Improving the Corda developer experience - 4 tools for your coding pleasure!
By: Anthony Nixon
Tags: Distributed Ledgers, Corda, Cordapp, Blockchain Development, Developer Tools

IDE.Corda.net

What is ide.corda.net? It’s like a magical sand-box where both toddlers and adults alike can jump in and build cool stuff (or CorDapps) at any time, without any setup, and online instantly. It’s a persistent (your browser will generate a unique prefix to the URL, so your work will be saved) dockerized version of Visual Studio code, pre-loaded with Corda dependencies and sample projects. Whether you’re a new Corda developer who wants to learn and dabble without additional headache, or a seasoned guru who just needs to get their Corda-fix from a tablet sitting in a canoe in a jungle in Peru — this is the tool that makes dreams come true.

CorDapp development at your fingertips

Highlights

VSCode base upgraded to 1.42 (new features https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_42)

Test runner improvements and fixes for Corda projects

Integrated VSCode Corda extension (see below for details)

Now faster performance

Node explorer

(https://github.com/corda/node-explorer/releases)

If you’ve been a Corda commando for a while, you may have heard of this small tool buried in the docs.corda.net called node explorer which was part of a suite of tools called DemoBench. It was a basic app that had the brilliant foresight to allow viewing a node’s vault. However, it suffered from severe limitations and usability issues. Well, the concept has been re-created for mass consumption and is now available as standalone tool for Win, OSX, Linux. Download at the above link then check out this blog post for a deep dive https://medium.com/@ashuu.online/8df8e92bb1de!

In simple terms, if you are a new or existing CorDapp developer — you probably want to add this weapon to your arsenal. Let’s take a look at what you’ll be getting:

Login to your favorite nodes

Highlights

Connect to local and remote Corda nodes

Node information, installed CorDapps, and network params at a glance

Visual overview of your node’s network map and counter-parties

Run flows instantly with multiple constructors and parameter hinting

Explore the node vault through dynamic queries using clickable filters

VSCode Corda extension

In any style or color!

There’s a huge number of developers on Visual Studio Code right now, so it was a huge hit when the original extension was launched (https://www.corda.net/blog/visual-studio-code-fans-rejoice-vscode-corda-extension-is-out/). What is even better than an ice-cream on a hot Sunday afternoon? How about an ice-cream with hot chocolate drizzle and few chopped strawberries! Queue the new release highlights.

Highlights

Massively reduced extension size, performance tweaks and dependency reductions

Overhauled Node UI based on new node explorer

Remote node connections through SSH

Corda assemble command added

Improved terminal handling

Truffle Suite Corda-Flavored Ganache

(https://github.com/trufflesuite/ganache/releases/tag/v2.4.0)

If you’ve done prior development in the blockchain space, you may have heard of Truffle Suite. They have some of the hottest tooling in blockchain, allowing quick deployment and monitoring of local test-chains. Get uber productive by leveraging the Ganache workflow and design. Phase two has just been released! (https://www.trufflesuite.com/blog/branching-out-phase-2-of-corda-flavored-ganache)

The Ganache we know and love

Highlights