æternity Wallets, Browser Extensions and SDK Improvements

In the past few weeks all product developers continued their efforts to make it as easy as possible for users and developers to utilize the æternity infrastructure.

Here are some of the interesting developments coming from the æpps-focused teams.

æternity Browser Wællet Extension

The MetaMask-like browser wallet extension — Wællet — aims to integrate with æpps making it easy for users and developers alike to experience the advantages of blockchain technology firsthand. During the last two weeks, Milen, the Wællet project leader, managed to:

publish the browser extension in the Chrome Web Store, where it can now be downloaded for installation and testing;
sync his work with the efforts of the Base æpp team;
research the best approach to establish a connection between the Wællet and a decentralized application.

Enabling a Website Tipping Functionality in the Wællet

Milen also worked on enabling a website tipping function in the Wællet. The idea is similar to the more advanced functionality of the Brave browser — Brave Rewards. However, in the case of the Wællet – any website can receive a tip, even before the site owner has created an AE account.

In order to make this work, apart from enabling tipping inside the Wællet, Milen is also programming the Sophia smart contracts that will manage tips, and creating two Oracles that will assist with domain records verification. The smart contracts will function as a tipping jar and will store AE tips for any website. Once the website admin claims the domain by adding a challenge string to the DNS records, they can access the AE tokens through the Wællet. The oracles will be used to read challenge strings and associate tips with domain owners (up to the domain expiration date).

That is a completely transparent and decentralized way of supporting websites and rewarding them for the great content or service they provide.

Unlike Brave, website verification does not involve a “Get Verified Now” process.

Milen is looking for any feedback on the Wællet browser extension. If you spot any issues, or just want to thank Milen for being an amazing person and developer, access this Forum topic.

Here is Milen “in the flesh”, with updates for you:

Base æpp — Focus on Hybrid Voting

The Base æpp is æternity’s original account manager (wallet) and gateway to the world of æpps. Its latest release — v0.8.0 — featured a number of improvements that made the UI of the æpp even better. There will be an update fully dedicated to that release, but we have added information related to some of the enhancements below. Here are the Hybrid Voting æpp features that were developed during the past two weeks:

Ledger integration — users can now sign transactions in a desktop browser using a Ledger hardware wallet. The user account(s) on the Ledger device is now visible in the mobile and desktop versions of the Base æpp. This allowed for AE tokens stored on a Ledger to be used in the BRI voting.
AirGap integration (separate mobile device) — users can now connect an AirGap Vault account (on a separate device) to the Base æpp and sign transactions with that account. This, again, enabled on-chain voting through Base.
Incorporation of the Hybrid Voting æpp. Most of the work during the last few weeks was dedicated to supporting third-party æpps (like the Hybrid Voting æpp) running inside the Base æpp.

Here is what version 0.8.0 of the Base æpp looks like now:

*Apart from the integration of the Hybrid Voting æpp, another major improvement is the addition of the* ***transaction history***.

If you have any comments on the Base æpp functionalities or design, share them in the Forum.

You can also join the Base æpp feedback-dedicated group in Telegram. Before requesting access to the Telegram group, however, please fill in this short form:

https://forms.gle/HVmQomLNjkL2jtGt6

AirGap Wallet

AirGap is an alternative æternity wallet (account manager) that implements a two-device approach (AirGap Wallet and AirGap Vault) for secure cold storage of AE tokens. Using only the AirGap Wallet is also possible to manage AE tokens. During the last few weeks, the AirGap/Papers team introduced a number of updates.

AirGap Wallet — The wallet update from ionic 3 to ionic 4 is ongoing. It will help make the application future-proof. The æternity transaction list now supports transaction times. Exchange support for AE tokens is currently being developed. A Chrome extension should also be available soon. AirGap Wallet v2.3.1 was released for Android and iOS with æternity transaction list supporting transaction times and a number of deeplinking improvements.
AirGap Vault — The Vault was integrated with æternity’s Hybrid Voting æpp.

For comments and questions — the Forum is the place to be.

Here is the proof of concept video for the AirGap æternity Chrome wallet extension:

SDK and Middleware Updates

Enabling Oracle and State Channel support in the SDKs has been the primary focus here.

Python SDK — Support for state channels has started. The command line was improved to show human-readable numbers, and transferring part of one’s balance is now possible in both SDK and CLI. More state channel work coming in the next sprint.
Go SDK — Support for oracles has started, with the goal to improve the stability of oracles and introducing the æternity Naming System (AENS).
JS SDK —The stability of state channels was improved and support for the ACI (external) compiler has been added. For the next sprint, the focus will be on preparations for the Fortuna hard fork and introducing generalized accounts.
Middleware — The preparation of a high-performance hosting environment is already underway. This will improve the Middleware’s availability. Fixes and library updates were introduced. CORS now works even with Origin.

For more details and if you have any questions/comments, please visit:

https://forum.aeternity.com/t/week-18-sdk-and-middleware-update/3359

If you want to stay up-to-date with the work of all æternity development teams, join the weekly Product Coordinator calls: