilizing the Hedera Consensus Service (HCS) to synchronize records across Google Sheets and Microsoft 365. This demonstration addressed a common challenge in business ecosystems where companies of different sizes use disparate systems to track critical transactions, and it positioned Hedera as an accessible common frame of reference for organizations regardless of their technical sophistication.
Following the success of the initial proof-of-concept, LimeChain evolved from building applications on Hedera to becoming deeply integrated in core network development. Over time, LimeChain established itself as an essential contributor to Hedera's mission of enhancing EVM-compatibility and interoperability, leveraging their expertise to strengthen the network's foundations and expand its capabilities. This growing involvement reflects Hedera's confidence in LimeChain's technical proficiency and their shared vision for the platform's future.
The partnership between LimeChain and Hedera was strengthened by several factors that made Hedera an attractive platform for development work:
Low, Predictable Fees: Hedera's fixed fee structure makes it economically viable for a wide range of use cases, especially compared to other networks that experienced significant fee volatility.
Rapid Settlement: The hashgraph consensus algorithm offers faster transaction confirmation and finality, enabling applications that require near real-time processing.
Token Service: The network-native Hedera Token Service (HTS) provides flexible and efficient tools for creating and managing digital assets.
Efficiency with Native Services: Hedera's purpose-built services offer optimized solutions for common blockchain use cases, reducing development complexity.
These advantages aligned well with LimeChain's blockchain-agnostic philosophy. Rather than forcing a particular technology to fit a problem, LimeChain could genuinely recommend Hedera when it represented the optimal solution for specific client needs.
Over the span of five years, what began as a promising technical collaboration has evolved into a strategic partnership that has significantly shaped - and continues to shape - Hedera's technology stack, developer ecosystem, and future roadmap. LimeChain has become more than just a service provider, standing today as an integral part of Hedera's extended team and a key voice in the platform's developer community.
Throughout this partnership, LimeChain has made significant contributions across multiple fronts, from core infrastructure to end-user applications. These projects showcase LimeChain's technical versatility and deep understanding of Hedera's architecture, while advancing the network's capabilities and accessibility.
The Hedera Java SDK serves as a robust foundation for developers, enabling them to build fast, fair, and secure applications with comprehensive support for all Hedera services and features. By maintaining and contributing to this critical piece of infrastructure, LimeChain is directly driving developer adoption and ecosystem growth, making Hedera more accessible to a wider range of projects.
One of LimeChain's most impactful infrastructure contributions has been the Hedera JSON-RPC Relay, which acts as a crucial bridge between Hedera and the wider web3 ecosystem - significantly lowering the barrier to entry for both EVM-based developers wanting to build on Hedera and end-users.
The Hedera/Hiero Local Node project allows developers to set up their own Hiero-based local network for testing and development. This local environment consists of one mirror node and one consensus node, enabling developers to test their applications in a controlled environment before deploying to the main Hedera network.
LimeChain has been a significant contributor to Hedera's technical evolution through their work on multiple Hedera Improvement Proposals (HIPs). These proposals define standards and introduce new features that enhance the network's capabilities and interoperability.
Some of the notable HIPs that LimeChain has contributed to include:
HIP-415: Introduction of Blocks - This HIP formalizes the concept of blocks on Hedera, creating a standard mapping between Hedera's transaction ordering and the notion of blocks used in Ethereum and other blockchain networks. By introducing this compatibility layer, HIP-415 enabled greater interoperability with existing blockchain tools, explorers, exchanges, and wallet providers.
HIP-376: Support ERC-Standard Function Calls for the Hedera Smart Contract Service - Adding support for industry standard ERC20 and ERC721 functions related to token approvals and allowances in HSCS.
Through their work on HIPs such as these, LimeChain has helped shape Hedera's technical direction, particularly in driving EVM compatibility and interoperability. Their expertise in Ethereum has been instrumental in bridging the gap between these technologies, allowing Hedera to leverage the vast EVM-based ecosystem while maintaining its unique advantages in performance and security.
