Hifi-IFPS "Heimdall"

Web Node Proof of Concept

This is a proof of concept repository for rapidly setting up a service that allows one to upload Assets for High Fidelity via the IPFS and keep track of what has been uploaded to it.

Others may use this as a template to improve upon to make their own host nodes for ipfs with their own services.

Caution

• IPFS is still in early development. See ipfs.io for more details
• IPFS Can be quite a bandwidth and cpu hog. Suggest using it in a Droplet instead of EC2.
• Use at your own risk if you have opened ports to the service.

Requirements

• Docker
• Docker Compose

Structure

• app folder contains the source of the Basic Python Flask web service that is used to interface with ipfs
• Dockerfile contains the Docker build file to build the python Flask webservice.
• docker-compose.yml contains the docker compose file to run the entire service stack. This includes:
  • gatekeeper - Built in this repository. Filters content that goes to the ipfs and gives a barebones ui to track what has been sent to it.
  • ipfs - Interplanetary File System Node https://github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs
  • db - Simple Credentials access control and Keeping track of file hashes, as a PSQL db example

The repository of it self contains both the python files for the prototype web service, and the docker compose file to start the entire service.

To run

To run the service You first need to create an .env file with a secret key like

SECRET_KEY="This is a secret that should be unique replaced. Do not use this, make your own"

After you can use docker compose

docker-compose build;
docker-compose pull;
docker-compose up -d;

This builds the current state of the service, and starts the entire stack using docker compose.

Once built, you no longer need build the service again. Simply running docker-compose up -d will get the entire service up and running.

If developing and you wish to rebuild the gatekeeper, use the

source rebuild.sh

Shortcut to build the python service.

Basics Docker-Compose

• docker-compose build - build anything that needs building.
• docker-compose pull - grabs all the latest versions of the files
• docker-compose up -d - puts all the services online, detachhed
• docker-compose down - shut down all the services

Dev Requirements

To continue developing the project on your own or in your own fork, make sure to install the pip packages

The Current dev setup uses

pip install Flask==1.0.2 ipfsapi==0.4.3 flask_sqlalchemy==2.3.2 flask-marshmallow==0.9.0 Flask-Migrate==2.2.1 psycopg2-binary==2.7.5 python-dotenv==0.8.2

Feel free to update versions as they get update, and if you do, submit a pull request.

Gatekeeper Routes

• /plugin_routes - Gives an overview of available routes for any plugin to use. This should always be available, as plugins will use this as references
• /new
  • GET - Interface for generating pseudoanonymous tokens that behave as username - token pairs
  • POST - Generates a unique token for username, returns it in JSON
• /uploads - Login to check all the IPFS files uploaded on this username - token combo.
  • GET - Interface for generating
  • POST - Lists all IPFS links uploaded with username - token pair, returned as JSON
• /upload
  • GET - Interface to push zip / fbx files with. Needs username and token.
  • POST - multipart/form-data, where "file" should be a zip file, and username token should be defined

Plugins and /plugin_routes

/plugin_routes This allows the service to be developed in other languages as well, if one so wishes, using their own route conventions. The routes is the first thing loaded by a Modelling package plugin (MPP), such as the Blender Plugin. This should return a json map with the following keys:

• new_user - should point to an interface where the user can generate a new identity. The MMP should simply open the browser for the end user and point it to this url.
• asset_upload - Should point to a POST interface which allows MMPs to POST a multipart/form-data file, with a username and token
• uploads - Should point to an interface where the user can check all the links generated under their account that point to the ipfs and manage it there.

Enable HTTPS / TSL with the Docker Container

If you want to make a public gateway, you are doing it at your own risk, but it would always be good to have some transport security.

You can use certbot + lets encrypt to create a certificate for your dns domain. Once it is generated on the same server, it can be found under /etc/letsencrypt/live/<domain>.

Then you can modify the volume to be referred to in the docker-compose.yml file, and modify the nginx/conf.d/nginx.conf file to suit your needs.

License

See LICENSE.md