js-merkle-tree
Generic Merkle trees in JavaScript.
Why?
Merkle trees organize an array of values into a tree whose elements can be rapidly verified as correct. Merkle trees are often used in peer-to-peer technologies so that peers can quickly verify that the data they have received is correct, guarding against data loss or manipulation. Dat, IPFS, and BitCoin all use Merkle trees for this reason.
This library is an effort to create a generic implementation of the datastructure accompanied by thorough testing and documentation.
Install
Use npm:
$ npm i @garbados/merkle-tree
Usage
Table of Contents
MerkleTree
Merkle trees, in JavaScript!
Parameters
-
digestFn
Function Digest function (or the name of one) used to hash values. -
data
Array Values to be processed into a Merkle tree.
Examples
const MerkleTree = require('@garbados/merkle-tree')
const tree = new MerkleTree('sha256', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6])
console.log(tree.root)
> b0f83986db9ecaa36bd08d732a99fc461f113b78e75612bade03892cd7bb8d25
proof
Retrieve the proof path for a given leaf node index.
Parameters
-
index
Number Index of a leaf node to verify.
Examples
const tree = new MerkleTree('sha256', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6])
const proof = tree.proof(3)
console.log(tree.leaves[3] === proof[0][0])
> true
Returns Array Array of arrays of nodes associated with the given leaf node.
root
Getter for the root node.
Examples
console.log(tree.root)
> b0f83986db9ecaa36bd08d732a99fc461f113b78e75612bade03892cd7bb8d25
Returns String Value of the root node.
depth
Getter for the tree's depth.
Examples
console.log(tree.depth)
> 4
Returns Number Depth of the tree.
levels
Getter for the levels in the tree
Examples
console.log(tree.levels)
> [ [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ],
> [ '49a64717d5d4cb19952e6eac2946415cf6879adacf9908e7d872332d32c6e684',
> '8be6d66e9099c68d8feb52ce42478d2153cac2763b784174ae6ae96cd636b596',
> '2f9cf80b937f44b41379ae3765c65668e5e96241d19d2088e76d72d18ea324b2' ],
> [ '2450f5c346c26103f2bf4ba7052954556e58a1d577b78e17faa7d54c29cf6741',
> '340c611ef9c540adf73ee22e41b148f9549c5bd88dfdf1a0792a23d564380dde' ],
> [ 'b0f83986db9ecaa36bd08d732a99fc461f113b78e75612bade03892cd7bb8d25' ] ]
Returns Array<Array> Array of arrays of each node by level
leaves
Getter for the tree's leaf nodes AKA its initial values.
Examples
console.log(tree.leaves)
> [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Returns Array Array of leaf nodes.
digestFn
Convenience wrapper around NodeJS' built-in crypto.
Parameters
-
hashType
String String value for a hash algorithm known to the platform's version of OpenSSL. -
data
String The data to hash. Can be any value; it will be converted to a string.
Examples
const digestFn = MerkleTree.digestFn('sha256', 'hello world')
> b94d27b9934d3e08a52e52d7da7dabfac484efe37a5380ee9088f7ace2efcde9
Returns String The hash of the given data using the given function.
Tests
To run the project's test suite, use npm
npm test
Contributions
All contributions are welcome: bug reports, feature requests, "why doesn't this work" questions, patches for fixes and features, etc. For all of the above, file an issue or submit a pull request.