Ethers.js was developed by Ethers originally for ethers.io, but has since become a powerful lightweight library for connecting DApps with blockchain data. Users can use Ethers.js functionality as a full Ethereum wallet. Additionally, developers building with Ethers.js get full access to the Ethereum blockchain with block and wallet queries, ENS address resolution, direct connection to nodes, and more. Ethers.js currently powers over 18,000 Web3 projects on GitHub.
Web3.py is a Python library for connecting DApps with the Ethereum blockchain. Developers can use web3.py in their DApps to send transactions, interact with smart contracts, get block data, and more. Web3.py was derived directly from the Web3.js JavaScript API, but is centered more around the needs of Python developers.
Light.js is a library by Parity Technologies written in JavaScript for building DApps that run efficiently on light clients. Developers using Light.js can maintain high performance while running on a light client while avoiding the maintenance and infrastructure of full nodes. Light.js is a reactive library. This means developers call single functions while the library picks the best pattern to handle the query behind the scenes.
Web3j enables developers to engage with Ethereum blockchains, without the additional work of having to create their own integration code for the platform. It is a lightweight, highly modular, reactive, type-safe Java and Android library for writing Smart Contracts and integrating them with Ethereum blockchains.
Web3.js was created as a way for developers to easily connect their DApps with information on the Ethereum blockchain. Using its modular libraries, developers can interact with smart contracts as if they are JS objects, subscribe to on-chain events, get block state directly from Ethereum nodes, and more. Web3.js is currently migrating to a modernized version built in TypeScript. The library has over 500,000 weekly downloads and is used by some of industry leading projects such as OpenSea.
Libp2p is a system of protocols, specifications, and libraries designed specifically to address the challenges of building peer-to-peer applications. Developers can use libp2p to maintain networks with peer identity, secure communication, peer routing, and more. Libp2p’s powerful and flexible network tooling powers large projects such as IPFS, Substrate, and Polkadot.