Beyond infrastructure and protocol work, LimeChain has developed several applications that showcase Hedera's capabilities and provide practical utility to users:
TradeGames is a competitive, real-time crypto trading platform built on Hedera. It allows users to place fictional stakes on real-world price data, enabling crypto trading experiences without financial risk. The platform leverages Hedera's rapid transaction settlement and low fees to create an engaging and responsive user experience.
LimeChain developed a simple multi-signature wallet for Hedera, addressing the need for more secure and collaborative asset management. This tool enables multiple parties to jointly control access to funds, requiring a specified number of signatures to authorize transactions. By building this application, LimeChain has enhanced the security options available to end-users for managing their digital assets.
HeliSwap is a decentralized exchange built on the Hedera network by LimeChain, allowing users to trade tokens directly without intermediaries. This platform demonstrates Hedera's capability to support complex financial applications while maintaining security and efficiency. HeliSwap represents a significant addition to Hedera's DeFi ecosystem, providing essential trading infrastructure for the network's users.
Through these diverse contributions - from core infrastructure to protocol enhancements to end-user applications - LimeChain has demonstrated their comprehensive understanding of and commitment to the Hedera ecosystem. Their work spans the entire technology stack, addressing both technical foundations and practical use cases that showcase the network's capabilities.
As Hedera continues to evolve, particularly with the recent transition to the Hiero project under the LF Decentralized Trust, LimeChain's contributions to the codebase and their ongoing role on the LFDT Technical Steering Committee position them to remain a key player in the network's technical direction for years to come.
At the core of LimeChain's contributions to Hedera has been their vision for EVM compatibility and interoperability. This focus has enabled Hedera to bridge the gap with the EVM ecosystem, helping make the network accessible to a wider base of developers without sacrificing Hedera's advantages in speed, security, and cost efficiency. LimeChain's expertise in both architectures has allowed them to create seamless integration points between these technologies, expanding Hedera's potential user base significantly.
Developing for Web3 presents unique challenges that LimeChain has worked to overcome. User experience remains a significant hurdle, particularly in onboarding new users. LimeChain has tackled this through account abstraction solutions that simplify blockchain interactions, while focusing on everyday use cases that demonstrate blockchain's practical value. The team has identified that many of these challenges will be solved as zero-knowledge technology advances, representing what they consider a "huge shift" in blockchain's capabilities.
LimeChain's approach to problem-solving has been methodical and thorough. When integrating block-based structures with Hedera, they crafted solutions that maintained compatibility without compromising performance. Their contributions to Hedera have been informed by their Ethereum experience, particularly in the JSON-RPC Relay and block introduction. This ability to translate between different blockchain paradigms has positioned LimeChain as an invaluable partner in Hedera's evolution toward greater interoperability.
From LimeChain's perspective, the Web3 space is increasingly moving toward real-world applications that deliver tangible value beyond speculative hype. This shift presents both opportunities and challenges, as the primary bottleneck to adoption remains organizational willingness and the lack of robust foundations rather than technical capacity.
Prediction markets represent an emerging trend that LimeChain has identified as particularly promising. By enabling participants to stake economically on their predictions, these systems can unlock new forms of collective intelligence with financial incentives aligned to accuracy. Hedera's low fees and high throughput make it well-suited for such applications, which require frequent transactions and rapid settlement.
LimeChain sees the convergence of public and private blockchain approaches as inevitable. While enterprises initially preferred private networks for control and compliance, the advantages of public networks - their ecosystem of developers, tools, and interoperability - are becoming increasingly compelling. Hedera's governance model, with its Council of established organizations, offers a middle path that provides enterprise-grade trust while maintaining the unique benefits public networks provide.
The collaborative efforts of LimeChain and Hedera exemplify how specialized technical expertise can significantly benefit and help drive a network's development and adoption. LimeChain’s contributions - spanning infrastructure development, protocol improvements, and application building - have been instrumental in advancing Hedera's interoperability and industry adoption.
As the blockchain landscape continues to mature, technology partners such as LimeChain will remain essential to bridging the gap between protocols and practical implementation. LimeChain's blockchain-agnostic approach, combined with their deep technical expertise, serves as a model for effective partnerships in an industry where innovation and adaptability determine success.
Hedera is not affiliated with, and does not sponsor or endorse this project.
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