Welcome to nilDB

Nillion is a secure computation network that decentralizes trust for high-value, sensitive, and private data in the same way that blockchains decentralize transactions. Learn more about nillion and nilDB in our docs.

Prerequisites

• Node.js ≥ 23.0
• pnpm
• Docker

Set up development environment

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone git@github.com:NillionNetwork/nil-db.git
   cd nil-db

2. Install dependencies and set up environment:

   pnpm install
   pnpm install-hooks
   cp .env.example .env

3. If desired, configure your .env file with appropriate values.

Running the API

1. Start MonogDB:

   docker run -d -p 27017:27017 mongo:8

2. Start the API:

   pnpm dev # or start for non-watch mode

Tests

Run the test suite:

pnpm test

Note:

• Tests use a dedicated test database
• The test database is dropped at the start of each test run
• Test database state is preserved after runs for inspection

Getting started

This section provides a high level flow to help orientate yourself as a nilDB admin.

1. Root credentials are set by the env var APP_ROOT_USER_SECRET_KEY.

2. After starting your node you can access its public key with:

   curl ${NODE_URL}/about
   
   {
     "started": "2025-01-14T12:10:30.707Z",
     "build": {
       "time": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z",
       "commit": "unknown",
       "version": "0.0.0"
     },
     "did": "did:nil:testnet:nillion1eunreuzltxglx9fx493l2r8ef6rdlrau4dsdnc",
     "publicKey": "02d1f198df9a64ffa27c293861bace8c80bd6b1e150e008267f7f94eae9e6c380c",
     "url": "http://localhost:8080"
   }

3. Now, create a root jwt using the nodes public key and your root secret key:

   tsc bin/credentials.ts --secret-key ${APP_ROOT_USER_SECRET_KEY} --node-public-key ${APP_NODE_PUBLIC_KEY}

4. Generate admin credentials:

   tsx bin/credentials.ts 

5. Use the root jwt to create the admin account:

   curl ${NODE_URL}/api/v1/admin/accounts \
     --header "authorization: bearer ${ROOT_JWT}" \
     --header "content-type: application/json" \
     -d '{ "did": "${ADMIN_DID}", "publicKey": "${ADMIN_PK}" }'

6. Once the account is created generate a JWT for your admin and the target node:

   tsx bin/credentials.ts --secret-key ${ADMIN_USER_SECRET_KEY} --node-public-key ${APP_NODE_PUBLIC_KEY}

OpenApi Documentation

When the node is running a swagger ui is available at /api/v1/openapi/docs/. The UI is based on this openapi specification.

Note: Admin routes are not documented.

Contributing

1. Open an issue to discuss proposed changes
2. Submit a pull request with your changes
3. Ensure all tests pass and documentation is updated