The system is a scalable, flexible, and extensible platform for building, deploying, and managing distributed applications that interact with multiple blockchain technologies. The system implements well-defined and well-managed microservices to encapsulate functionality, isolate sensitive data, enable responsive and efficient scaling, and provide a framework for future improvements and support for future blockchain technologies. The system in one embodiment uses an event-driven architecture to construct fast, responsive systems, but still provide support for alternate modes of operation. The system exposes high-level abstractions of the foundational elements of distributed applications in a powerful, well-understood programming environment to simplify development of extensions, adapters, and applications.