This repository contains a set of tools to use a blockchain network based on Hyperledger's Fabric test network on any Node-RED's flow. With these tools, you can create a "proxy" node that executes the logic on a smart contract (a.k.a Chaincode) instead of Node-RED, saving the resulting message with a blockchain transaction. These "proxy" nodes are transparent to Node-RED and can be a drop-in replacement to the original ones. Here is a diagram:

If you are not knowledgeable enough of Node-RED's terminology, please refer to their glossary

With the blockchain, you have tamper-proof records that ensure the integrity and immutability of your data. Every transaction recorded on the blockchain is cryptographically secured, meaning it cannot be altered or deleted without consensus from the network participants. This makes it ideal for scenarios where trust and transparency are critical, such as:

• Auditing: Blockchain provides a verifiable history of all transactions, making it easier to conduct audits and ensure compliance with regulations.
• Data Integrity: By storing data on the blockchain, you can guarantee that it has not been tampered with, which is essential for sensitive information like financial records, medical data, or supply chain tracking.
• Dispute Resolution: In cases of disputes, the blockchain serves as an authoritative source of truth, as all parties can independently verify the data without relying on a central authority.
• Automation with Smart Contracts: Smart contracts execute predefined logic automatically when conditions are met, ensuring that processes are carried out as intended without manual intervention.

By integrating blockchain into Node-RED flows, you can leverage these benefits seamlessly, enabling secure and transparent business compliance.

• Node.js >=22.15.0

1. Run npm ci
2. Run npx blockchainize-nodes [package(s)]

3. A folder called blockchain-conversion will be created at the current directory.

   The folder contains a folder for each of the converted packages. In the example above, you will have 2 folders, node-red-contrib-calc and statuscompliance-validation. Every package's folder contains:

   • A chaincode folder, with the Hyperledger's Fabric chaincode for every node of the package.
   • A .tar.gz file, which is an npm package containing the proxy nodes.

All Hyperledger Fabric's binaries and the middleware that provides the RESTful service between the proxy nodes and the blockchain are packaged as a single container to simplify its deployment and configuration.

• Docker (tested on 28.1.1)
• Linux/MacOS machine capable of running unix (bash-like) shell scripts

1. Run ./build-docker.sh (at the root of this repository).

After running, the tagged image statuscompliance/blockchain:latest will be available in your Docker daemon. tar archive files for different architectures will also be available under the docker_images folder.

1. Copy the ledger service from the docker-compose.yml file of this repository to the docker-compose.yml file of your full infrastructure deployment. Make sure the mountpoint of the blockchain-conversion folder matches the location of the one you generated before.

2. Add the STATUS_LEDGER_ENDPOINT environment variable to the node-red container of your full infrastructure deployment. The value of the variable will be ledger (or the name of the key you used for declaring the new service).

   See the relevant affected sections of the docker-compose.yml file

   The privileged: true key in the ledger service is important

   services:
   +  ledger:
   +    restart: no
   +    container_name: ledger
   +    image: statuscompliance/blockchain
   +    privileged: true
   +    volumes:
   +      - ./blockchain-conversion:/chaincodes
   +    networks:
   +      - nodered_network
   
   nodered:
       restart: unless-stopped
       container_name: node-red-status
       image: ghcr.io/statuscompliance/node-red-status
       networks:
       - nodered_network
   +   environment:
   +      STATUS_LEDGER_ENDPOINT: ledger
       ...rest of the properties    

3. Install the proxy nodes into your Node-RED instance.

   • Open Node-RED's flow editor and access the palette manager with ALT + SHIFT + P keyboard shortcut.
   • Navigate to the Install tab and click on the upload button.
   • Choose the .tar.gz files generated by blockchainize-nodes

   If you get lost at some point, head over the official's Node-RED's documentation

You are now ready to use Node-RED with the blockchain in your flows!