196 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
196 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
# How to write a C# gRPC client for the Lightning Network Daemon
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This section enumerates what you need to do to write a client that communicates with `lnd` in C#.
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### Prerequisites
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* .Net Core [SDK](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download)
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* If using Windows, a unix terminal such as [Cygwin](https://www.cygwin.com/)
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### Setup and Installation
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`lnd` uses the `gRPC` protocol for communication with clients like `lncli`.
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.NET natively supports gRPC proto files and generates the necessary C# classes. You can see the official Microsoft gRPC documentation [here](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/aspnet/core/grpc/?view=aspnetcore-3.1)
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This assumes you are using a Windows machine, but it applies equally to Mac and Linux.
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Create a new `.net core` console application called `lndclient` at your root directory (On Windows : `C:/`).
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Create a folder `Grpc` in the root of your project and fetch the lnd proto files
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```shell
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⛰ mkdir Grpc
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⛰ curl -o Grpc/rpc.proto -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/master/lnrpc/rpc.proto
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```
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Install `Grpc.Tools`, `Google.Protobuf`, `Grpc.Core` using NuGet or manually with `dotnet add`:
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```shell
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⛰ dotnet add package Grpc.Tools
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⛰ dotnet add package Google.Protobuf
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⛰ dotnet add package Grpc.Core
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```
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Add the `rpc.proto` file to the `.csproj` file in an ItemGroup. (In Visual Studio you can do this by unloading the project, editing the `.csproj` file and then reloading it)
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```xml
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<ItemGroup>
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<Protobuf Include="Grpc\rpc.proto" GrpcServices="Client" />
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</ItemGroup>
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```
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You're done! Build the project and verify that it works.
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#### Imports and Client
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Use the code below to set up a channel and client to connect to your `lnd` node:
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```cs
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using System.Collections.Generic;
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using System.IO;
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using System.Threading.Tasks;
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using Grpc.Core;
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using Lnrpc;
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...
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// Due to updated ECDSA generated tls.cert we need to let gprc know that
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// we need to use that cipher suite otherwise there will be a handshake
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// error when we communicate with the lnd rpc server.
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System.Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("GRPC_SSL_CIPHER_SUITES", "HIGH+ECDSA");
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// Lnd cert is at AppData/Local/Lnd/tls.cert on Windows
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// ~/.lnd/tls.cert on Linux and ~/Library/Application Support/Lnd/tls.cert on Mac
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var cert = File.ReadAllText(<Tls_Cert_Location>);
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var sslCreds = new SslCredentials(cert);
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var channel = new Grpc.Core.Channel("localhost:10009", sslCreds);
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var client = new Lnrpc.Lightning.LightningClient(channel);
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```
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### Examples
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Let's walk through some examples of C# `gRPC` clients. These examples assume that you have at least two `lnd` nodes running, the RPC location of one of which is at the default `localhost:10009`, with an open channel between the two nodes.
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#### Simple RPC
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```cs
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// Retrieve and display the wallet balance
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// Use "WalletBalanceAsync" if in async context
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var response = client.WalletBalance(new WalletBalanceRequest());
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Console.WriteLine(response);
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```
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#### Response-streaming RPC
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```cs
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var request = new InvoiceSubscription();
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using (var call = client.SubscribeInvoices(request))
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{
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while (await call.ResponseStream.MoveNext())
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{
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var invoice = call.ResponseStream.Current;
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Console.WriteLine(invoice.ToString());
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}
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}
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```
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Now, create an invoice for your node at `localhost:10009` and send a payment to it from another node.
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```shell
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⛰ lncli addinvoice --amt=100
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{
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"r_hash": <R_HASH>,
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"pay_req": <PAY_REQ>
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}
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⛰ lncli sendpayment --pay_req=<PAY_REQ>
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```
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Your console should now display the details of the recently satisfied invoice.
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#### Bidirectional-streaming RPC
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```cs
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using (var call = client.SendPayment())
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{
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var responseReaderTask = Task.Run(async () =>
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{
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while (await call.ResponseStream.MoveNext())
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{
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var payment = call.ResponseStream.Current;
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Console.WriteLine(payment.ToString());
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}
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});
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foreach (SendRequest sendRequest in SendPayment())
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{
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await call.RequestStream.WriteAsync(sendRequest);
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}
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await call.RequestStream.CompleteAsync();
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await responseReaderTask;
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}
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IEnumerable<SendRequest> SendPayment()
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{
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while (true)
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{
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SendRequest req = new SendRequest() {
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DestString = <DEST_PUB_KEY>,
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Amt = 100,
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PaymentHashString = <R_HASH>,
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FinalCltvDelta = 144
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};
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yield return req;
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System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(2000);
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}
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}
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```
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This example will send a payment of 100 satoshis every 2 seconds.
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#### Using Macaroons
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To authenticate using macaroons you need to include the macaroon in the metadata of the request.
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```cs
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// Lnd admin macaroon is at <LND_DIR>/data/chain/bitcoin/simnet/admin.macaroon on Windows
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// ~/.lnd/data/chain/bitcoin/simnet/admin.macaroon on Linux and ~/Library/Application Support/Lnd/data/chain/bitcoin/simnet/admin.macaroon on Mac
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byte[] macaroonBytes = File.ReadAllBytes("<LND_DIR>/data/chain/bitcoin/simnet/admin.macaroon");
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var macaroon = BitConverter.ToString(macaroonBytes).Replace("-", ""); // hex format stripped of "-" chars
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```
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The simplest approach to use the macaroon is to include the metadata in each request as shown below.
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```cs
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client.GetInfo(new GetInfoRequest(), new Metadata() { new Metadata.Entry("macaroon", macaroon) });
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```
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However, this can get tiresome to do for each request, so to avoid explicitly including the macaroon we can update the credentials to include it automatically.
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```cs
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// build ssl credentials using the cert the same as before
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var sslCreds = new SslCredentials(cert);
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// combine the cert credentials and the macaroon auth credentials using interceptors
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// so every call is properly encrypted and authenticated
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Task AddMacaroon(AuthInterceptorContext context, Metadata metadata)
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{
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metadata.Add(new Metadata.Entry("macaroon", macaroon));
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return Task.CompletedTask;
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}
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var macaroonInterceptor = new AsyncAuthInterceptor(AddMacaroon);
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var combinedCreds = ChannelCredentials.Create(sslCreds, CallCredentials.FromInterceptor(macaroonInterceptor));
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// finally pass in the combined credentials when creating a channel
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var channel = new Grpc.Core.Channel("localhost:10009", combinedCreds);
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var client = new Lnrpc.Lightning.LightningClient(channel);
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// now every call will be made with the macaroon already included
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client.GetInfo(new GetInfoRequest());
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```
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### Conclusion
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With the above, you should have all the `lnd` related `gRPC` dependencies installed locally in your project. In order to get up to speed with `protobuf` usage from C#, see [this official `protobuf` tutorial for C#](https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/csharptutorial). Additionally, [this official gRPC resource](http://www.grpc.io/docs/tutorials/basic/csharp.html) provides more details around how to drive `gRPC` from C#. |