Hello, and welcome back to another Progress Update from Greymass! We hope everyone in the Antelope community had a joyful holiday season.
We’re kicking off 2023 strong with some exciting changes for Anchor — an update with big (some might say global) repercussions for Anchor Android and iOS are just around the corner, and a recent update to Anchor Desktop is already improving users’ lives. We’re also keeping the momentum going on Wharf, with considerable progress on the Session Kit. More details below!
Anchor Updates
For Android
In the coming days, we will soon be releasing Anchor Android version 0.46. Users can look forward to:
- Support for language localization — If you’ve ever wanted to use Anchor in another language, we’re a big step closer to making that a reality! Localization support for Anchor Android will allow us to easily have the app translated into new languages in the future, so that a wider audience can comfortably use Anchor. This has been a long time coming and a considerable amount of work for our developers, so we’re excited to launch it with version 0.46.
- Upgrades for React Native and app dependencies — Anchor will now be using the latest versions of the third party libraries that it relies upon. This update became necessary because a few of the older versions weren’t being reliably maintained, whereas the newer versions have better upkeep and are therefore the better choice for maintaining users’ security.
- Reduction in app size — While updating Anchor’s project dependencies, we put in a concerted effort to only take the code we needed from third party libraries and to leave the rest, and as a result reduced the app bundle size. (In other words, we Marie-Kondo’d Anchor. The code that didn’t spark joy, we got rid of!)
- Introducing audited libraries — We implemented audited versions of critical project libraries, making it impossible for a third party to inject malicious code into one of Anchor’s dependencies.
- Quality of life improvements — Users will benefit from various bug fixes and better error handling in numerous situations, making potential issues clearer and easier to resolve.
For iOS
Anchor iOS users can also look forward to an update soon, which will include:
- Support for language localization — Don’t worry, we’re not leaving iOS users out of the language party! With the next update, we’ll be introducing localization support so that both mobile versions of Anchor can be translated into multiple languages in the future. If there’s a particular language that you would like the app available in, or if you know of any good translators, let us know!
- Quality of life improvements — Users will benefit from various bug fixes and better error handling in numerous situations, making potential issues clearer and easier to resolve.
For Desktop
We’ve recently released version 1.3.9 for Anchor Desktop. Users can now enjoy:
- Support for Fuel on Jungle4 — If you use the Jungle4 testnet on desktop, you will now be able to benefit from roughly 25 free transactions per day (5ms free CPU per day) through Fuel. You can also choose to use Fuel for further resource management.
- A fix for corrupted request keys — Occasionally, a user’s request key can be invalid because the data was corrupted. If you ever suspect this has happened to you, you now have the power to fix it by manually resetting your request key under Tools > Link Service > Show the Request Key.
- Greater ABI caching control for developers — By default, Anchor saves a temporary copy of all the smart contract code that users interact with. When developers are working with Anchor Desktop to test their code and their contract changes, this caching can lead to frustrating situations where the old code is used. For this reason, we’ve added the option to manually empty the cache under ABI Cache Management in the Tools section. Here’s to faster testing!
- Lowering connectivity requirements — If you’ve ever tried to use Anchor with spotty wifi, chances are you’ve run into some issues. We’ve now improved connectivity for the anchor-link libraries, so that it’s easier for Anchor to stay connected even in bad conditions. (Although we hope your wifi gets better soon!)
Wharf Updates
Progress on Wharf (the erstwhile SDK Project) is chugging along, with most of our focus currently going towards the Session Kit. The Session Kit isn’t production-ready quite yet, but it is now ready for testing and feedback, so we welcome all developers in the space to come check it out!
But what is the Session Kit, you ask?
We borrowed the technical concept of a “session” in Web 2.0 development for this software development kit, where a session represents the connection between an authenticated device and a remote application server. When a user authenticates against an application server, a session is established which allows further actions to be performed by a specific device.
The Session Kit keeps this concept intact when developing for Antelope by changing the mechanics under the hood, while still retaining similarities to what is expected in a Web 2.0 world. The authentication step is no longer always required, and instead each session is capable of providing the means to generate transaction signatures, whether that be directly by the Session Kit or by connecting with an external wallet.
Examples of how the Session Kit could be used in the future include: writing scripts for services like sending NFTs or voting for block producers, building user interactions such as logging in and identity verification, etc.
If you would like to learn more about the Session Kit or aid in testing, please check out A Technical Preview of the Session Kit in Wharf by Aaron Cox. We welcome your feedback!
In Other News…
API Updates for WAX
We’re currently working on upgrading the servers that Greymass uses to provide APIs for the WAX blockchain. These APIs provide services such as WAX account creation and giving wallet users access to their WAX token balances, among others. Set-up is currently underway, with careful consideration to ensure that users don’t experience any service delays. These new servers will lead to increased speed and reliability, improving the experience for both developers and users who rely upon our APIs for WAX information.
New Content
Don’t want this update to end? Need more Greymass content in your life? In addition to Aaron’s blog post on the Session Kit, you can check out:
- Key Safety — Thoughts on Private Key Best Practices, the latest podcast episode of Coffee With Greymass. In it, you’ll find out why private keys are almost never “hacked,” learn how your key could be compromised before it ever reaches you, and get Aaron and Tony’s best tips for keeping your private key safe.
- 6 Things You Should Know Before Starting A Crypto-Native Company, a Medium post where we share all the hard-won knowledge we’ve learned from running Greymass in the crypto space. For instance, did you know that in some countries, you legally can’t pay your employees in crypto?
And that’s all for now, folks! Stay safe out there, and we’ll see you in the next progress update.
