#Guides
This file provides step-by-step walkthroughs for some of the most common usages of ripple-lib
.
###In this document
- Connecting to the Ripple network with
Remote
- Using
Remote
functions andRequest
objects - Listening to the network
- Submitting a payment to the network
- Submitting a trade offer to the network
###Also see
##Connecting to the Ripple network
- Get ripple-lib
- Load the ripple-lib module into a Node.js file or webpage:
/* Loading ripple-lib with Node.js */
var Remote = require('ripple-lib').Remote;
/* Loading ripple-lib in a webpage */
// var Remote = ripple.Remote;
- Create a new
Remote
and connect to the network:
var options = {
trace : false,
trusted: true,
local_signing: true,
servers: [
{ host: 's-west.ripple.com', port: 443, secure: true }
]
};
var remote = new Remote(options);
remote.connect(function(err, res) {
/* remote connected, use some remote functions here */
});
NOTE: See the API Reference for available Remote
options
- You're connected! Read on to see what to do now.
##Generating a new Ripple Wallet
var ripple = require('ripple-lib');
// subscribing to a server allows for more entropy
var remote = new ripple.Remote({
servers: [
{ host: 's1.ripple.com', port: 443, secure: true }
]
});
remote.connect(function(err, res) {
/* remote connected */
});
// Wait for randomness to have been added.
// The entropy of the random generator is increased
// by random data received from a rippled
remote.once('random', function(err, info) {
var wallet = ripple.Wallet.generate();
console.log(wallet);
// { address: 'rEf4sbVobiiDGExrNj2PkNHGMA8eS6jWh3',
// secret: 'shFh4a38EZpEdZxrLifEnVPAoBRce' }
});
##Sending rippled API requests
Remote
contains functions for constructing a Request
object.
A Request
is an EventEmitter
so you can listen for success or failure events -- or, instead, you can provide a callback.
Here is an example, using requestServerInfo.
- Constructing a
Request
with event listeners
var request = remote.requestServerInfo();
request.on('success', function onSuccess(res) {
//handle success
});
request.on('error', function onError(err) {
//handle error
});
request.request();
- Using a callback:
remote.request('server_info', function(err, res) {
if (err) {
//handle error
} else {
//handle success
}
});
NOTE: See the API Reference for available Remote
functions
##Listening to the network
See the wiki for details on subscription requests.
/* Loading ripple-lib with Node.js */
var Remote = require('ripple-lib').Remote;
/* Loading ripple-lib in a webpage */
// var Remote = ripple.Remote;
var remote = new Remote({options});
remote.connect(function() {
var remote = new Remote({
// see the API Reference for available options
servers: [ 'wss://s1.ripple.com:443' ]
});
remote.connect(function() {
console.log('Remote connected');
var streams = [
'ledger',
'transactions'
];
var request = remote.requestSubscribe(streams);
request.on('error', function(error) {
console.log('request error: ', error);
});
// the `ledger_closed` and `transaction` will come in on the remote
// since the request for subscribe is finalized after the success return
// the streaming events will still come in, but not on the initial request
remote.on('ledger_closed', function(ledger) {
console.log('ledger_closed: ', JSON.stringify(ledger, null, 2));
});
remote.on('transaction', function(transaction) {
console.log('transaction: ', JSON.stringify(transaction, null, 2));
});
remote.on('error', function(error) {
console.log('remote error: ', error);
});
// fire the request
request.request();
});
});
- https://ripple.com/wiki/RPC_API#transactions_stream_messages
- https://ripple.com/wiki/RPC_API#ledger_stream_messages
##Submitting a payment to the network
Submitting a payment transaction to the Ripple network involves connecting to a Remote
, creating a transaction, signing it with the user's secret, and submitting it to the rippled
server. Note that the Amount
module is used to convert human-readable amounts like '1XRP' or '10.50USD' to the type of Amount object used by the Ripple network.
/* Loading ripple-lib Remote and Amount modules in Node.js */
var Remote = require('ripple-lib').Remote;
var Amount = require('ripple-lib').Amount;
/* Loading ripple-lib Remote and Amount modules in a webpage */
// var Remote = ripple.Remote;
// var Amount = ripple.Amount;
var MY_ADDRESS = 'rrrMyAddress';
var MY_SECRET = 'secret';
var RECIPIENT = 'rrrRecipient';
var AMOUNT = Amount.from_human('1XRP');
var remote = new Remote({ /* Remote options */ });
remote.connect(function() {
remote.setSecret(MY_ADDRESS, MY_SECRET);
var transaction = remote.createTransaction('Payment', {
account: MY_ADDRESS,
destination: RECIPIENT,
amount: AMOUNT
});
transaction.submit(function(err, res) {
/* handle submission errors / success */
});
});
###A note on transaction fees
A full description of network transaction fees can be found on the Ripple Wiki.
In short, transaction fees are very small amounts (on the order of ~10) of XRP drops spent and destroyed with every transaction. They are largely used to account for network load and prevent spam. With ripple-lib
, transaction fees are calculated locally by default and the fee you are willing to pay is submitted along with your transaction.
Since the fee required for a transaction may change between the time when the original fee was calculated and the time when the transaction is submitted, it is wise to use the fee_cushion
to ensure that the transaction will go through. For example, suppose the original fee calculated for a transaction was 10 XRP drops but at the instant the transaction is submitted the server is experiencing a higher load and it has raised its minimum fee to 12 XRP drops. Without a fee_cusion
, this transaction would not be processed by the server, but with a fee_cusion
of, say, 1.5 it would be processed and you would just pay the 2 extra XRP drops.
The max_fee
option can be used to avoid submitting a transaction to a server that is charging unreasonably high fees.
##Submitting a trade offer to the network
Submitting a trade offer to the network is similar to submitting a payment transaction. Here is an example offering to sell 1 USD in exchange for 100 XRP:
/* Loading ripple-lib Remote and Amount modules in Node.js */
var Remote = require('ripple-lib').Remote;
var Amount = require('ripple-lib').Amount;
/* Loading ripple-lib Remote and Amount modules in a webpage */
// var Remote = ripple.Remote;
// var Amount = ripple.Amount;
var MY_ADDRESS = 'rrrMyAddress';
var MY_SECRET = 'secret';
var GATEWAY = 'rrrGateWay';
var remote = new Remote({ /* Remote options */ });
remote.connect(function() {
remote.setSecret(MY_ADDRESS, MY_SECRET);
var transaction = remote.createTransaction('OfferCreate', {
account: MY_ADDRESS,
taker_pays: '100',
taker_gets: '1/USD/' + GATEWAY
});
transaction.submit(function(err, res) {
/* handle submission errors / success */
});
});