README.md

Smart Contracts without Blockchain Dependency

Overview

Smart Contracts is a Node.js-based application that allows the creation, validation, and execution of smart contracts without relying on blockchain technology. It features a distributed architecture with nodes, events, and state management, providing a scalable and secure solution for contract automation.

Table of Contents

1. Features
2. Architecture
3. Setup Instructions
4. Deployment Guide
5. API Documentation
6. Usage Guide
7. Testing
8. Contributing
9. License

Features

• Decentralized Smart Contracts: Create and manage contracts without the need for blockchain technology.
• Event-Driven Architecture: Events trigger contract actions and state changes dynamically.
• State Management: Synchronizes state across distributed nodes for consistency.
• Security: Implements JWT-based authentication, encryption, and role-based access control.
• Scalable and Extensible: Easily add nodes and scale horizontally for distributed systems.

Architecture

The application uses a modular architecture with the following main components:

1. API Layer: Exposes endpoints for managing contracts, nodes, and events.
2. Contracts: Handles the creation, validation, execution, and logging of smart contracts.
3. Nodes: Manages node registration, health monitoring, and state synchronization.
4. Events: Manages the triggering and processing of events within the system.
5. State Management: Ensures consistent state synchronization across nodes.
6. Security: Provides authentication and authorization mechanisms for secure access.

For a more detailed overview of the architecture, please refer to the Architecture Overview.

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v14+)
• npm (Node Package Manager)
• MongoDB (for local or remote database)
• Docker (optional, for Docker-based deployment)

Installation

There are two ways to install the application:

1. Installing via npm

If you prefer to install the application as an npm package, run:

npm install smartcontracts.js

2. Cloning the Repository

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/VSPaone/smart-contracts.git
   cd smart-contracts

2. Install Dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set Up Environment Variables:

   • Create a .env file in the root directory (refer to the development.env, production.env, and test.env files for examples).

4. Run the Application:

   • For development:

     npm run dev

   • For production:

     npm start

Deployment Guide

The application can be deployed using Docker or directly on a cloud platform. For a step-by-step guide, refer to the Deployment Guide.

Docker Deployment

To build and run the application using Docker:

docker-compose up -d

Traditional Deployment

If you prefer not to use Docker, the guide provides instructions for setting up the application manually on your server.

API Documentation

The API documentation provides a comprehensive overview of all available endpoints, including request and response formats. Refer to the API Documentation for detailed information.

Usage Guide

Learn how to create, manage, and execute contracts, as well as manage nodes and events, by consulting the Usage Guide.

Testing

The application uses Mocha and Chai for testing, and you can run tests using the following command:

npm test

Make sure you have the testing environment set up (refer to test.env).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps to contribute:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch (git checkout -b feature-branch).
3. Make your changes and commit them (git commit -m 'Add new feature').
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature-branch).
5. Open a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the ISC License. For more details, see the LICENSE file.