ssb-tribes2

ssb-tribes2

A secret-stack plugin that makes it easy to create, manage, and publish messages in SSB "Private Groups", following this spec. This module is made to work with ssb-db2 as the database and with metafeeds, where your content in the group is placed on a dedicated feed in your metafeed tree. Replication of those group-specific feeds at scale is handled by ssb-replication-scheduler.

Successor of ssb-tribes.

Installation

npm install ssb-tribes2

Usage in ssb-db2

• Requires Node.js 12 or higher
• Requires secret-stack>=6.2.0
• Requires ssb-db2>=6.2.2
• Requires ssb-box2>=4.0.0
• Requires ssb-meta-feeds>=0.38.0
• Requires ssb-bendy-butt>=1.0.0

 const ssb = SecretStack({ caps: require('ssb-caps') })
   .use(require('ssb-master'))
+  .use(require('ssb-db2'))
   .use(require('ssb-conn'))
+  .use(require('ssb-bendy-butt'))
+  .use(require('ssb-meta-feeds'))
+  .use(require('ssb-tribes2'))
   .use(require('ssb-blobs'))
   .call(null, config)

Then to create a group and publish to it,

// This is needed to automatically create an additions feed, needed to be able to send and receive invites
ssb.tribes2.start()

// Create a new group, no further details required, thus the empty object
ssb.tribes2.create({}, (err, group) => {
  // Publish a new message to the group, notice the recps
  ssb.tribes2.publish(
    {
      type: 'post',
      text: 'welcome to the group',
      recps: [group.id],
    },
    cb
  )
})

If you want to add more members to the group:

// You need to know your friends' (bob and carol) *root* metafeed IDs
ssb.tribes2.addMembers(group.id, [bobRootId, carolRootId], (err, msg) => {
  // msg is the message that was published on your invitations feed
})

Then you list the current members of the group:

pull(
  ssb.tribes2.listMembers(group.id),
  pull.collect((err, members) => {
    // `members` is an Array of root metafeed IDs
  })
)

Finally, you can list all the groups you are a member of:

pull(
  ssb.tribes2.list(),
  pull.collect((err, groups) => {
    // `groups` is an Array of group objects like { id, secret }
  })
)

API

All methods with callbacks return a promise instead if a callback isn't provided.

ssb.tribes2.create(opts, cb)

Creates a new private group. This creates an encryption key, sets up a sub-feed for the group, and initializes the group with a group/init message, and group/add-member to signal you were added. Calls back with important info about the group. NOTE: If create finds an empty (i.e. seemingly unused) group feed, it will start using that feed instead of creating a new one.

• opts Object - currently empty, but will be used in the future to specify details like whether the group has an admin subgroup, etc.
• cb Function - callback function of signature (err, group) where group is an object containing:
  • id CloakedId - a cipherlink that's safe to use publicly to name the group, and is used in recps to trigger encrypting messages to that group, encoded as an ssb-uri
  • subfeed Keys - the keys of the subfeed you should publish group data to
  • secret Buffer - the symmetric key used by the group for encryption
  • root MessagedId - the MessageId of the group/init message of the group, encoded as an ssb-uri.

ssb.tribes2.get(groupId, cb)

Gets information about a specific group.

• groupId CloakedId - the public-safe cipherlink which identifies the group
• cb Function - callback function of signature (err, group) where group is an object on the same format as the group object returned by #create

ssb.tribes2.list({ live }) => source

Creates a pull-stream source which emits group data of each private group you're a part of. If live is true then it also outputs all new groups you join. (Same format as group object returned by #create)

ssb.tribes2.addMembers(groupId, feedIds, cb)

Publish group/add-member messages to a group of peers, which gives them all the details they need to join the group.

• groupId CloakedId - the public-safe cipherlink which identifies the group (same as in #create)
• feedIds [FeedId] - an Array of 1-16 different ids for peers (accepts ssb-uri or sigil feed ids)
• cb Function - a callback of signature (err, msg)

ssb.tribes2.publish(content, cb)

Publishes any kind of message encrypted to the group. The function wraps ssb.db.create() but handles adding tangles and using the correct encryption for the content.recps that you've provided. Mutates content.

• cb Function - a callback of signature (err, msg)

ssb.tribes2.listMembers(groupId) => source

Returns a pull stream source listing every known member of the group with id groupId. Note: lists members whether or not they've accepted the invite.

ssb.tribes2.listInvites() => source

Returns a pull stream source listing invites (another user sent you one with addMembers) that you haven't accepted yet. The invites are on the same format as that of #create.

ssb.tribes2.acceptInvite(groupId, cb)

Accepts an invite (addition) for a group, if you've received one, and starts to replicate and decrypt it. Does not publish any message.

ssb.tribes2.start(cb)

Makes sure that you're set up to send and receive group invites, by creating an additions feed for you.

• cb Function - a callback of signature (err)

License

LGPL-3.0-only