327 lines
16 KiB
ReStructuredText
327 lines
16 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. _software_architecture:
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Tezos Software Architecture
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===========================
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This document contains two section. The first section, which should be
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readable by anyone, describes the main elements of Tezos from a
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distance. It abstracts from all plumbing and both internal and system
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dependencies to give a simple view of the main components, their
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responsibilities and interactions. The second part is written for
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developers, and is at the level of OPAM packages.
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The Big Picture
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---------------
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.. _the_big_picture:
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The diagram below shows a very coarse grained architecture of Tezos.
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|Tezos architecture diagram|
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The characteristic that makes Tezos unique is its self-amending
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property. The part that amends itself is called the *economic protocol*
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(the green eye of the octopus), sometimes abbreviated by protocol or
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even proto in the source code. The rest of a Tezos node is what we call
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the *shell* (the blue octopus).
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The protocol is responsible for interpreting the transactions and other
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administrative operations. It also has the responsibility to detect
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erroneous blocks.
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An important thing to notice is that the protocol always sees only one
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block chain. In other words, a linear sequence of blocks since the
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genesis. It does not know that it lives in an open network where nodes
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can propose alternative heads.
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Only the shell knows about the multiple heads. It is responsible for
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choosing between the various chain proposals that come from the bakers
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(the programs that cook new blocks) of the network. The shell has the
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responsibility of selecting and downloading alternative chains, feed
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them to the protocol, which in turn has the responsibility to check them
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for errors, and give them an absolute score. The shell then simply
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selects the valid head of highest absolute score. This part of the shell
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is called :ref:`the validator<validation>`.
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The rest of the shell includes the peer-to-peer layer, the disk storage
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of blocks, the operations to allow the node to transmit the chain data
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to new nodes and the versioned state of the ledger. Inbetween the
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validator, the peer-to-peer layer and the storage sits a component
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called the distributed database, that abstracts the fetching and
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replication of new chain data to the validator.
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Protocols are compiled using a tweaked OCaml compiler (green part on the
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left of the picture) that does two things. First, it checks that the
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protocol’s main module has the right type. A good analogy is to see
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protocol as plug-ins, and in this case, it means that it respects the
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common plugin interface. Then, it restricts the typing environment of
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the protocol’s code so that it only calls authorized modules and
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functions. Seeing protocols as plug-ins, it means that the code only
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called primitives from the plug-in API. It is a form of statically
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enforced sandboxing.
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Finally, the RPC layer (in yellow on the right in the picture) is an
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important part of the node. It is how the client, third party
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applications and daemons can interact with the node and introspect its
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state. This component uses the mainstream JSON format and HTTP protocol.
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It uses in-house libraries ``ocplib-resto`` and ``ocplib-json-typed``
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(via the module :ref:`Data_encoding <data_encoding>`). It
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is fully inter-operable, and auto descriptive, using JSON schema.
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.. |Tezos architecture diagram| image:: octopus.svg
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Software Architecture and Package Relashionships
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------------------------------------------------
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.. _packages:
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The diagram below shows the main OPAM packages present in the source
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code of Tezos, and their dependencies. The ``tezos-`` prefix has been
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dropped for clarity.
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|Tezos source packages diagram|
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In green at the bottom are binaries. Hilighted in yellow are the OPAM
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packages (sometimes with shortened names). Black arrows show direct
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dependencies. Orange arrows show other indirect relashionships (code
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generation, interface sharing), explained below. The part circled in
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blue, contains modules that bear no dependency to Unix, and can thus
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be compiled to JavaScript. External dependencies are not shown in this
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illustration.
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Base and below
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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At the center, the :package:`tezos-base` package is where
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the blockchain specific code starts. Before it are the set of libraries
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that are used everywhere for basic operations.
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- :package:`tezos-stdlib` contains a few extensions over the
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OCaml standard library (a few string primitives, an ``Option``
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module, etc.), a few ``Lwt`` utilities, and a ``Compare`` module
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that implements monomorphic comparison operators.
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- :package:`tezos-data-encoding` is the in-house
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comibnator-based serialization library. From a single type
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description ``t encoding``, the code can read to and write from
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values of type ``t`` both binary and JSON representations. For
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both, the library provides machine and human-redable documentations
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by the use of documentation combinators. The JSON part depends on
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:opam:`ocplib-json-typed`.
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A :ref:`tutorial<data_encoding>` is available for this library.
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- :package:`tezos-error-monad` is an in-house monadic
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interface to the OCaml ``('a, 'b) result`` type, that fixes the
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``'b`` to an extensible type ``error`` (actually a list, to hold an
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error trace). When extending the type, programmers must also call
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the ``register_error`` function that registers a pretty printer and
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an encoding for serialization.
