How to use Solid in JavaScript

Solid is a set of conventions and technologies for building decentralized applications (DApps) on the web. It is based on Linked Data principles and allows developers to create DApps that are secure, scalable, and interoperable. In this article, we will look at how to use Solid in JavaScript.

Before we begin, it is important to note that Solid is still in the early stages of development and the APIs and tools are subject to change. However, there are already a number of resources available for developers who want to get started with Solid.

The first step to using Solid in JavaScript is to set up a Solid server. A Solid server is a web server that stores and serves Linked Data resources. There are a number of Solid servers available, including the official Solid server and third-party servers such as Inrupt and Sone. You can also set up your own Solid server using tools such as the solid-server npm package.

Once you have a Solid server set up, you can start building your DApp. Solid DApps are built using the Solid JavaScript libraries, which provide a set of APIs for interacting with Linked Data resources. The most common library for working with Solid in JavaScript is solid-client, which provides a simple API for accessing and manipulating Linked Data resources.

To use solid-client in your JavaScript application, you will need to install it using npm:

npm install solid-client

Once you have installed solid-client, you can use it to access and manipulate Linked Data resources in your DApp. For example, you can use the fetch function to retrieve a Linked Data resource from a Solid server:

import { fetch } from 'solid-client'

async function getResource(url) {
  const resource = await fetch(url)
  console.log(resource)
}

getResource('https://example.com/resource')

In addition to solid-client, there are a number of other libraries and tools available for building Solid DApps in JavaScript. These include libraries for working with RDF data, such as rdflib.js, and tools for building user interfaces, such as react-solid.

In conclusion, Solid is a powerful set of conventions and technologies for building decentralized applications on the web. By using the Solid JavaScript libraries and tools, you can build secure, scalable, and interoperable DApps in JavaScript.

• Date: 05 Jan 2023