React Blockstack

React hooks to use the Blockstack SDK with react function components.

Includes backward compatibility with react class components.

Installation

npm install react-blockstack

Blockstack Authentication

Execute as early as possible to initialize the Blockstack SDK and user authentication:

import ReactBlockstack from 'react-blockstack'
 
const blockstack = ReactBlockstack()

Consider placing this code in the main index.js file of your project. For customization of the authentication, use the same options argument as for UserSession in the Blockstack SDK:

import { AppConfig } from 'blockstack'
 
const appConfig = new AppConfig(['store_write', 'publish_data'])
const blockstack = ReactBlockstack({appConfig})

The blockstack.userSession property is available in case you need to access to the blockstack SDK on toplevel. It is typically preferable to get userSession from the useBlockstack hook, ignoring the return value from ReactBlockstack.

React Hook for Function Components

The package provides a useBlockStack React hook for use in function components. It provides access to the Blockstack SDK and eventually an authenticated user:

const {userSession, userData, signIn, signOut, person} = useBlockstack()

The hook returns these properties:

userSession (UserSession interface for the Blockstack SDK)
userData (UserData interface from the Blockstack SDK; null unless authenticated)
signIn (function to sign in the user; null when already logged in or pending authentication)
signOut (function to sign out the user; null when not logged in or pending authentication)
person (if authenticated, a Person instance containing the user profile)

Only userSession and signIn are available before authentication. After authentication, signIn is null, but there are bindings for userData, signOut and person. This can be used for conditional rendering depending on the authentication status. Note that the user can neither sign in nor sign out when the authentication is pending, so:

const pendingAuthentication = !signIn && !signOut

Example: Authentication Button

Here is a react function component that implements an authentication button. It handles both signin and logout, adapting the label depending on status, disabling the button while authentication is pending:

import { useBlockstack } from 'react-blockstack'
 
function Auth () {
    const { signIn, signOut } = useBlockstack()
    return (
        <button disabled={ !signIn && !signOut }
                onClick={ signIn || signOut }>
            { signIn ? "Sign In" : signOut ? "Sign Out" : "..." }
        </button>
    )
}

To include the button in jsx:

<Auth />

Persistent Data Storage

The useFile(path: string) hook is used to access the app's data store, covering the functionality of getFile, putFile and deleteFile in the Blockstack SDK.

The argument is a pathname in the app's data store. The file does not have to exists before the call.

The useFile hook returns the content of the file like getFile, with a function to change the file content as second value. The returned content is undefined until the file has been accessed and null if the file is determined not to exist. The setter accepts the same content types as putFile, and will delete the file if called with null. The content returned by useFile is conservatively updated, not reflecting the change until after storing the content is completed.

Example

const [content, setContent] = useFile("content")

React Class Components

For conventional React class components, the package provides an optional React context object that pass properties from useBlockstack down to components.

Enclose top level elements in a shared Blockstack context:

import { Blockstack } from 'react-blockstack/dist/context'
 
ReactDOM.render(<Blockstack><App/></Blockstack>, document.getElementById('app-root'))

The Blockstack SDK properties are implicitly passed through the component tree and can be used as any other React context.

Example

The App component below will automatically be updated whenever there is a change in the Blockstack status. Note the use of the this.context containing the properties and that the class is required to have contextType = BlockstackContext.

import BlockstackContext from 'react-blockstack/dist/context'
 
export default class App extends Component {
  render() {
    const { person } = this.context
    const avatarUrl = person && person.avatarUrl && person.avatarUrl()
    const personName = person && person.name && person.name()
    return(
      <div>
        <img hidden={ !avatarUrl } src={ avatarUrl } />
        { personName }
        <Auth />
      </div>
    )
  }
}
App.contextType = BlockstackContext

If there are multiple Blockstack elements they will all share the same context.

Live Demo

The REBL Stack starter app is a reimplementation of the Blockstack react template.

It demonstrates different ways of using react-blockStack. You are encouraged to use the example as a starting point for your own projects.

Live at:

npm