213 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
213 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
# How to write a Python 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
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with `lnd` in Python.
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## Setup and Installation
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Lnd uses the gRPC protocol for communication with clients like lncli. gRPC is
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based on protocol buffers and as such, you will need to compile the lnd proto
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file in Python before you can use it to communicate with lnd.
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1. Create a virtual environment for your project
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```shell
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⛰ virtualenv lnd
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```
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2. Activate the virtual environment
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```shell
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⛰ source lnd/bin/activate
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```
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3. Install dependencies (googleapis-common-protos is required due to the use of
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google/api/annotations.proto)
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```shell
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lnd ⛰ pip install grpcio grpcio-tools googleapis-common-protos
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```
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4. Clone the google api's repository (required due to the use of
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google/api/annotations.proto)
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```shell
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lnd ⛰ git clone https://github.com/googleapis/googleapis.git
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```
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5. Copy the lnd rpc.proto file (you'll find this at
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[lnrpc/rpc.proto](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/blob/master/lnrpc/rpc.proto))
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or just download it
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```shell
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lnd ⛰ curl -o rpc.proto -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/master/lnrpc/rpc.proto
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```
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6. Compile the proto file
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```shell
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lnd ⛰ python -m grpc_tools.protoc --proto_path=googleapis:. --python_out=. --grpc_python_out=. rpc.proto
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```
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After following these steps, two files `rpc_pb2.py` and `rpc_pb2_grpc.py` will
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be generated. These files will be imported in your project anytime you use
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Python gRPC.
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### Generating RPC modules for subservers
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If you want to use any of the subservers' functionality, you also need to
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generate the python modules for them.
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For example, if you want to generate the RPC modules for the `Router` subserver
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(located/defined in `routerrpc/router.proto`), you need to run the following two
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extra steps (after completing all 6 step described above) to get the
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`router_pb2.py` and `router_pb2_grpc.py`:
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```shell
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lnd ⛰ curl -o router.proto -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/master/lnrpc/routerrpc/router.proto
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lnd ⛰ python -m grpc_tools.protoc --proto_path=googleapis:. --python_out=. --grpc_python_out=. router.proto
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```
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### Imports and Client
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Every time you use Python gRPC, you will have to import the generated rpc modules
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and set up a channel and stub to your connect to your `lnd` node:
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```python
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import rpc_pb2 as ln
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import rpc_pb2_grpc as lnrpc
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import grpc
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import os
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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 handhsake
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# error when we communicate with the lnd rpc server.
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os.environ["GRPC_SSL_CIPHER_SUITES"] = 'HIGH+ECDSA'
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# Lnd cert is at ~/.lnd/tls.cert on Linux and
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# ~/Library/Application Support/Lnd/tls.cert on Mac
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cert = open(os.path.expanduser('~/.lnd/tls.cert'), 'rb').read()
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creds = grpc.ssl_channel_credentials(cert)
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channel = grpc.secure_channel('localhost:10009', creds)
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stub = lnrpc.LightningStub(channel)
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```
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## Examples
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Let's walk through some examples of Python gRPC clients. These examples assume
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that you have at least two `lnd` nodes running, the RPC location of one of which
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is at the default `localhost:10009`, with an open channel between the two nodes.
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### Simple RPC
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```python
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# Retrieve and display the wallet balance
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response = stub.WalletBalance(ln.WalletBalanceRequest())
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print(response.total_balance)
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```
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### Response-streaming RPC
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```python
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request = ln.InvoiceSubscription()
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for invoice in stub.SubscribeInvoices(request):
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print(invoice)
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```
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Now, create an invoice for your node at `localhost:10009`and send a payment to
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it from another node.
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```shell
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lnd ⛰ 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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lnd ⛰ lncli sendpayment --pay_req=<PAY_REQ>
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```
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Your Python console should now display the details of the recently satisfied
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invoice.
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### Bidirectional-streaming RPC
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```python
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from time import sleep
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import codecs
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def request_generator(dest, amt):
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# Initialization code here
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counter = 0
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print("Starting up")
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while True:
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request = ln.SendRequest(
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dest=dest,
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amt=amt,
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)
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yield request
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# Alter parameters here
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counter += 1
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sleep(2)
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# Outputs from lncli are hex-encoded
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dest_hex = <RECEIVER_ID_PUBKEY>
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dest_bytes = codecs.decode(dest_hex, 'hex')
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request_iterable = request_generator(dest=dest_bytes, amt=100)
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for payment in stub.SendPayment(request_iterable):
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print(payment)
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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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```python
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import codecs
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# Lnd admin macaroon is at ~/.lnd/data/chain/bitcoin/simnet/admin.macaroon on Linux and
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# ~/Library/Application Support/Lnd/data/chain/bitcoin/simnet/admin.macaroon on Mac
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with open(os.path.expanduser('~/.lnd/data/chain/bitcoin/simnet/admin.macaroon'), 'rb') as f:
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macaroon_bytes = f.read()
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macaroon = codecs.encode(macaroon_bytes, 'hex')
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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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```python
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stub.GetInfo(ln.GetInfoRequest(), metadata=[('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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```python
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def metadata_callback(context, callback):
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# for more info see grpc docs
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callback([('macaroon', macaroon)], None)
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# build ssl credentials using the cert the same as before
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cert_creds = grpc.ssl_channel_credentials(cert)
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# now build meta data credentials
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auth_creds = grpc.metadata_call_credentials(metadata_callback)
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# combine the cert credentials and the macaroon auth credentials
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# such that every call is properly encrypted and authenticated
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combined_creds = grpc.composite_channel_credentials(cert_creds, auth_creds)
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# finally pass in the combined credentials when creating a channel
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channel = grpc.secure_channel('localhost:10009', combined_creds)
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stub = lnrpc.LightningStub(channel)
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# now every call will be made with the macaroon already included
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stub.GetInfo(ln.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
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installed locally into your virtual environment. In order to get up to speed
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with `protofbuf` usage from Python, see [this official `protobuf` tutorial for
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Python](https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/pythontutorial).
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Additionally, [this official gRPC
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resource](http://www.grpc.io/docs/tutorials/basic/python.html) provides more
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details around how to drive `gRPC` from Python.
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## API documentation
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There is an [online API documentation](https://api.lightning.community?python)
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available that shows all currently existing RPC methods, including code snippets
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on how to use them.
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