Polkadart is a library designed to empower developers in creating hybrid applications within the Polkadot ecosystem. By providing simple, easy-to-use APIs, Polkadart enables seamless interaction with any Polkadot-based blockchain. Built on the Dart programming language, this library offers a robust set of tools to query nodes, interact with chains, and manage blockchain-specific functionalities.
What is Polkadart?
Polkadart is a comprehensive library that acts as a clean wrapper around methods exposed by Polkadot/Substrate network clients. It defines all node types and APIs, allowing developers to interact with Polkadot chains effortlessly. Its ecosystem includes a suite of specialized packages, each designed to handle specific blockchain operations, making Polkadart a versatile and powerful tool for blockchain application development.
Key Features of Polkadart
- Comprehensive API Support: Polkadart abstracts complex network protocols, providing straightforward APIs for interacting with Polkadot-based chains. These APIs support:
- Querying node data
- Executing transactions
- Real-time event listening, such as block creation and balance updates
- Type-Safe Development: The Polkadart CLI facilitates type generation by interpreting the metadata of a specific blockchain. This ensures type safety and auto-completion, enabling developers to work with network-specific APIs securely and efficiently.
- Key Management and Cryptographic Support: Polkadart includes tools for managing key pairs, signing transactions, and addressing cryptographic operations through its Keyring, SECP256k1 ECDSA, and SR25519 packages.
- SCALE Codec Implementation: The library provides a Dart implementation of the SCALE codec, an efficient data encoding/decoding method used in Substrate-based chains.
- SS58 Address Management: Polkadart supports encoding and decoding of SS58 addresses, a format commonly used in Polkadot and Substrate ecosystems.
- BIP39 Mnemonic Support: With the substrate_bip39 package, developers can generate human-readable mnemonic phrases to secure cryptographic keys.
- Substrate Metadata Decoding: Polkadart simplifies the decoding of Substrate blockchain metadata, making it easier to access constants, extrinsics, events, and other on-chain data.
- Ink! Smart Contract Interactions: The ink_abi package provides tools to encode and decode ink! smart contract ABIs, enabling interaction with Polkadot ecosystem smart contracts.
Polkadart Ecosystem: Modular Packages
Polkadart operates as a monorepo, with packages that can be used independently or combined for broader functionality. Below is an overview of its key packages:
| Package | Description |
|---|---|
polkadart | Core Dart APIs for Polkadot interaction |
polkadart_cli | Type generator for Dart based on blockchain metadata |
polkadart_keyring | Keychain management and transaction signing |
polkadart_scale_codec | SCALE encoder/decoder |
secp256k1_ecdsa | SECP256k1 cryptographic signing |
sr25519 | SR25519 cryptographic signing |
ss58 | SS58 address encoding/decoding |
substrate_bip39 | Mnemonic phrase generation for cryptographic keys |
substrate_metadata | Substrate metadata decoder |
ink_abi | Tools for encoding/decoding ink! smart contract ABIs |
Getting Started with Polkadart
Installation
To begin using Polkadart, add the core package to your pubspec.yaml file:
dependencies: polkadart: ^<latest_version>Type Generation
For type generation, install and configure the Polkadart CLI, which generates type-safe APIs tailored to specific networks.
Key Functionalities
- Listening to New Blocks: Applications can subscribe to real-time block creation events.
- Monitoring Wallet Balances: Developers can listen to balance changes for on-chain accounts.
- Executing Transfers: Simplified APIs make transferring assets between wallets straightforward.
- Reading Blockchain Storage: Tools for decoding and querying on-chain data.
Community and Contributions
Polkadart thrives on community collaboration. Contributions are welcomed in various forms, including:
- Proposing features
- Reporting or fixing bugs
- Writing and translating documentation
- Developing examples and guides
- Submitting pull requests
The project adheres to the Contributor Covenant code of conduct to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Supported by Web3 Foundation
Polkadart is funded by the Web3 Foundation’s Open Grants Program, which supports projects advancing the Polkadot ecosystem. This support has been instrumental in expanding Polkadart’s capabilities and fostering innovation within the Web3 space.
Built with Polkadart
Encointer Wallet is a notable example of an application leveraging Polkadart. The platform facilitates community-based currencies, demonstrating the library’s versatility and potential in real-world scenarios.