Block API

The Block API is the single endpoint for authoring IPLD data structures. Unless you're implementing a new codec you can get everything you need from the Block API: encoding, decoding, cid creation w/ hashing.

Block.encoder(object, codec, algorithm = 'sha2-256')

Create a Block instance from a native object.

The cid as well as encoding will not happen until requested and then will be cached when appropriate.

let block = Block.encoder({hello: 'world'}, 'dag-cbor')

Returns a Block instance.

Block.decoder(binary, codec, algorithm = 'sha2-256')

Create a Block instance from an existing binary encoded block

The cid as well as decoding will not happen until requested and then will be cached when appropriate.

let block = Block.decoder(someBuffer, 'dag-cbor')

Returns a Block instance.

Block.create(binary, cid)

Create a new block from the raw binary data and cid.

cid can be an instance of CID or a base encoded string of a cid.

Returns a Block instance.

Block(opts)

Once a block instance is created the information represented in the block is considered immutable.

block.decode()

Promise that resolves to a native JavaScript object decoded from the block data.

A new object is returned on every call. The decoding is not cached because it is likely to be mutated by the consumer.

block.cid()

Promise that resolves to a cid instance. Cached after creation.

block.encode()

Promise that resolves to a Buffer instance encoded from the source input.

block.reader()

Returns an instance of Reader() from the codec implementation.

block.validate()

Returns true/false if the CID's multihash matches the given block.

If a CID hasn't been created yet it will return true since we know the hash will match in our eventually created CID.