CashScript-Py: A Python SDK for CashScript

BriefA Python SDK for CashScript opens up the world of BCH smart contracts to one of the world’s most popular programming languages. There is existing SDK support for front-end developers, which helps them develop user-facing website dapps for instance; but there is a lack of this kind of support for server-side tools, like for automated DeFi trading bots, typically written using Python. This project aims to fill this gap in developer support and make viable an entire category of applications.BackgroundA Standard Development Kit (SDK) for CashScript is a tool for developers that helps make working with BCH smart contracts simple and clear. It allows developers to focus on the details of the contracts themselves, without needing to worry about onerous tasks like communicating with the BCH P2P network, or properly formulating and transmitting the low level raw BCH script, among other burdens. Currently, only TypeScript developers have such an SDK available to them; the TypeScript-based “CashScript SDK” from https://cashscript.org. But since Python often tops charts of the most popular programming languages, and especially given that multiple Python developers have already been asking for a way to interact with Cauldron and AnyHedge smart contracts using Python, we propose to build an alternative Python SDK to serve this valuable additional audience.Electron Cash and its plugins are written in Python. So, a Python SDK would significantly simplify development of smart-contract-related Electron Cash plugins and will hopefully lead to many such plugins appearing in the near future.Mathieu Geukens established the CashScript-Py project: https://github.com/mr-zwets/cashscript-py. It is based on earlier work by Jonald Fyookball on his AnyHedge Electron Cash plugin: https://github.com/fyookball/anyhedge-ec-plugin. Both Mathieu and Rosco Kalis have helped put the present project in motion and are excited to see CashScript-Py get completed!ScopeThe plan is to flesh out CashScript-Py SDK, to ultimately approach the breadth of support provided by the CashScript SDK: https://github.com/CashScript/cashscript/tree/master/packages/cashscript, and provide documentation similar to: https://cashscript.org/docs/sdk/instantiation.Several bits of functionality in the current TypeScript SDK rely on Libauth (https://github.com/bitauth/libauth) and the electrum-cash (https://www.npmjs.com/package/electrum-cash) library. Neither of these are available for a Python SDK however, given that they are JavaScript libraries. So in such places there might be a lot of work necessary to produce alternative Python-based capabilities (if not available to borrow from other projects like BitCash: https://github.com/pybitcash/bitcash). The plan is not to attempt to reproduce some of the most advanced aspects of the CashScript SDK, such as advanced debugging capabilities or alternative network providers, unless time allows.Who am I?I am Andrew#128⚽️, a contributor to BCHN and Electron Cash. I played a major part in building CashTokens support into both the desktop and the Android Electron Cash wallets - both of which make significant use of Python. I can be contacted on Telegram. For this project, I plan to do all of the heavy lifting, with occasional counsel from Mathieu.ProposalI request 25 BCH (approx $10,000 at current prices) to fund this work, with an estimated timeframe for delivery at 3 months.