TrustLayer: Trustless Milestone-Based Crowdfunding

A decentralized platform where funds are released only when creators meet their milestones.

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👥 Authors / Team

• Duisenbek Bekzat
• Nur-Adilet Mustafa
• Aknur Ondasyn

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📖 Project Overview

TrustLayer solves the biggest problem in crowdfunding: Trust. Instead of giving all money to the creator at once, backers' funds are locked in a smart contract. The creator must submit Milestone Requests (e.g., "Build Prototype", "Marketing Phase"), and backers Vote (proportional to their contribution) to approve the release of funds.

This ensures:

1. Accountability: Creators must deliver results to get paid.
2. Safety: Backers control the flow of funds.
3. Transparency: All transactions and votes are on-chain.

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🚀 Key Features

• Milestone-Based Funding: Money is released in stages, not lumpsum.
• Decentralized Governance: Contributors vote "Yes" to approve fund release.
• Trustless Escrow: Smart contracts hold the ETH, not a middleman.
• Reward Tokens (TSL): Backers receive TSL tokens as a proof of contribution (1 ETH = 1000 TSL).
• Transparent Dashboard: Real-time tracking of goals, funds raised, and voting status.

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🖼️ Gallery (Step-by-Step Walkthrough)

Below is the complete user journey demonstrating how a campaign is created, funded, and how milestones are approved by the community.

1. Campaign Created

First, the creator starts a new campaign. The contract is deployed to the blockchain.

2. Goal Reached (Funding)

Backers contribute ETH. Once the goal is reached, the campaign is fully funded, and funds are locked in escrow.

3. Creating a Milestone Request

To withdraw funds, the creator must submit a specific milestone proposal explaining what the funds are for (e.g., "Building Prototype").

4. Voting Stage

Contributors review the milestone. Voting is open to all backers.

5. Casting a Vote

Backers vote "Yes" to approve the milestone. Their voting power is proportional to their contribution amount.

6. Milestone Approved

Once enough votes are gathered (>50%), the milestone status changes to Approved.

7. Ready to Receive Funds

The creator can now see that the funds are unlocked and ready for withdrawal.

8. Funds Released

The milestone is marked as Released, and the specific amount of ETH is transferred to the creator's wallet.

9. Transaction Complete

The creator successfully receives the funds in their wallet.

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🛠️ Technology Stack

• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3 (Custom Design System), Vanilla JavaScript
• Blockchain: Ethereum (Hardhat Localhost)
• Smart Contracts: Solidity (v0.8.20)
• Library: Ethers.js (v6)

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💻 How to Run Locally

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/duesenbek/trustlayer.git
   cd trustlayer/trustlayer

2. Install Dependencies

   npm install

3. Start Local Blockchain

   npx hardhat node

4. Deploy Contracts (In a new terminal)

   npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network localhost

   (Copy the Factory address)

5. Start Frontend

   npm run dev

   Open http://localhost:8080

6. Setup MetaMask

   • Network: Localhost 8545 (Chain ID: 31337)
   • Import Account: Use one of the private keys from Hardhat output.

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📝 License

This project is for educational purposes as part of the Blockchain Course (Trim 2).