Add http api to mirror cli commands

[ethanfrey]

This will be much easier to work with for web developers. Just standard POST and GET to manage keys, sign transactions and query database state with the full security of the light client, attempting to make a REST API.

Discussing desired API with js devs to find something usable.

[ethanfrey]

Decided to run it over HTTP on localhost at first for ease of development. CORS is disabled (better), or set specifically in the config file for one site.

Future use of unix sockets or encryption.

[odeke-em]

So for starters this is a spitball enumeration of the CLI commands:

• send:

  • Description: Send tokens between two basecoin accounts.
  • Method: POST
  • Requirements:
    • [Authentication of some sorts] If needed, perhaps can be skipped over for MVP
    • FromID
    • To
    • Gas
    • Sequence Number
    • Fee

• query account:

  • Description: Get details of an account with proof
  • Method: GET
  • Requirements:
    • [Authentication of some sorts] If needed, perhaps can be skipped over for MVP
    • AccountID
  • Request JSON schema

• authentication:

  • Description: authenticate the user. Perhaps not necessary for the MVP
  • Method: POST
  • Requirements:
    • Valid basecoin account

Please add others as we keep discussing.

[mappum]

The API ideas from our discussion are can be found in this document: https://github.com/tendermint/basecoin/blob/feature/186-http-api/docs/rest/API_draft.md

[odeke-em]

Awesome, thank you @mappum let me take a look!

[nylira]

This is going to be awesome!

[ethanfrey]

Existing code to be reused and spiffed up:

https://github.com/tendermint/go-crypto/tree/master/keys/server
https://github.com/tendermint/basecoin/blob/unstable/client/commands/proxy/root.go

I would propose making a new directory in basecoin for this code, under client/rest, and moving the proxy logic there. The cli command to launch the server can be under commands, all http.Handlers and all helper methods should be there.

[odeke-em]

Iteration 1 delivered with https://github.com/tendermint/basecoin/pull/190.

Next steps will be to do some housekeeping, cleanups, restructuring the code. I had a video call with @ethanfrey on Saturday 29th July 2017 at around 8PM EST and he gave some suggestions that are also in an offline email. Watch this space

[odeke-em]

Follow up issue https://github.com/tendermint/basecoin/issues/200.

[ethanfrey]

This is on-going, but the basic needs for basecoin have been implemented. We will see further development in other issues.