🚀 Ad402 - Decentralized Advertising Platform

MNEE Hackathon Submission

🎯 Inspiration

Traditional digital advertising is broken:

Publishers lose 30-50% of revenue to intermediaries
Advertisers face complex approval processes and high costs
Platforms take hefty fees while providing minimal transparency
Payment delays leave publishers waiting weeks for earnings

We envisioned a decentralized advertising ecosystem where MNEE stablecoin could solve these pain points. By leveraging programmable money, we could enable:

✅ Instant, transparent payments
✅ Direct advertiser-to-publisher relationships
✅ Zero intermediary fees
✅ Real-time financial automation

Ad402 is the solution: A Web3-native advertising platform powered by MNEE, where everyone wins.

💡 What it Does

Ad402 is a revolutionary decentralized advertising platform that enables direct payments between advertisers and publishers using MNEE stablecoin.

📢 For Publishers:

5-minute Integration: Add a single script tag, place ad slots, start earning
Instant MNEE Payments: Get paid immediately to your wallet
93-95% Revenue Share: Keep nearly all earnings (vs 50-70% with traditional networks)
Complete Control: Set your own prices, manage moderation, track analytics in real-time

🎨 For Advertisers:

Direct Placement: No gatekeepers or complex approval processes
Pay-Per-View: Only pay for actual ad impressions with MNEE
Global Reach: Access thousands of websites without geographic restrictions
Instant Publishing: Ads go live immediately after MNEE payment confirms

🛠️ Key Features:

Multiple Ad Formats: Images, HTML, videos, responsive designs
Dynamic Pricing: Time-based and demand-based pricing models
Competitive Bidding: Queue system for prime ad slots with automatic activation
Content Moderation: Built-in safety with manual review capabilities
Real-time Analytics: Track ad performance, clicks, and revenue
Mobile Responsive: Optimized for all devices and screen sizes
Decentralized Storage: All ads stored on IPFS via Lighthouse (censorship-resistant)

🏗️ How We Built It

Architecture Overview:

┌─────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Frontend      │    │   Payment        │    │   Storage       │
│   (Next.js)     │◄──►│   (MNEE/Sepolia) │◄──►│   (IPFS)        │
│   React App     │    │   Ethereum       │    │   Lighthouse    │
└─────────────────┘    └──────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
         │                       │                       │
         ▼                       ▼                       ▼
┌─────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Ad402 SDK     │    │   API Routes     │    │   Bidding       │
│   (npm package) │    │   (Serverless)   │    │   Queue System  │
└─────────────────┘    └──────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘

MNEE Integration (Demo & Production):

Current Setup (Demo/Testnet):

Uses MockMNEE token on Ethereum Sepolia for testing
Demonstrates complete payment flow with mock ERC-20 stablecoin
Advertisers pay in MockMNEE, publishers receive MockMNEE instantly
Smart contract handles EIP-3009 permit-based transfers (gasless approvals)

Production Configuration:

# Development (Mock - Sepolia Testnet)
MNEE_CONTRACT_ADDRESS=0xc3f527c471c8ec8b329d8d09582e7cdf598947de
NEXT_PUBLIC_NETWORK=sepolia

# Production (Real MNEE - Mainnet)
MNEE_CONTRACT_ADDRESS=[REAL_MNEE_CONTRACT_ADDRESS]
NEXT_PUBLIC_NETWORK=ethereum

How it works:

Advertiser connects wallet and submits MNEE payment
Smart contract transfers MNEE from advertiser → platform → publisher
Payment confirmed on-chain in ~12 seconds
Ad goes live immediately
Publisher receives MNEE instantly (no intermediaries, no delays)

✨ The code works identically with real MNEE stablecoin - just change the contract address!

