Microsoft debuted a platform to help developers build blockchain applications on Azure, the company's cloud computing service.
The Azure blockchain development kit, which Microsoft said will help lower the barrier to blockchain development, focuses on three capabilities: connecting user interfaces, integrating external data and systems, and deploying smart contracts and blockchain networks.
The release builds on Microsoft's existing developer templates and the company's Azure workbench service, which helps developers execute various aspects of blockchain creation, such as key management.
"The Azure blockchain development kit is the next step in our journey to make developing end to end blockchain applications accessible, fast and affordable to anyone with an idea," Marc Mercuri, principal program manager of blockchain engineering at Microsoft Azure, wrote in a Nov. 15 blog post announcing the service.
To learn more about Microsoft's Azure blockchain development kit, click here. To access the kit on open-source code repository GitHub, click here.