Actor: Chris Carella
Compiled by: TechFlow
This morning, I saw a post from Eric Rhodes from Paragraph in my Warpcast feed. Instead of jumping directly to Safari, I could read it directly in the app - this is where Paragraph's mini-app comes into play. I was impressed by how seamless the experience was and showed the potential of mini-apps on the Warpcast platform. Compared to the usual way of switching between different apps, mini-apps allow me to interact with content directly within the platform without leaving the feed.
What is a mini program?
Mini programs are lightweight applications that run within larger "super apps," a concept popularized by platforms such as WeChat and Alipay in Asia. These mini programs allow users to complete tasks such as shopping, ordering food, paying, and accessing services without leaving the main app. Super apps integrate these mini programs to provide users with an integrated ecosystem of multiple services.
There are several reasons why mini apps are booming in Asia:
User convenience: By providing multiple services in one app, mini programs reduce the hassle of users installing multiple apps. This seamless integration improves user experience and user retention.
Convenience for developers: Developers can create mini-programs without having to develop and promote independent applications. Super apps come with a huge user base, greatly lowering the barrier to entry.
Data and profit: Super apps can obtain more detailed user data by integrating multiple services, which makes personalized marketing, targeted advertising and more profit opportunities possible.
WeChat’s mini-program ecosystem is particularly powerful, with tens of thousands of mini-programs covering everything from e-commerce to gaming.
Why have mini programs failed to become popular in the West?
Mini Programs have not been as successful in the West as they have been in Asia, despite attempts by companies like Facebook’s Messenger, Snapchat’s Snap Minis, and Instagram’s shopping features to build similar ecosystems. For example, Facebook’s Messenger bot, launched in 2016 with the hope that businesses would be able to offer services directly within Messenger, failed to gain traction due to limited functionality and a poor user experience. Similarly, Snapchat’s Snap Minis, launched in 2020, allow users to experience mini-games or tools within the app, but its engagement and ecosystem scale still cannot compare to WeChat or Alipay. Instagram’s in-app shopping feature, while more complete, is primarily an integrated service rather than an open platform for developers to create mini programs.
This difference in success may be due to a variety of factors, including cultural preferences, platform fragmentation, privacy concerns, and different market dynamics. Western users are accustomed to switching between multiple apps, so the concept of relying on a single app to provide multiple services is not widely accepted. In addition, in Western markets, Apple, Google, and Facebook each control different ecosystems, making it difficult for any platform to create a super app like WeChat.
Why Warpcast is suitable for mini programs
I think Warpcast is an ideal platform for mini-apps because it combines the flexibility of crypto protocols, the building blocks of Farcaster, and a decentralized social network. The composability of crypto technology means that smart contracts - automated functions based on blockchains - can be called from anywhere, making the protocol more scalable and interoperable. This flexibility enables mini-apps on Warpcast to interact directly with on-chain functions, such as minting NFTs, collecting tokens, transferring assets, exchanging cryptocurrencies, and executing smart contracts - all in the social environment of Farcaster. Warpcast's mini-apps can be the alternative front end we have been waiting for.
Warpcast also has access to a user’s social network and associated wallet information. This means that mini-programs can easily connect to a user’s social circle and wallet to enable personalized actions, such as gaming, social DeFi, or NFT minting directly in the feed. Imagine being able to follow a creator and instantly mint NFTs or participate in token swaps directly from their posts. Similarly, social finance mini-programs allow users to stake tokens, track transactions, or purchase fan tokens, while governance mini-programs allow members to ideate, collaborate, initiate polls, and participate in votes, all without leaving Warpcast. Prediction markets can also take place on the same platform where users discuss the news.
Future Prospects of Warpcast Mini Program
I’m excited to see what apps people build. My guess is that we’ll probably start by seeing a lot of our favorite Frames return as applets. There will also be a lot of applets from the Moxie and Degen communities, and it’ll be fun to play games like Scout Game in Warpcast. Initially, any project built around Farcaster will be a great candidate for an applet. Over time, we’ll probably see entirely new types of apps appear as Warpcast applets — apps that weren’t possible in the past.
in conclusion
I can definitely say that Paragraph is a much better experience as a mini-app. It’s much more fluid than reading in Frame or switching to other apps. I love being able to click, read the article, close it, and then have a discussion directly in the feed, all without leaving the app. This seamless experience highlights the huge potential of mini-apps in the future, and decentralized interactions — whether it’s games or governance — will likely become a core element of the Warpcast social experience.