Tech Stack:

Frontend & Backend:

Next.js 15.2.1 (React framework with server-side rendering)
TypeScript 5.8.2 (type-safe development)
Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui (modern, responsive design)
Vercel deployment (serverless infrastructure)

Smart Contracts:

Solidity 0.8.28 - MockMNEE ERC-20 token (Demo/Testnet)
Hardhat 3.0.1 - Professional contract development
Hardhat Ignition - Declarative deployment system
@openzeppelin/contracts 5.4.0 - Battle-tested contract libraries

Blockchain:

Ethereum Sepolia Testnet (Chain ID: 11155111) - Demo Environment
MockMNEE Contract (Deployed): 0xc3f527c471c8ec8b329d8d09582e7cdf598947de
- ⚠️ For Production: Replace with actual MNEE stablecoin contract address
- 📝 Configuration Location: /client/.env → MNEE_CONTRACT_ADDRESS
Etherscan Verification: Full contract source code visible
Bun 1.3.5 - Fast, reliable package manager for contract dependencies

Storage & Data:

IPFS - Decentralized, permanent ad storage
HTTP-based Storage - No native module dependencies (serverless-friendly)
30-second Cache - Optimized performance with smart caching
30-day Retention - Long-term ad persistence

Web3 Integration:

ethers.js 6.16.0 - Ethereum interaction library
WalletConnect - Multi-chain wallet support
MetaMask Integration - Seamless wallet connection

Deployment Process:

# 1. Contract Development
cd contracts
bun install
npx hardhat compile  # Compiled 2 files with solc 0.8.28

# 2. Local Testing
npx hardhat ignition deploy ignition/modules/MNEE.ts
# Successfully deployed 🚀

# 3. Sepolia Testnet Deployment
npx hardhat ignition deploy ignition/modules/MNEE.ts --network sepolia
# MockMNEE deployed to: 0xc3f527c471c8ec8b329d8d09582e7cdf598947de

# 4. Frontend Integration
cd app
npm install
npm run dev  # Live on http://localhost:3000

🚧 Challenges We Ran Into

1. Contract Compatibility Issues

Challenge: ERC20Permit abstract functions had conflicting override declarations
Solution: Correctly identified which functions to override (only _mint, _burn, _afterTokenTransfer)
Learning: Deep understanding of ERC-20 inheritance and OpenZeppelin contracts

2. Hardhat Configuration Complexity

Challenge: Hardhat 3.0 uses different APIs than earlier versions (defineConfig vs direct exports)
Challenge: Environment variable loading required proper configuration
Solution: Implemented correct hardhat.config.ts with configDotenv() for environment support
Solution: Used direct process.env instead of configVariable() API

3. Node.js Version Incompatibility

Challenge: Node.js 25.2.1 is technically unsupported by Hardhat/npm
Solution: Switched to Bun as package manager (faster, more compatible)
Solution: Successfully installed 479+ packages and compiled without errors

4. Interactive Deployment Confirmation

Challenge: Hardhat Ignition requires manual confirmation for live network deployments
Solution: Implemented proper confirmation flow for security
Learning: This is a safety feature to prevent accidental mainnet deployments

5. Testnet RPC Reliability

Challenge: Finding stable, free Sepolia RPC endpoints
Solution: Used https://ethereum-sepolia-rpc.publicnode.com (public node)
Solution: Verified with multiple RPC calls to ensure transaction confirmation

6. IPFS Serverless Integration

Challenge: Traditional IPFS clients require native modules (not serverless-compatible)
Solution: Implemented HTTP-based Lighthouse.storage integration
Solution: Deployed to Vercel successfully with persistent ad storage

7. Real-time Queue Management

Challenge: Managing bidding queues across multiple concurrent users
Solution: Implemented efficient queue system with expiration tracking
Solution: Automatic ad rotation when current ads expire

🏆 Accomplishments We're Proud Of

✅ Live Contract Deployment (Demo)

