Introduction to web3j

web3j is a Java library that can communicate with Ethereum clients (nodes) via JSON-RPC. In this article, I will introduce the basic usage of web3j.


Topic

  1. Connect to Ethereum client
  2. Communicate with Ethereum client via JSON-RPC
    1. web3_clientVersion
    2. eth_getBlockByNumber
    3. eth_sendTransaction
  3. Introduction of useful functions
  4. Processing using a wallet file
  5. Contract wrapper class
  6. Handle events reactively

Connecting to Ethereum client

First, start the Ethereum client and enable JSON-RPC communication. For example, start Geth to enable JSON-RPC communication via HTTP.

When you're ready, use web3j to connect to your Ethereum client.

//HTTP connection
Web3j web3j = Web3j.build(new HttpService("http://<ip address>:<port>"));

//IPC connection(Unix)
Web3j web3 = Web3j.build(new UnixIpcService("/path/to/socketfile"));

//IPC connection(Windows)
Web3j web3 = Web3j.build(new WindowsIpcService("/path/to/namedpipefile"));

Communicate with Ethereum client via JSON-RPC

After successfully connecting to the Ethereum client, let's communicate with JSON-RPC. JSON-RPC communication with web3j is very easy.

web3_clientVersion For example, to call the JSON-RPC web3_clientVersion method, write as follows. (Web3_clientVersion is a method to check the version of Ethereum client)

//Connect with Ethereum client
Web3j web3j = Web3j.build(new HttpService("http://localhost:8545"));
// JSON-Send RPC request and receive response
Web3ClientVersion response = web3j.web3ClientVersion().send();
//Output result
System.out.println(response.getResult());

output(Example)


Geth/v1.8.17-stable-8bbe7207/windows-amd64/go1.11.1

As you can see, web3j provides its own Java method for requesting each JSON-RPC method.

eth_getBlockByNumber The following is an example where you need to specify method arguments. Here, let's use the JSON-RPC ʻeth_getBlockByNumber` method to get the latest ("latest") block information.

//Connect with Ethereum client
Web3j web3j = Web3j.build(new HttpService("http://localhost:8545"));
// JSON-Send RPC request and receive response
EthBlock response = web3j.ethGetBlockByNumber(
    DefaultBlockParameterName.LATEST, //block number. Here is a tag that represents the latest block"latest"To specify
    false //If true, get transaction details. If false, get only transaction hash
    ).send();
//Output result
Block block = response.getResult();
System.out.println("hash:" + block.getHash());
System.out.println("number:" + block.getNumber());

output(Example)


hash:0x7abc74f4b77054a378cd8969b77ca207ed74ff925bd751314186180d37818d33
number:7311

In this way, method arguments can also be specified according to the JSON-RPC specifications, so it's very easy to understand.

eth_sendTransaction The following is an example that involves issuing a transaction. Here, let's send Ether using JSON-RPC ʻeth_sendTransaction`.

But before that, you need to unlock your account. If the Ethereum client is Geth, JSON-RPC provides a personal_unlockAccount method, so use this to unlock your account and then send Ether.

//Connect with Ethereum client
//Admin is a subclass of Web3j"personal_unlockAccount"Request processing is implemented.
Admin web3j = Admin.build(new HttpService("http://localhost:8545"));

// "personal_unlockAccount"Send a request and receive a response
PersonalUnlockAccount unlockAccountResponse = web3j.personalUnlockAccount(
    "0x766a1c4737970feddde6f2b8659fca05bd0339ab", //address
    "pass1" //password
    ).send();

//If the unlock is successful, send Ether
if (unlockAccountResponse.getResult()) {
    // "eth_sendTransaction"Create an object to pass to the argument of
    Transaction transaction = Transaction.createEtherTransaction(
        "0x766a1c4737970feddde6f2b8659fca05bd0339ab", // from
        null, //nonce. Not specified this time, so null
        null, //gasPrice. Not specified this time, so null
        null, //gas Limit. Not specified this time, so null
        "0x0cbc0fe59d39e58d7369ca436fe5c6b4b71341d5", // to
        BigInteger.valueOf(100) // value
        );
    
    // "eth_sendTransaction"Send a request and receive a response
    EthSendTransaction sendTransactionResponse = web3j.ethSendTransaction(transaction).send();
    //Output result
    System.out.println(sendTransactionResponse.getResult());
}

output(Example)


0x3557db13b5ac56f1e3e23ab9eeccd11b2c4daf73e416496d53c5bba377202a61

Introduction of useful functions

web3j offers useful features that go beyond simply calling JSON-RPC methods. Here, we will introduce the following three functions.

--Processing using a wallet file --Contract wrapper class --Process events reactively

Processing using a wallet file

What is a wallet file? You might think that. This is what is called a "key file" in Geth. The key file is created when you run geth account new. Normally, in Geth, the key file is placed in" \ <datadir > / keystore ". This "key file" is called a "Wallet file" in web3j.

In web3j, the process related to unlocking the account is simplified by using the wallet file. Here, let's send Ether using a wallet file.

First, place (copy) the wallet file in a location that can be accessed from the environment in which the web3j program is executed. When you're ready, use your wallet file to send Ether.

