@browser-network/database
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A type of distributed database built on top of the distributed browser-network
A distributed, decentralized, trustless, peer to peer database that exists in the browser on top of The Browser Network.
This database was created to allow apps to be developed completely client side. I don't mean serverless in the modern sense, I mean truly apps running without servers at all.
It works by allowing each user to have one "state". The state can be anything. When a user updates their state, the db passes it to other users on the network who hold on to it. If a third user wants to see the first user's state and the first user is not online, whoever else may have it can pass it along.
Installing this is mostly like usual:
npm install @browser-network/database
or if you're old school and want a umd import:
<script src="//unpkg.com/@browser-network/database/umd/database.min.js"></script>
Here's a very simple app you can get up and running using @browser-network/database super quick and easy:
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<body>
<code id='state'></code>
<script src="//unpkg.com/@browser-network/crypto/umd/crypto.min.js"></script>
<script src="//unpkg.com/@browser-network/network/umd/network.min.js"></script>
<script src="//unpkg.com/@browser-network/database/umd/db.min.js"></script>
<script>
const network = new Network({
switchAddress: 'http://localhost:5678', // default address of switchboard
secret: Bnc.generateSecret(),
networkId: 'test-network'
})
const db = new Db({
network: network,
secret: Bnc.generateSecret(),
appId: 'db-app-id' // this just needs to be unique for your app, which it is for this
})
db.onChange(() => {
console.log("We've got updates!:", db.getAll())
document.querySelector('#state').innerHTML = JSON.stringify(db.getAll())
})
window.setState = (state) => db.set(state)
</script>
</body>
</html>
Copy and paste that html into some html file of your choosing on your machine. Then in one terminal:
npx @browser-network/switchboard
And in another, host your html file. I've always found this to be easiest:
python -m SimpleHTTPServer
Now navigate to localhost:8000 or whatever port you're hosting it on, with
a few browser windows.
Now, in one of them, open up the console, and run setState('hello, world!')
You should see, eventually, that state appear on the screens of all the different browser windows you have open.
import Network from '@browser-network/network'
import Bnc from '@browser-network/crypto'
import Db from '@browser-network/database'
// This is a database that operates on top of the browser network.
const network = new Network({
switchAddress: 'localhost:5678',
networkId: 'whatever-network-id-just-make-it-unique',
clientId: '<clientId>' // usually stored in the localStorage
})
// Instantiate the db
const db = new Db({
appId: 'just-needs-to-be-unique-from-other-appIds-on-the-network',
network: network,
secret: Bnc.generateSecret() // your users will reuse this, saving it somewhere safe and secret.
})
// Listen for changes. This will be called every time we discover a new
// user on the network or someone we already know has updated their state.
db.onChange(() => {
// Get the whole state of the network as far as we are aware
const userStates = db.getAll()
// Maybe if you are using react, we are in a top level component and call
// something like
setState({ userStates })
// To see just one user's state
// (`clientId` represents the id of the user on the network)
const oneState = db.get(<clientId>)
// To set our own state
db.set(<ourState>)
})
// Now we can interact with the database
// Set your own state. It can be whatever type you want.
db.set({ whatever: 'we want' })
// Get a state
db.get(<id>) // where id is a clientId, which is the same as the WrappedState['id'] type.
// Get all of the states
db.getAll()
// Clear the local Storage. Note that if you're still connected to others on the network,
// your storage will rapidly begin to repopulate.
db.clear()
Db also has allow/deny lists. The lists are just an exposed array of
clientIds, so add to it like db.allowList.push('<clientId>'). Or swap in
denyList.
denyList, we will never accept any messages from them.allowList, and a user is not in there, then
we will not accept any messages from them.Db uses a public key cryptography system to ensure only a user can update
their own state. The public key is derived from the secret. @browser-network exposes an
easy way to make a db acceptable private key, which your users can store and
then put back in as the secret field when Db is instantiated.
import { generateSecret } from '@browser-network/crypto'
generateSecret() // -> hex string
This database has an interesting take on removing items: there's explicitly no concept of it, because that'd take it from declarative kinda to imperative kinda, whereby only the people online at the time of removal would know to remove it from their own local storage. For users offline at the time of deletion, they'd happily send out that state to everyone and everyone else would pick it up as if it was new state they'd never seen before. If instead a user sets their state to null or undefined, it can be dealt with on the app level, and the update will make it to everyone.
If need be, later some logic can be put in to remove al the state that's set to null or undefined or {} or [] or ''.
Because this project is using eccrypto and simple-peer, it's pretty much locked into the browserify ecosystem. Modern webpack does not automatically shim for browserify requires, but you can get it working with determination. However using browserify directly will be easier without a doubt.
FAQs
A type of distributed database built on top of the distributed browser-network
The npm package @browser-network/database receives a total of 0 weekly downloads. As such, @browser-network/database popularity was classified as not popular.
We found that @browser-network/database demonstrated a not healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released a year ago. It has 1 open source maintainer collaborating on the project.
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