building.md

Building on Canton

Quickstart and Hands-on

• Setup and LocalNet
  • Clone cn-quickstart for a Docker Compose scaffold with a reference app.
  • Quickstart installation covers prerequisites and LocalNet bring-up.
  • Canton Getting Started steps through console setup, participants, and party provisioning.
• Walk-throughs
  • Walk through the licensing app in Explore the Quickstart demo.
  • Quickstart project structure covers Gradle, Docker, and architecture layout.
• JSON Ledger API
  • Take a REST tour with curl in Get started with the JSON Ledger API.
  • JSON Ledger API in Quickstart covers OAuth2, parties, and DAR upload.

Toolbox

• IDE and CLI
  • Daml Studio - official VS Code extension
  • Canton Console - REPL for remote admin
  • Daml Shell - CLI for PQS ledger queries; enterprise licence required
• SDK runtime
  • SDK components - compiler, codegen, sandbox, PQS, DPM
• Ledger APIs
  • JSON Ledger API - HTTP interface to the ledger
  • JSON Ledger API OpenAPI spec - for typed client generation
  • gRPC Ledger API services - commands, reads, utility, test
• Java bindings - reference and IOU quickstart
• Source
  • digital-asset/daml - the SDK source

Example Apps

• digital-asset/ex-models - auctions, voting, chess, crowdfunding, tasks (archived Jan 2025)
• Lunar Dollar reference - stablecoin and yield vault architecture

Libraries and Frameworks

• Daml Finance
  • Daml Finance - enterprise tokenization library
• Splice
  • Splice - reference apps for decentralized synchronizers
  • Splice docs - deployment and app development
• PartyLayer - unified SDK for integrating with multiple Canton wallet implementations from a single API

SDKs and Client Libraries

• Starters
  • canton-dapp-starter - Next.js dApp starter with wallet connection, contract CRUD, and CIP-103 support
  • create-canton-app - npx scaffolder for new Canton Network and Daml projects
• TypeScript and JavaScript
  • @daml/types - primitive Daml types and serialization for TypeScript
  • @daml/ledger - JSON Ledger API v1 client; contract queries, streaming, and command submission
  • @daml/react - React hooks for contract queries and executing choices on a Daml ledger
  • Daml JS codegen - generates typed TypeScript npm packages from compiled .dar files
  • @c7-digital/ledger - JSON Ledger API v2 TypeScript client
  • @c7-digital/react - React hooks for the Canton JSON Ledger API v2
• Wallet kernel
  • splice-wallet-kernel - Wallet Gateway, dApp SDK, and Wallet SDK monorepo
• Other languages
  • go-daml - Go gRPC Ledger API client with type-safe codegen from Daml definitions

dApp Frontend Development

Canton authentication is OAuth2/OIDC against a participant node; frontends talk to the ledger over the JSON Ledger API or typed TypeScript bindings. Wallets sign via CIP-0103.

• Integrating with Canton Network covers Wallet SDK, CIP-0056, and validator hosting.
• Wallet SDK configuration - custom factories, OIDC transitions
• Add wallet discovery, picker, and signing with @canton-network/dapp-sdk.
• @canton-network/wallet-sdk handles synchronizer auth and transaction submission.
• CIP-0103 rationale: Scaling Canton Apps with Interop Standard.

Ecosystem wallets

• Loop - Five North browser wallet
• Console Wallet - PixelPlex self-custodial extension
• Cantor8 / C8 - external-signing mobile and web wallet
• Cypherock X1 - hardware wallet with Canton Rewards promo
• Bron - multi-chain non-custodial wallet