//Connect with Ethereum client
Web3j web3j = Web3j.build(new HttpService("http://localhost:8545"));

//Load wallet file
Credentials credentials = WalletUtils.loadCredentials(
    "pass1", //Account password
    "/pass/to/walletfile"
    );

//Send Ether
TransactionReceipt receipt = Transfer.sendFunds(
    web3j,
    credentials,
    "0xdc87fc3ac1ec09ed43623dd9da4c6f3d792a88f5", // to
    new BigDecimal("1000"), // value
    Unit.ETHER // unit
    ).send();

Once you load the wallet file, you can use it as many times as you like. If you want to issue multiple transactions, you don't have to request personal_unlockAccount multiple times, which simplifies the process.

Contract wrapper class

web3j provides a tool (command line tool) to generate a wrapper class for contracts. Wrapper classes make contract deployment and method invocation very simple. (Of course, it is also possible to request JSON-RPC ʻeth_sendTransaction or ʻeth_call to deploy the contract or call the method without using the wrapper class.)

Here, as a sample, the wrapper class of the following source written in Solidity is generated.

Token.sol


pragma solidity ^0.5.0;

contract Token {
    uint256 public totalSupply;
    mapping (address => uint256) public balanceOf;

    constructor (uint256 _initialSupply) public {
        totalSupply = _initialSupply;
        balanceOf[msg.sender] = _initialSupply;
    }

    function transfer(address _to, uint256 _value) public {
        require(balanceOf[msg.sender] >= _value);
        require(balanceOf[_to] + _value >= balanceOf[_to]);
        balanceOf[msg.sender] -= _value;
        balanceOf[_to] += _value;
    }
}

First, compile the source using Online Compiler. You can get the ABI and bytecode by compiling the source. Save the obtained ABI and bytecode to a file.

In the sample, I saved the ABI and bytecode to a file as follows.

Token.abi


[{"constant":true,"inputs":[],"name":"totalSupply","outputs":[{"name":"","type":"uint256"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"name":"","type":"address"}],"name":"balanceOf","outputs":[{"name":"","type":"uint256"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"name":"_to","type":"address"},{"name":"_value","type":"uint256"}],"name":"transfer","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"inputs":[{"name":"_initialSupply","type":"uint256"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"constructor"}]

Token.bin


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

Next, get the command line tools. You can download the command line tools from the GitHub Release Page (https://github.com/web3j/web3j/releases).

Unzip the downloaded compressed file and execute the executable file under the bin directory as follows.

web3j solidity generate -a=/path/to/Token.abi -b=/path/to/Token.bin -o=/path/to/src/main/java -p=package.name

If the command is successful, a wrapper class with the name "Token.java" will be generated in the directory specified by -o and -p.

Now that we're ready, let's use the wrapper class to deploy the contract and call the method.

//Connect with Ethereum client
Web3j web3j = Web3j.build(new HttpService("http://localhost:8545"));

//Load wallet file
Credentials credentials = WalletUtils.loadCredentials(
    "pass1", //Account password
    "/pass/to/walletfile"
    );	

//Deploy contract
Token token = Token.deploy(
    web3j,
    credentials,
    BigInteger.valueOf(1000000000L), // gasPrice
    BigInteger.valueOf(4700000L), // gasLimit
    BigInteger.valueOf(100000000000L) //initialSupply (constructor argument)
    ).send();

//Output the address of the contract
System.out.println("contract address: " + token.getContractAddress());

//Method call (no transaction)
System.out.println("totalSupply: " + token.totalSupply().send());
System.out.println("balance of user1: " + token.balanceOf("0x766a1c4737970feddde6f2b8659fca05bd0339ab").send());

//Method call (with transaction)
System.out.println("Sending ether to user2...");
TransactionReceipt tran = token.transfer("0xdc87fc3ac1ec09ed43623dd9da4c6f3d792a88f5", BigInteger.valueOf(1000L)).send();

//Result output
System.out.println("transaction hash: " + tran.getTransactionHash());
System.out.println("balance of user1: " + token.balanceOf("0x766a1c4737970feddde6f2b8659fca05bd0339ab").send());
System.out.println("balance of user2: " + token.balanceOf("0xdc87fc3ac1ec09ed43623dd9da4c6f3d792a88f5").send());

output(Example)


contract address: 0x7b1530efbcbc4e9588fea3e505a95a3aeb84f3ed
totalSupply: 100000000000
balance of user1: 100000000000
Sending ether to user2...
transaction hash: 0x47cea479cd5aa3b4fc2fda5a0fcf6f5edc83ad2692a10355338b43aad9de41ef
balance of user1: 99999999000
balance of user2: 1000

You can see that the contract deployment and method invocation can be described very simply.

Handle events reactively

Finally, I will introduce the event monitoring function. web3j provides the ability to handle Ethereum events reactively.

Event monitoring using JSON-RPC usually involves first registering a filter using ʻeth_newBlockFilter, ʻeth_newFilter, etc., and then polling the event using ʻeth_getFilterChanges`. .. This is very troublesome, isn't it?

By using the function provided by web3j, event monitoring can be described as follows.

//Connect with Ethereum client
Web3j web3j = Web3j.build(new HttpService("http://localhost:8545"));

//Register filter (start event monitoring)
Disposable disposable = web3j.blockFlowable(false).subscribe(ethBlock -> {
    //When a new block occurs, perform the following processing
    Block block = ethBlock.getBlock();
    System.out.println(block.getNumber());
});

//Remove filter (end event monitoring)
disposable.dispose();

It's very simple to write.

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