Connecting to the Minka Sandbox server

Introduction

The Minka Sandbox server provides a development and testing environment for building and testing ledger applications.

Prerequisites

Before connecting to the sandbox, ensure you have:

• Node.js 20.17 or later installed
• npm or yarn package manager
• A stable internet connection

Installation

Install the Minka Command Line Interface (CLI) using one of the following methods:

# Using npm
npm install -g @minka/cli

# Using yarn
yarn global add @minka/cli

Connecting to the Minka Sandbox server

To connect to the Minka development environment, use the following command:

minka server connect https://ldg-stg.one/api/v2

After establishing the connection, you can use the Minka CLI to create and interact with ledgers.

Creating a Signer

In the Minka ecosystem, every server and ledger operation requires a signer. Signers are cryptographic identities that provide:

• Authentication: They identify the entity responsible for each ledger action
• Authorization: They enable fine-grained control over which operations each entity can perform

A signer consists of a cryptographic key pair:

• A private key for signing operations
• A corresponding public key for verifying signatures

To create a signer named ledger-creator, execute the following command:

minka signer create

You can see the signer details, including the private key, using the following command:

minka signer show ledger-creator --secret

Security and Authorization

The Minka ledger system implements a multi-level security model with three distinct levels:

• Server level
• Ledger level
• Record level

Authorization Process

When checking whether a signer can perform an action, the system follows a two-stage authorization process:

1. Access Gate: The system performs a top-to-bottom check to verify if the access rule is granted to the signer. For example, if a signer attempts to perform an action on a specific record but doesn't have the access rule on the ledger, the action is blocked.

2. Action Authorization: If the signer passes the Access Gate for a particular level, the system collects all access rules from every level and applies an additive model: if ANY rule grants the requested action, the action is granted.

Sandbox Server Security Configuration

The Sandbox Server is configured with two default rules:

[
  {
    "action": "access"
  },
  {
    "action": "create",
    "record": "ledger"
  }
]

These rules provide:

• Access Gate: Any signer has access to the server, fulfilling the base level requirement for performing actions
• Action Authorization: Any signer can create a ledger