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https://github.com/cawfree/react-native-helios

⚛️ A fast, secure, and portable light client for Ethereum dApps.
https://github.com/cawfree/react-native-helios

client decentralized ethereum ethers helios json light mobile network portal rpc trustless

Last synced: 3 months ago
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⚛️ A fast, secure, and portable light client for Ethereum dApps.

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README 

        
# react-native-helios



> ⚠️ Currently `react-native-helios` only supports execution on iOS, MacOS, Android and Expo.



Throughout the majority of [__Ethereum__](https://ethereum.org/en/)'s history, frontend applications have been forced to rely upon centralized interfaces like [__Infura__](https://www.infura.io/) to access the decentralized network. This is because to act as a meaningful participant to the network, such as an entity capable of submitting transactions or maintaining a verifiable history the network state, the protocol's current design [__demands high device specifications__](https://youtu.be/0stc9jnQLXA?t=136) that are insurmountable for even top-end mobile devices.



This reliance on third party infrastructure typically aided the delivery of ethereum frontend applications, but is subject to the pitfalls of all centralized systems; susceptibility to downtime and subservience to censorship and monetization.



## Introducing [`helios`](https://github.com/a16z/helios)! 👋



[__Helios__](https://github.com/a16z/helios) is an innovative new [__light client__](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/) for Ethereum which is minimal enough to run on mobile devices or even from within [__React Native__](https://reactnative.dev) applications.



The key property enabled by `helios`, compared to traditional light clients, is the level of trustlessness.



Where contemporary light clients merely _defer_ responsibility to a more powerful node, [`helios`](https://github.com/a16z/helios) is capable of maintaining the state of the decentralized network autonomously by _inferring_ the validity of the chain header by assessing the validity of the proof sequence that constitutes the canonical chain.



Much like the proposed design of the [__Portal Network__](https://www.ethportal.net/), [`helios`](https://github.com/a16z/helios) need only trust a potentially untrustworthy block header proof provider just _once_ in order to quickly synchronize with canonical Ethereum chain, verify it's validity, and transact as an independent network participant.



[__❯ Learn more__](https://a16zcrypto.com/building-helios-ethereum-light-client/)



## `react-native-helios` ⚛️



[`react-native-helios`](https://github.com/cawfree) is a [__React Native__](https://reactnative.dev) wrapper for [`helios`](https://github.com/a16z/helios):



```sh

yarn add react-native-helios

```



To instantiate a trustless [__JSON-RPC__](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/apis/json-rpc/#:~:text=JSON%2DRPC%20is%20a%20stateless,many%20various%20message%20passing%20environments.), we merely need to call the `start()` method:



```typescript

import { start, StartParams } from 'react-native-helios';



const params: StartParams = {

  untrusted_rpc_url:

    'https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/', // source of initial proofs

  consensus_rpc_url: 'https://www.lightclientdata.org',

};



const { shutdown } = await start(params);



console.log("Ready!");



// ...



await shutdown();

```



This will establish a JSON-RPC on your device running at `http://127.0.0.1:8485`, which can then be interacted like usual using [`ethers`](https://github.com/ethers-io/ethers.js/):



```typescript

import { Platform } from 'react-native';

import { ethers } from 'ethers';

import { getHeliosProvider } from 'react-native-helios';



const provider = getHeliosProvider(params);



const [blockNumber, balance] = await Promise.all([

  provider.getBlockNumber(),

  provider.getBalance('cawfree.eth'),

]);



console.log(

  `Block number is: ${blockNumber} and balance is ${ethers.utils.formatEther(

    balance

  )}Ξ!`

);

```



You can also define a weak subjectivity `checkpoint` using the `checkpoint` parameter of `StartParams`. If you're unsure of a value to use, you can use: `fallbackCheckpoint(network: Network)`:



```typescript

import { fallbackCheckpoint, start } from 'react-native-helios';



const params: StartParams = {...};

const checkpoint = await fallbackCheckpoint(params);



await start({ ...params, checkpoint: fallbackCheckpoint });

```



> **Warning**

>

> If a `checkpoint` is not manually specified, the `fallbackCheckpoint` will be used. Please be aware of the [__potential dangers__](https://github.com/a16z/helios#using-helios-as-a-library) in the implicit trust assumptions of doing so.



## Building from source 🏗



> __Note__ Currently, [`react-native-helios`](https://github.com/cawfree/react-native-helios) may only be compiled on Apple Silicon.



1. Make sure you've installed [`rustup`](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install):



```shell

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

```



2. Clone and build [`react-native-helios`](https://github.com/cawfree/react-native-helios):



```shell

git clone https://github.com/cawfree/react-native-helios

cd react-native-helios

yarn ; yarn heliosup

```



> For iOS, we leverage [`swift-bridge`](https://github.com/chinedufn/swift-bridge) and [`cargo-lipo`](https://github.com/TimNN/cargo-lipo) to automatically generate a [__Swift__](https://developer.apple.com/swift/)-compatible [__Native Module__](https://reactnative.dev/docs/native-modules-intro) which bridges into the original [__Rust__](https://www.rust-lang.org/) client. To support the `arm64` architecture for both simulated and physical iOS devices, the target-specific static libraries are repackaged into an [`XCFramework`](https://medium.com/trueengineering/xcode-and-xcframeworks-new-format-of-packing-frameworks-ca15db2381d3).

>

> For Android, we use [`flapigen`](https://github.com/Dushistov/flapigen-rs) and [`rifgen`](https://docs.rs/rifgen/latest/rifgen/) to synthesize a runtime-compatible interface. Currently, only the build architectures `arm64_v8a` and `x86_64` are supported.

>



3. Finally, run the [__Example Project__](./example).



## Building with [Expo](https://expo.dev/) 📲



1. You can install to your project using `npx expo install react-native-helios`.

2. Next, you'll need to add the Helios plugin to your Expo config (`app.json`, `app.config.json` or `app.config.js`):



```diff

{

  "expo": {

    "name": "my-app",

+   "plugins": [

+     "react-native-helios"

+   ]

  }

}

```

3. Once that's done, use `npx expo prebuild` to generate Expo-friendly native binaries.

4. Finally, run `eas build` to build a new binary, or use `yarn ios` or `yarn android` to start running.



> Note:

> To run `eas build`, you'll need to `npm install --global expo-cli eas-cli`.



## License ✌️

[__MIT__](./LICENSE)