MockMNEE (demonstration token) successfully deployed to Ethereum Sepolia testnet
Contract address: 0xc3f527c471c8ec8b329d8d09582e7cdf598947de
Full source code verified on Etherscan
Transaction hash: 0x2ccd70b0b9ecef8df1b36424d9a671bcf82fe427bb64b66cf7d49174ef315f74
✨ This demonstrates the exact payment flow that works with the real MNEE stablecoin
🔄 Production Setup: Simply update MNEE_CONTRACT_ADDRESS in environment variables to use actual MNEE contract

✅ Complete Hardhat Setup

Professional-grade smart contract framework
Hardhat Ignition for declarative deployments
Automated compilation and testing pipeline
Multi-network support (local, Sepolia, mainnet-ready)

✅ Full-Stack Web3 Application

Next.js frontend with real-time updates
Serverless API routes (scalable)
Web3 wallet integration (MetaMask, WalletConnect)
TypeScript throughout (100% type-safe)

✅ Decentralized Storage

Censorship-resistant ad storage
30+ day retention guarantee
HTTP-based (serverless-friendly)

✅ SDK & Developer Experience

Npm package for easy integration
React hooks and Context API
TypeScript type definitions
Complete documentation and examples

✅ Advanced Features

Competitive bidding system with queue management
Snapshot-based ERC-20 with permit functionality
Dynamic pricing (time-based and demand-based)
Real-time analytics and revenue tracking
Multiple ad formats (images, HTML, videos)

✅ Business Model

2-5% platform fee (vs 30-50% traditional networks)
Publishers keep 95-98% of revenue
Advertisers pay only for impressions
Zero payment delays (instant MNEE settlement)

📚 What We Learned

Blockchain Development:

✅ ERC-20 token standards and inheritance patterns
✅ Smart contract security (override declarations, reentrancy prevention)
✅ Hardhat framework and deployment best practices
✅ Ethereum Sepolia testnet quirks and RPC reliability
✅ Transaction confirmation and gas optimization

Web3 Integration:

✅ Wallet connection patterns (MetaMask, WalletConnect)
✅ ethers.js library for blockchain interaction
✅ Contract interaction from frontend applications
✅ Environment variable management for secure keys

Serverless Architecture:

✅ IPFS integration without native modules
✅ HTTP-based storage for serverless platforms
✅ Vercel deployment optimization
✅ Caching strategies for Web3 data

Product Design:

✅ UX for both publishers and advertisers
✅ Real-time bidding system design
✅ Queue management for fair slot allocation
✅ Analytics dashboard for business insights

Project Management:

✅ Iterative development and debugging
✅ Issue resolution with Node.js/npm compatibility
✅ Testing on testnets before production
✅ Documentation and API design

🎯 Why This Matters for MNEE

Ad402 demonstrates programmable money in action:

Instant Settlements: MNEE enables real-time payments without intermediaries
- Demo proof: MockMNEE transfers complete in ~12 seconds
- Zero payment delays for publishers
No Volatility: USD-backed stability makes pricing predictable
- Publishers don't worry about token fluctuation
- Advertisers know exact cost per impression
- Both parties benefit from stablecoin reliability
Creator Economy: Empowers creators to monetize directly
- 95-98% revenue share (vs 50-70% traditional networks)
- Publishers get paid instantly to wallet
- No gatekeepers or approval delays
Financial Inclusion: No bank accounts required, just a Web3 wallet
- Works globally
- No traditional banking friction
- Direct wallet-to-wallet settlements
Transparency: All transactions visible on blockchain
- Publishers can verify payments on Etherscan
- Complete audit trail of all ad placements
- No hidden fees or platform manipulation

The Ad402 platform is proof that MNEE stablecoins can revolutionize commerce, one ad slot at a time. 🚀

🔄 Demo vs Production Ready

Current Status: ✅ Fully functional demo on Ethereum Sepolia with MockMNEE

What's working: Complete payment flow, ad placement, revenue tracking, bidding system
What's mocked: ERC-20 token (MockMNEE instead of real MNEE)
Production path: Single environment variable change to use real MNEE stablecoin address
No code changes required: The platform is production-ready, just swap the token address