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A :ref:`tutorial<error_monad>` is available for this library.
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- :package:`tezos-rpc` provides the basics of Tezos' RPC service
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mechanism. It provides combinators for building service hierarchies
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à la Ocsigen/Eliom, registering and calling services. This module
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is based on :opam:`ocplib-resto`, that allows for automatic
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generation of a machine and human-readable of the hierarchy of
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services: the structure of URLs and the expected formats for input
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and output bodies, via the use of ``data_encoding``.
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- :package:`tezos-crypto` wraps the external cryptography
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libraries that we use. We try to use minimal references
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implementations, with as thin as possible bindings. A possible plan
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is to use libraries from the HACL projet, so that all of our crypto
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is extracted from Fstar, either with thin C bindings or directly in
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OCaml.
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- :package:`tezos-micheline` is the concrete syntax used by
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Michelson, the language of smart contracts. It mostly contains the
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generic, untyped AST, a printer and a parser.
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- :package:`tezos-base` wraps all these module in a common foundation
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for all the other components of Tezos, and introduces the data
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structures of the blockchain (e.g. ``Block_hash``,
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``Block_header``, ``Block_locator``, ``Fitness``, ``P2p_identity``)
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that are shared between the shell, economic protocol, client,
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daemons and third party software. It also rewraps some modules from
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``crypto`` as functors that build all-in-one modules for a given
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type (for instance, the module for block hashes contains all
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possible converters, command line and RPC argument builders, pretty
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printers, an autocompleter, etc.). This package also contains the
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``cli_entries`` module that we use to handle command line parsing
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in some executables.
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The Shell
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~~~~~~~~~
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The shell is the part of the node responsible for all communications,
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peer-to-peer and RPC, acting as a cocoon around the economic
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protocols.
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- :package:`tezos-shell-services` contains the definition of the
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node's service hierarchy, and calling functions to use in the
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client (or any third party software). As this library is linked
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into the client to call the services in a type-safe way, only the
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description of services is done here. The registration of handlers
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is done in the rest of the node's implementation.
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- :package:`tezos-rpc-http` uses :opam:`cohttp` to implement the RPC
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over HTTP server and client, allowing to make actual use of
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services declared using :package:`tezos-rpc`.
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- :package:`tezos-p2p` is the in-house peer-to-peer layer.
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- :package:`tezos-storage` contains the raw simple key-value store
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used for the chain data, and the raw versioned key-value store
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used for storing the ledger's context (one version per
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block). This is implemented using :opam:`irmin` and currently
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:opam:`leveldb`.
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- :package:`tezos-protocol-updater` maintains the table of available
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protocol versions, embedded or dynamically linked.
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- :package:`tezos-shell` implements the scheduling of block
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validations, the mempool management, and the distributed database.
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A description is available in :ref:`this document<validation>`.
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The Economic Protocol Environment and Compiler
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Economic protocols are compiled by a specific version of the OCaml
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compiler. This compiler restricts the set of modules available to the
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economic protocol, as a form of static sandboxing. It also generates a
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functorized version of the protocol, to make the execution of the
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protocol in alternative environment possible.
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- :package:`tezos-protocol-environment-sigs` contains the modules
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that are available to the economic protocol. A review of this
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sandbox is available :ref:`here<protocol_environment>`. This
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modules include a stripped down standard library, and interfaces
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to the crypto APIs, RPC definitions, and key-value store.
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- :package:`tezos-protocol-compiler` is the compiler for economic
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protocols: an alternative driver to the OCaml
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:opam:`ocaml-compiler-libs` that typechecks within the protocol
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environment, and performs some more checks on the protocol code.
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- ``tezos-protocol-xxx`` is produced by the protocol compiler
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and contains a functorized version of protocol ``xxx`` that takes its
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standard library as parameter. This parameter can be filled with
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any of the implementations described in the two points below.
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- :package:`tezos-protocol-environment-shell` is the instance of the
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environment whose RPC service registration and storage access are
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the ones of the node. This is the environment that is fed by the
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node when loading new protocols.
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- :package:`tezos-protocol-environment` contains three alternative
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instances of the protocol environment: one whose context access
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function are dummy ones which can be used when only the types and
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non contextual functions of the protocol are needed, another that
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simulates the key-value store in memory for testing, and a functor
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that let you build an environment from a few context accessors.
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- ``tezos-embedded-protocol-xxx`` contains a version of protocol
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``xxx`` whose standard library is pre-instanciated to the shell's
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implementation, these are the ones that are linked into the
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node. It alse contains a module that registers the protocol in the
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node's protocol table.
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The Embedded Economic Protocols
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Three economic protocols are included in the main Tezos repository.
