YAML Configuration

The CLI uses a YAML file for configuration. This is a deep dive into the internals and how the yaml is converted into executable code.

Objects are created by a helper function createObjects , which recursively mutates the configuration object that was parsed from a YAML file and applies custom rules for objects containing:

• Module imports

{
  "$require": "path...",
  "$args": {}
}

• Object references

{
  "$ref": "/json/pointer"
}

• Environment variables

{
  "$env": "ENV_VAR"
}

Requiring npm modules

This:

import { Agent } from '@veramo/core'
import { DIDComm } from '@veramo/did-comm'
const agent = new Agent({
  plugins: [new DIDComm()],
})

is equivalent to:

const agent = new (require('@veramo/core')['Agent'])({
  plugins: [new (require('@veramo/core')['DIDComm'])()],
})

which is equivalent to:

agent:
  $require: '@veramo/core#Agent'
  $args:
    - plugins:
        - $require: '@veramo/did-comm#DIDComm'

$require syntax

ethr-did-resolver?t=function&p=/ethr#getResolver

• ethr-did-resolver - Module name
• t=function - Optional. Type can be function, object, class. Default is class
  • class - imported symbol will be initiated with new symbolName(args)
  • function - imported symbol will be initiated with symbolName(args)
  • object - imported object will be returned without aditional processing
• p=/ethr - Optional. Pointer to an attribute in imported symbol
• #getResolver - Imported symbol name

result:
  $require: 'ethr-did-resolver?t=function&p=/ethr#getResolver'
  $args:
    - networks:
        - name: mainnet
          rpcUrl: https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/5ffc47f65c4042ce847ef66a3fa70d4c
        - name: rinkeby
          rpcUrl: https://rinkeby.infura.io/v3/5ffc47f65c4042ce847ef66a3fa70d4c

is equivalent to:

import { getResolver } from 'ethr-did-resolver'
const obj = getResolver({
  networks: [
    {
      name: 'mainnet',
      rpcUrl: 'https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/5ffc47f65c4042ce847ef66a3fa70d4c',
    },
    {
      name: 'rinkeby',
      rpcUrl: 'https://rinkeby.infura.io/v3/5ffc47f65c4042ce847ef66a3fa70d4c',
    },
  ],
})

const result = obj.ethr

Referencing objects ( $ref )

agent:
  $require: '@veramo/core#Agent'
  $args:
    - plugins:
        - $require: '@veramo/did-comm#DIDComm'

is equivalent to:

didComm:
  $require: '@veramo/did-comm#DIDComm'

agent:
  $require: '@veramo/core#Agent'
  $args:
    - plugins:
        - $ref: /didComm

By referencing objects you can ensure that only one copy of the object is created in memory and can be shared by different modules. For example the same database connection used by different plugins:

dbConnection:
  $require: 'typeorm?t=function#createConnection'
  $args:
    - type: 'sqlite'
      database:
        $env: 'DATABASE_FILE'
      entities:
        $require: '@veramo/data-store?t=object#Entities'

agent:
  $require: '@veramo/core#Agent'
  $args:
    - schemaValidation: false
      plugins:
        - $require: '@veramo/data-store#DataStore'
          $args:
            - $ref: /dbConnection
        - $require: '@veramo/data-store#DataStoreORM'
          $args:
            - $ref: /dbConnection

Server

Example:

server:
  baseUrl: 'http://localhost:3332'
  port: '3332'

  # Array of express middleware
  use:
    # CORS
    - - $require: 'cors?t=function'

    # Add agent to the request object
    - - $require: '@veramo/remote-server?t=function#RequestWithAgentRouter'
        $args:
          - agent:
              $ref: /agent

  # Execute during server initialization
  init:
    - $require: '@veramo/remote-server?t=function#createDefaultDid'
      $args:
        - agent:
            $ref: /agent
          baseUrl:
            $ref: /constants/baseUrl
          messagingServiceEndpoint: /messaging

server.use is an array of expressjs middleware arrays

server.init is an array of functions that need to be run during server initialization