Aptos Development: Safe, Scalable Blockchain with Developer-First Design

Why Aptos? Move's Safety with Familiar Architecture

Aptos emerged from Meta's Diem blockchain project, built by the team that created the original Move programming language and spent years researching blockchain scalability at Facebook. After Diem's shutdown, Aptos Labs launched independently with one mission: make blockchain safe and accessible enough for billions of users. The result is a Layer 1 that processes over 160,000 transactions per second in testing with sub-second finality and transaction fees under $0.01.

The technical foundation prioritizes both safety and performance. Aptos uses Move for smart contracts—the same language as Sui, but with a more familiar account-based model similar to Ethereum. This means developers can leverage Move's memory safety, formal verification, and resource guarantees without learning entirely new programming paradigms. For teams wanting Move's security benefits with a gentler learning curve, Aptos hits the sweet spot.

What makes Aptos exceptional is Block-STM parallel execution. Unlike sequential blockchains that process transactions one-by-one, Aptos optimistically executes transactions in parallel, detecting conflicts and re-executing only when necessary. This delivers massive throughput gains without requiring developers to manually optimize for parallelization—the protocol handles it automatically.

• Move language safety: Formal verification, memory safety, resource guarantees prevent entire classes of vulnerabilities.
• Block-STM parallel execution: 160K TPS with automatic parallelization—no manual optimization required.
• Developer-friendly: Account-based model familiar to Ethereum devs, TypeScript SDK, Web2-style tooling.
• Institutional credibility: Google Cloud, Microsoft, Mastercard partnerships signal enterprise readiness.

What We Build on Aptos

Aptos Development Process

1. Phase 1 - Move Contract Architecture: Design account resource structures, implement Move modules with proper resource patterns, leverage formal verification for critical logic (Move Prover), and establish module upgrade governance. Build foundation that maximizes safety.
2. Phase 2 - Core Application Development: Build frontend with @aptos-labs/ts-sdk, implement wallet integration supporting Petra/Martian/Pontem, handle transaction serialization (BCS encoding), and manage gas estimation for dual gas model (execution + storage).
3. Phase 3 - Data Indexing & Queries: Leverage Aptos Indexer GraphQL for account states and token balances, build custom event indexing for application-specific data, implement real-time updates via event streams, and optimize query performance.
4. Phase 4 - Production Readiness: Integrate DeFi primitives (DEXs, oracles, bridges), implement monitoring and analytics, prepare security audit materials, deploy to testnet then mainnet, and establish operational procedures for module upgrades.

Aptos Development Timeline: DeFi Lending Protocol

Aptos-Specific Development Patterns

Here's what makes Aptos development unique with Move and account-based resources:

// Aptos stores resources in user accounts, not contract storage
module my_protocol::lending_pool {
    use std::signer;
    use aptos_framework::coin::{Self, Coin};
    use aptos_framework::aptos_coin::AptosCoin;

    // Resource stored in user's account
    struct UserPosition has key {
        deposited: u64,
        borrowed: u64,
        last_update: u64,
    }

    // Deposit APT into lending pool
    public entry fun deposit(
        user: &signer,
        amount: u64
    ) acquires UserPosition {
        let user_addr = signer::address_of(user);

        // Get or create user position resource
        if (!exists<UserPosition>(user_addr)) {
            move_to(user, UserPosition {
                deposited: 0,
                borrowed: 0,
                last_update: 0,
            });
        };

        let position = borrow_global_mut<UserPosition>(user_addr);
        position.deposited = position.deposited + amount;

        // Transfer coins from user to protocol
        let coins = coin::withdraw<AptosCoin>(user, amount);
        coin::deposit(@my_protocol, coins);
    }

    // Borrow against deposited collateral
    public entry fun borrow(
        user: &signer,
        amount: u64
    ) acquires UserPosition {
        let user_addr = signer::address_of(user);
        let position = borrow_global_mut<UserPosition>(user_addr);

        // Check collateral ratio (simplified)
        assert!(
            position.deposited * 2 >= position.borrowed + amount,
            E_INSUFFICIENT_COLLATERAL
        );

        position.borrowed = position.borrowed + amount;

        // Transfer coins to user
        let coins = coin::withdraw<AptosCoin>(@my_protocol, amount);
        coin::deposit(user_addr, coins);
    }

    // Account resource model: data lives in user accounts
    // Not in contract storage like Ethereum
}

// Prove contract correctness mathematically
module my_protocol::lending_pool {
    // ... contract code ...

    // Formal specification: borrowing must not exceed collateral
    spec borrow {
        let user_addr = signer::address_of(user);
        let position = global<UserPosition>(user_addr);

        // Precondition: user has position
        requires exists<UserPosition>(user_addr);

        // Postcondition: collateral ratio maintained
        ensures position.deposited * 2 >= position.borrowed;

        // Invariant: borrowed never exceeds 50% of deposited
        aborts_if position.deposited * 2 < position.borrowed + amount;
    }

    // Specification: deposit increases balance correctly
    spec deposit {
        let user_addr = signer::address_of(user);
        let old_deposited = global<UserPosition>(user_addr).deposited;
        let new_deposited = global<UserPosition>(user_addr).deposited;

        // Balance increases by exactly amount deposited
        ensures new_deposited == old_deposited + amount;
    }
}

// Run: aptos move prove
// Move Prover mathematically proves these properties hold
// Catch bugs that tests miss

// Output example:
// [INFO] running solver
// [INFO] 0.234s build, 1.123s trafo, 3.456s gen, 5.789s verify
// [INFO] verification succeeded

// Build and submit transactions with Aptos TypeScript SDK
import {
  Aptos,
  AptosConfig,
  Network,
  Account,
  Ed25519PrivateKey,
} from '@aptos-labs/ts-sdk';

const config = new AptosConfig({ network: Network.MAINNET });
const aptos = new Aptos(config);

// Deposit into lending pool
const depositToPool = async (
  userAccount: Account,
  amount: number
) => {
  const transaction = await aptos.transaction.build.simple({
    sender: userAccount.accountAddress,
    data: {
      function: `${MODULE_ADDRESS}::lending_pool::deposit`,
      typeArguments: [],
      functionArguments: [amount],
    },
  });

  // Sign and submit transaction
  const committedTxn = await aptos.signAndSubmitTransaction({
    signer: userAccount,
    transaction,
  });

  // Wait for confirmation
  const executedTxn = await aptos.waitForTransaction({
    transactionHash: committedTxn.hash,
  });

  console.log('Deposited:', executedTxn.success);
  return executedTxn;
};

// Query user position using account resource
const getUserPosition = async (userAddress: string) => {
  const resource = await aptos.getAccountResource({
    accountAddress: userAddress,
    resourceType: `${MODULE_ADDRESS}::lending_pool::UserPosition`,
  });

  const position = resource.data as {
    deposited: string;
    borrowed: string;
    last_update: string;
  };

  return {
    deposited: parseInt(position.deposited),
    borrowed: parseInt(position.borrowed),
    lastUpdate: parseInt(position.last_update),
  };
};

// Aptos SDK handles BCS serialization, gas estimation,
// and transaction lifecycle automatically

These patterns leverage Aptos's unique features: account resource model for user-owned data, Move Prover for formal verification of critical logic, TypeScript SDK for developer-friendly integration, and Indexer GraphQL for historical queries.

Who Should Build on Aptos

Frequently Asked Questions