Dev Release 66

Greetings BlockDAG Community,

Introduction
As we await review from both Apple and Google for the BlockDAG X1 application, we have already begun planning the next phase of development on the backend. 
Here are the key features and enhancements we aim to deliver in the coming months:
1. Enhancement in Login Flow
We are revamping the login flow to streamline the user experience. The sign-up and sign-in screens will be combined into a single, seamless interface, making it easier and quicker for users to access their accounts. This enhancement will reduce friction and improve user satisfaction.
2. Wallet Module
A major addition in the next phase is the introduction of a non-custodial wallet module. This feature will allow users to securely send and receive BDAG coins. As a non-custodial wallet, users will have full control over their private keys and funds. It's important to note that the wallet will not support buying or selling BDAG coins, focusing solely on transaction capabilities to ensure security and simplicity.
3. Push Notifications
We are also integrating push notifications to keep users informed and engaged. Users will receive notifications for key activities such as transaction confirmations, security alerts, and important updates. This feature will enhance user engagement by providing timely and relevant information directly to their devices.

Conclusion & Next steps:
These enhancements and new features are designed to improve the overall user experience, security, and functionality of the BlockDAG X1 application. We are committed to continuously improving our application and delivering valuable updates to our users. Stay tuned for these exciting developments!

Introduction
Deploying a blockchain explorer is a crucial step in providing users with a detailed view of the blockchain's activities. For BlockDAG, a scalable and reliable infrastructure is essential to ensure smooth operations and quick access to blockchain data. This post will outline the architecture for deploying a blockchain explorer on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and include Terraform code snippets for each component.
AWS Architecture Diagram Overview
Components Breakdown:
Following are the component breakdown/ pointers that are kept in mind while making a server setup.

1. Load Balancer

• AWS Service: Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)
• Purpose: Distributes incoming traffic across multiple EC2 instances, ensuring no single instance is overwhelmed. This helps in achieving high availability and fault tolerance.
   

2. Web Servers

• AWS Service: Amazon EC2
• Purpose: Hosts the frontend application of the blockchain explorer. Multiple EC2 instances are deployed across different availability zones for redundancy.
   

3. Application Servers

• AWS Service: Amazon EC2
• Purpose: Runs the backend services, handling API requests and interfacing with the blockchain nodes. These instances are also distributed across multiple availability zones.

 

4. Blockchain Nodes

• AWS Service: Amazon EC2 (or managed blockchain services)
• Purpose: These are the core components that connect to the BlockDAG network, retrieving and broadcasting transaction data. Nodes are synchronized to ensure data consistency and availability.
   

5. Database

• AWS Service: Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service)
• Purpose: Stores blockchain data, such as transactions, blocks, and smart contract information. RDS provides automated backups, snapshots, and failover capabilities to maintain data integrity.

 

6. Cache

• AWS Service: Amazon ElastiCache (Redis or Memcached)
• Purpose: Caches frequently accessed data to reduce database load and speed up response times. This is critical for performance optimization.

 

7. Search Engine

• AWS Service: Amazon OpenSearch Service (formerly Elasticsearch)
• Purpose: Provides powerful search capabilities for the blockchain explorer, enabling users to quickly find transactions, blocks, and addresses.
  
   

8. File Storage

• AWS Service: Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)
• Purpose: Stores static files such as logs, configuration files, and backups. S3 ensures high durability and availability of stored data.

 

9. Monitoring and Logging

• AWS Services: Amazon CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail
• Purpose: CloudWatch monitors the performance of the infrastructure, while CloudTrail provides auditing and logging of API calls. Together, they ensure the health and security of the deployment.

 

10. Security

• AWS Services: AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall), and AWS Shield
• Purpose: IAM manages access to AWS resources, WAF protects against common web exploits, and Shield provides DDoS protection.
   

We are also writing the terraform around this, Here are few reasons why we are working on that too:
We are leveraging Terraform to automate the process of deploying the infrastructure for our blockchain explorer. Terraform helps us achieve:

1. Consistency and Repeatability: Terraform ensures that infrastructure deployment is consistent across different environments. By defining the infrastructure as code, you can easily replicate the same setup in development, staging, and production environments.
2. Speed and Efficiency: Terraform streamlines the deployment process, making server deployment faster. This is particularly crucial as we prepare for the Mainnet launch, ensuring that our infrastructure is ready without delays.
3. Error Reduction: Automating the deployment process with Terraform minimizes the risk of human error, ensuring that the infrastructure is configured correctly and reliably every time.

By using Terraform, we can focus on developing and improving the blockchain explorer, confident that our infrastructure will be robust, scalable, and ready for Mainnet.

Stay tuned for more updates on the terraform and explorer delivery!