Runtime Support: React-Native

[linonetwo]

To use IPFS on react-native, I have done following things:

1. download https://unpkg.com/ipfs/dist/index.js instead of install from npm
2. import core-js to polyfill set and Symbol
3. import react-native-browser-polyfill to polyfill self
4. use rn-nodeify to install react-native-crypto
5. hacks like @Override for createJSModules() causes build error with RN 4.8 PeelTechnologies/react-native-os#5
6. still can't get it run

Dragons just come one by one, can we make it easier to use js-ipfs on react-native?

Reproducible example https://github.com/linonetwo/sermover .

[RangerMauve]

Instead of trying to run IPFS directly, check out how the browser and node versions work.

You'll want to create new versions of those files which only use features available in react-native. I think the only transport that you'll get working is libp2p-websocket-star.

React-Native is like a more constrained browser environment at the moment, and getting it anywhere as near to the node version of IPFS will require a bunch of new transports that work with RN plugins.

[mistakia]

I was able to get ipfs and orbit-db working on react native using janeasystems/nodejs-mobile.

I had to make the following changes though:

1. Clone and build the nodejs-mobile project in your home, so you can use the headers for building the native module (this will take a long time):

git clone https://github.com/janeasystems/nodejs-mobile ~/nodejs-mobile
pushd ~/nodejs-mobile
./tools/ios_framework_prepare.sh
popd

2. Run npm install inside your nodejs-project using the headers from nodejs-mobile and different settings for building leveldown@3.0.0 for iOS (mistakia/leveldown@5cc1c2d):

GYP_DEFINES="OS=ios" npm_config_nodedir="~/nodejs-mobile" npm_config_platform="ios" npm_config_node_engine="chakracore" npm --verbose install krahimian/leveldown --build-from-source

3. Open the iOS project in Xcode and add a "New Run Script Phase" to your target's Build Phases, containing the following Shell /bin/sh code:

/usr/bin/codesign --force --sign $EXPANDED_CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY --preserve-metadata=identifier,entitlements,flags --timestamp=none $(find "$CODESIGNING_FOLDER_PATH/nodejs-project/" -type f -name "*.node")

I used that build of leveldown for js-datastore-level and ipfs-repo. I also had to update js-datastore-level to work with leveldown@3.0.0 (mistakia/js-datastore-level@9545fe5)

After making those changes, I was able to initialize an ipfs repo. I'm going to do some stress testing this weekend to see how well it works.

[linonetwo]

@RangerMauve Do you mean making some tweaks to files in https://github.com/ipfs/js-ipfs/tree/master/src/core/runtime to make files like repo-rn.js ?
And why libp2p-websocket-star is difficult to deal with?

[linonetwo]

@krahimian Is https://github.com/krahimian/record your project? Can I try it out?

[RangerMauve]

@linonetwo

some tweaks to files

Yes, I think you'll want to do that if you want it to run in a RN context

And why libp2p-websocket-star is difficult to deal with?

I don't think I said it was difficult to deal with, quite the opposite. It's the only transport that can receive connections in the browser AFAIK.

By the way, @krahimian 's suggestion of using nodejs-mobile is way better than trying to get it to run in regular RN.

[mistakia]

@linonetwo yea that's the project - there's not much to try out right now. I'll update you when there is.

The goal is to build a proof of concept twitter and soundcloud using just ipfs/orbit-db.

[Phactory]

@krahimian hope You succeed soon!
How about simply using: https://github.com/janeasystems/nodejs-mobile-react-native ?

[mistakia]

I was able to get js-ipfs working on nodejs mobile (react native) both on simulator and a device (after using this fix).

However, I noticed a difference in performance and ipfs boot/start time if I add a swarm address (websocket-star).

I see there are plans for adding libp2p-connection-manager in the next release, which I think would help address performance issues on mobile.

In the meantime, does anyone have any recommendations for any settings/configurations or strategies I can try to boost performance in a mobile environment?

[linonetwo]

How about https://github.com/textileio/textile-mobile 's approach? They got it worked and is MIT licensed!

[Eljoy]

@mistakia , have you already tried all the suggestions addressing performance issues ?

[mistakia]

Yup! 👍

Bundling the files did have a major impact on CPU usage (not just load times). After nodejs-mobile v0.1.5 and using browserify to bundle, load times and cpu usage are reasonable and the app is running smoothly.

However, I have yet to really battle test it with a large number of peers and under poor network conditions.