Layer 4: API Layer

Background

As the top level of the library, the API layer provides the final mapping from protobuf requests & responses to the API functions that the user calls.

Bluzelle allows for basic operations (create, read, update, delete) alongside administrative calls (createDB, deleteDB, addWriters, ..). See bluzelle-js.

There is also a "status" call that is independent of the database calls. It receives swarm metadata.

Specification

• Outgoing messages are of thedatabase_msg or status_request types.

• Incoming messages are of thedatabase_response or status_responsetypes.

• Requests and responses are always matched up (ie. a read_request receives a read_response).

  • Any message can receive a database_error, which has an embedded error message.

• As shown in database.proto, keys are strings and values are binary.

  • Keys should be enforced to 4kB and values to 256kB.

• The API should be non-blocking while asynchronous calls are being made (there are usually language-dependent constructions for handling asynchronous behavior).