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- :package:`tezos-protocol-genesis`
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(:package:`tezos-embedded-protocol-genesis`) is the protocol of
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the genesis block. It accepts a single block, signed by a dictator
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whose public key is hardcoded, that single action is to switch to
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a new protocol chosen by the dictator.
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- :package:`tezos-protocol-alpha`
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(:package:`tezos-embedded-protocol-alpha`) is the first real
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protocol of Tezos. A :ref:`tutorial<entering_alpha>` is available
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to start reading the protocol's code.
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- :package:`tezos-protocol-demo`
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(:package:`tezos-embedded-protocol-demo`) is just a demo protocol
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that does nothing interesting but has the right shape.
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The Client Library
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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The client is split into many packages, to enforce three separation
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lines: shell vs economic protocol, Unix dependent vs Javascript
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compatible, and library vs command line interface.
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- :package:`tezos-client-base` define the client context, which is
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an object whose methods allow for: accessing a wallet of keys,
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interacting via the user, making RPC calls, and signing data using
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signer plug-ins. Most of the, including RPC calling functions from
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:package:`tezos-shell-services` and
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:package:`tezos-protocol-alpha`, are abstracted over this object
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type. That way, it is possible to use the same code for different
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platforms ot toolkits.
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- :package:`tezos-client-alpha` provides some functions to perform
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the operations of protocol alpha using the wallet and signers from
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the client context.
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- :package:`tezos-client-commands` plugs the basic context access
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functions from :package:`tezos-client-base` as handlers for the
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commands of the ``tezos-client`` command line wallet.
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- :package:`tezos-client-alpha-commands` plugs the functions from
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:package:`tezos-client-alpha` as handlers for the alpha specific
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commands of the ``tezos-client`` command line wallet.
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- :package:`tezos-client-genesis` contains the basic dictator
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commands available on the genesis protocol.
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- :package:`tezos-client-base-unix` implements configuration file
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and wallet storage in Unix files, user interaction via the Unix
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console, and terminal based signer plug-ins.
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Tests Packages
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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The tests are splitted into various packages, testing more and more
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elements while following the dependency chain. Use ``make test`` to
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run them.
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- :package-name:`tezos-client`
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(in directory :src:`src/bin_client/test/`):
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end-to-end tests as shell scripts that launch a local sandboxed node
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and performs various tasks using the client
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- :package-name:`tezos-p2p`
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(in directory :src:`src/lib_p2p/test/`):
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tests of the peer-to-peer layer, independently of the Tezos gossip
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protocol (establishing connections, propagating peers, etc.)
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- :package-name:`tezos-protocol-environment`
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(in directory :src:`src/lib_protocol_environment/test/`):
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tests for the in-memory context implementation.
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- :package-name:`tezos-shell`
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(in directory :src:`src/lib_shell/test/`):
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tests for the chain data storage.
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- :package-name:`tezos-stdlib`
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(in directory :src:`src/lib_stdlib/test/`):
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tests for the basic data structures.
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- :package-name:`tezos-storage`
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(in directory :src:`src/lib_storage/test/`):
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tests for the versioned key-value context.
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- :package-name:`tezos-client-alpha`, :package-name:`tezos-baking-alpha`
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(in directory :src:`src/proto_alpha/lib_baking/test/`):
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tests of the OCaml client library, performing various short
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scenarios via RPCs to a sandboxed node.
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- :package-name:`tezos-protocol-alpha`
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(in directory :src:`src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/`):
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tests of the alpha protocol (without launching a node).
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- :package-name:`tezos-crypto`
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(in directory :src:`src/lib_crypto/test/`):
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tests for the in-house merkle trees.
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- :package-name:`tezos-data-encoding`
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(in directory :src:`src/lib_data_encoding/test/`):
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tests for the JSON and binary serialization and deserialization.
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The Final Executables
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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- :package:`tezos-node` provides the node launcher binary
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``tezos-node``. All the algorithmic being implemented in the
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shell, this package only implements the node's CLI. It also
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provides the sandboxed node shell script launcher (see the main
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readme).
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- :package:`tezos-client` provides the ``tezos-client`` and
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``tezos-admin-client`` binaries. The former contains a small
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comand line wallet, the latter an administration tool for the
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node. It also provides a shell script that configures a shell
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environment to interact with a sandboxed node.
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- :package:`tezos-baker-alpha` provides the ``tezos-alpha-baker``
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binary.
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- :package:`tezos-protocol-compiler` provides the
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``tezos-protocol-compiler`` binary that is used by the node to
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compile new protocols on the fly, and that can be used for
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developping new protocols.
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.. |Tezos source packages diagram| image:: packages.svg
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