Introduction
Bundlr has evolved into Irys, symbolizing our position as the only provenance layer. A provenance layer is a ledger of record for digital information, tracking the origins and modifications of data. Data on a provenance layer is permanent, precise, and unconstrained. Building on this, we're taking a pivotal step forward.
Today, we are upgrading all of our existing tools and releasing many new ones. These tools combine to make it easier than ever before to permanently store data and precisely order transactions.
Read on to learn how you can be a part of this journey with us.
TL;DR
- Irys SDK now provides a signed receipt that includes a millisecond-accurate timestamp for all uploads
- Using Irys in the browser is faster and easier with enhanced provider support and more upload functions
- A new query package simplifies searching both Irys and Arweave
- The Provenance Toolkit has been updated to support the Irys SDK and query package
- A suite of public goods tools are now available, including Whistleblower, Explorer, and the Irys Arweave package
- We’ve launched Irys Improvement Proposals, a pathway for community members to play an active role in our evolution
- All existing legacy packages will be maintained for one year and will continue to work for at least 2 years. All domains will be supported in perpetuity (e.g. https://node1.bundlr.network)
New Developer Tools
To enhance the developer experience, we're rolling out major updates across three key components: the Irys SDK, a new query package, and the Provenance Toolkit. Here's what you need to know:
Irys SDK
We have upgraded and overhauled the Irys SDK, making it faster and easier to use.
All upload functions now return a receipt that can be used to permissionlessly verify your data’s provenance. This receipt contains a timestamp, accurate to the millisecond, of when your upload happened, along with other metadata. This empowers builders to create dApps in which transaction order is important; everything from a social media feed to an entire provenance chain can easily be built.
Interacting with Irys via the browser has also been optimized. In the past, using providers other than Ethers 5 required extra setup code unique to each provider. Now, we natively support multiple different provider types, and users who want to add support for more are encouraged to open an issue on the repository.
And finally, we added browser support for the uploadFolder() function. By passing an array of File objects, the function creates a nested bundle and a manifest before uploading to Irys. This replaces the previously cumbersome one-at-a-time file upload process, which required individual wallet confirmations for each file.
Query package
We’re excited to introduce the Irys query package, a JavaScript package users can use to search both Irys and Arweave. Prior to its introduction, the only way to search Irys and Arweave was to perform raw GraphQL queries, an additional learning curve for many users. The new query package abstracts GraphQL’s intricacies into an intuitive, type-safe builder syntax that lets users focus on getting the data they want when they want it.
Using the query package, users can search for and order results based on upload timestamps, tags, transaction ID, and token. This facilitates the creation of semi-relational data models, morphing isolated transactions into a web of interconnected information.
Provenance Toolkit
The Provenance Toolkit, a collection of UI components you can use to kickstart your next project, has been fully updated to use the new Irys SDK and query package. The toolkit contains UI components to manage node balances, upload files, perform gassless uploads, attach Universal Data Licenses (UDL) to data, and more.
Public Goods
As part of our commitment to fostering a robust and open ecosystem, we're excited to release a series of public goods designed to enhance transparency, provide analytics, and increase ease of use. Let's dive in:
Whistleblower
Whistleblower is a light client for monitoring transactions uploaded to Irys, verifying they are finalized on Arweave and seeded to miners. It can be easily deployed on any computer with a single command argument, making transaction monitoring both simple and accessible.
Explorer
The Explorer is a transaction inspection and analytics tool, enabling real-time queries of transactions and bundles and tracking of transaction lifecycle from upload to final confirmation on Arweave.
Irys Arweave package
The Arweave package is a fork of arweave-js that introduces better typing, increased NodeJS compatibility, and better support for using streams by integrating code from arweave-stream-tx.
Irys Improvement Proposal (IIP)
Finally, with Irys Improvement Proposals (IIPs), we’re opening up a pathway for community members to shape the future of Irys. Irys’ strength comes from its active community, people who share our conviction that everyone’s rights should be enforced at the data level through strong provenance. Now, community members can submit an improvement proposal via an open-source GitHub repository. These proposals allow members to suggest enhancements or modifications to the Irys protocol, new tools, and enhancements to the developer experience.
Getting started
If you have an existing project built using existing Bundlr tools, we have an easy 5-step migration guide covering how to update your code.
For new projects, dive in and start with our SDK, the query package, and the Provenance Toolkit.
Current users should feel comfortable upgrading when they are ready; all existing legacy packages will be maintained for one year and will continue to work for at least 2 years. All domains will be supported in perpetuity (e.g., https://node1.bundlr.network)
As always, if you have questions or problems, please ask in our Discord.
I can’t wait to see what you’re going to build!
