Polkadot launches Products Devnet with three new chains for developer tools

Product development environment and specialized chains

The new Devnet offers a framework for building ‘Products’—web applications that operate within the Polkadot host. Developers can experiment with features that extend beyond typical blockchain utilities, enabling more specialized, tailored, or even industrial-grade solutions.

Within the Devnet, three specialized chains are available. Asset Hub supports contracts and asset-related domains, allowing users to register and utilize DotNS names. The People chain centers on identity and personhood, providing tools for verifiable digital identity management. The Bulletin chain functions as a space to host bundles of Products, facilitating distribution and community sharing.

To create and deploy these applications, developers use React combined with @parity/product-sdk. After development, products can be registered under a .dot domain and published through the pad CLI tool, streamlining the process of public release and discovery.

Mini dictionary: Parity is a core blockchain infrastructure company responsible for much of Polkadot’s technology. DotNS (Dot Name Service) is an identity and domain management protocol on Polkadot, enabling blockchain-based name registration.

Developers are encouraged to begin with applications that may serve only personal needs, but these tools can often evolve into more broadly useful solutions as the ecosystem develops further.

Changing focus for Polkadot and ecosystem partners

Parity and the Polkadot Community Foundation are leading the initiative behind the Products Devnet, providing the software development kit (SDK), DotNS support, and Bulletin infrastructure needed to build and publish new tools. Their intention is to reduce user experience (UX) barriers commonly associated with blockchain while maintaining on-chain verifiability for applications built on the network.

The Devnet environment offers developers advantages like feeless hosting and composable identity features, which streamline the development and onboarding process. This is seen as a shift in Polkadot’s strategy, no longer prioritizing parachain auctions, but instead orienting toward consumer applications and broader use cases with Polkadot 2.0.

Mini dictionary: Parachain auctions were previously central to Polkadot’s ecosystem, allocating slots to projects via competitive bidding. With the Devnet focus, these auctions have become less prominent as consumer products take priority.

Product use cases and future direction

The first applications built with these tools included marketplaces such as Mercado and localdot, on-chain surveys, and decentralized forums. These early projects demonstrated not only the potential for advanced industrial analytics tools and educational resources, but also showcased the variety of products possible within the ecosystem.

Polkadot’s Devnet arrives at a competitive moment in the smart contract space, as Ethereum layer 2 networks and Solana intensify efforts to capture consumer-focused applications. The platform’s adoption and growth will depend on the maturity of its development tools, successful migration to mainnet, and ongoing interest from developers and broader communities.

Polkadot is a decentralized blockchain network designed for interoperability between different blockchains. The platform is developed and maintained by Parity Technologies in collaboration with the broader Polkadot community.