The role of developer relations in scaling blockchain ecosystems

By Chris Chabot VP of Developer Relations, Shardeum

 If you scroll through crypto Twitter, you might get an impression that DevRel is all about globetrotting to conferences, grabbing swag, and basking in the glow of “tech influencer” status. However, that is not the case; DevRel professionals wear many hats, whether they are technical therapists, educators, problem-solvers, or community diplomats. They bridge the gap between developers and our organisations, serving as both advocates for the developer community and ambassadors for the platform. It’s a complex, dynamic role, and yet many choose to pursue it.

Understanding why a Web3 DevRel is different?

A Web3 DevRel role isn’t just a traditional Developer Relations position with a blockchain twist—it’s an entirely different world. The true challenge lies not only in navigating technical complexity but also in balancing multiple, often competing, priorities: maintaining technical depth while fostering community engagement, understanding market dynamics while empathising with developers’ struggles, and staying globally aware while remaining locally relevant.

To build a Developer Relations team that makes a meaningful impact, it’s essential to focus on core values and key competencies. For your DevRel team to influence both internal and external engineering teams, they must be respected as peers, embodying a blend of technical expertise, empathy, and communication skills.

How do DevRels scale blockchains?

DevRels plays a crucial role in scaling blockchain ecosystems. The developer community is where the innovation happens & what will drive the next wave of growth. They do so by fostering adoption among the team, driving developer engagement, and creating a thriving environment, ensuring everyone participates.

Below are a few ways they do so:

1. Onboarding a Developer: DevRels are the go to person in charge ensuring they make it easier for developers to build on the blockchain by creating comprehensive documentation in place while having all the tutorials and starter kits mapped out that reduce the time and help them with their learning curve.
2. Building a community: In a web3 world that is mostly remote, it is essential to cultivate a vibrant developer community. This is mostly done through meetups, hackathons, and online forums, thereby encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing sessions. This in turn accelerates innovation and gives the team a sense of belonging.
3. Sharing feedback: DevRels are a bridge between developers and core team members, mostly because they understand both sides of the ecosystem. DevRels gathers and relays feedback from the team, ensuring that the blockchain evolves in line with developer needs.
4. Prioritising Education: As a DevRels, it is their primary duty to simplify complex blockchain concepts so that everyone can understand and further demonstrate real-world use cases to the larger ecosystem. This, in turn, helps  make the technology more accessible and appealing to a broader audience.
5. Prioritising Ecosystem Growth: DevRels identify and promote essential tools like SDKs, libraries, and frameworks that simplify the development process. Some DevRel may also provide a plug-and-play solution for wallet integrations, smart contract deployment, or front-end connection to the blockchain. Further they guide devs in using APIs that extend the capabilities of the blockchain, such as querying data, triggering automated actions, or integrating off-chain data through oracles. By highlighting best practices and offering example use cases, DevRels enable developers to leverage these APIs effectively.
6. Quality Standards and checks: A good DevRel often advocates for the best practices and interoperability. This helps the blockchain integrate seamlessly with the broader Web3 ecosystem. Since they play a vital role in coordinating with other projects, developers ensure that integrations and partnerships are technically sound and aligned with broader ecosystem goals.

Therefore through these efforts, DevRels act as the backbone of a web3 ecosystem. In a space as dynamic and decentralised as Web3, DevRels act as advocates and shape the  growth and trust of an ecosystem by enabling blockchain technology to reach its full potential.