Polkadot-JS
The Polkadot-JS project is a collection of tools, interfaces, and libraries around Polkadot and Substrate.
Note: While the project is named after "Polkadot", know that these tools, interfaces, and libraries are fully compatible with any Substrate based chain.
Polkadot-JS API
The Polkadot-JS API is a library of interfaces for communicating with Polkadot and Substrate nodes.
The API provides application developers the ability to query a node and interact with the Polkadot or Substrate chains using Javascript.
Getting Started
Developer documentation for the Polkadot-JS API can be found on their site. Follow the Getting Started guide to learn how to install and start using the Polkadot-JS API right away.
Polkadot-JS Apps
The Polkadot-JS Apps is a flexible UI for interacting with a Polkadot or Substrate based node.
This is pre-built user-facing application, allowing access to all features available on Substrate chains.
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Connecting to Local Node
To connect the Polkadot-JS Apps to your local node, you must go into Settings and change the
"endpoint to connect to" to Local Node (127.0.0.1:9944).
Note: If you are connected to the Polkadot-JS Apps over a secure HTTPS connection, you will need to use a browser which also supports bridging to an insecure WebSocket endpoint. For example, Google Chrome supports this, but Mozilla Firefox does not.
Polkadot-JS Extension
The Polkadot-JS Extension is a simple proof-of-concept for managing accounts in a browser extension and allowing the signing of extrinsics using these accounts. It also provides simple interface for interacting with extension-compliant dApps.
Install for Chrome Install for Firefox GitHub
Next Steps
Examples
- Clone the Substrate Front End Template to start building a custom ReactJS app for your blockchain using Polkadot-JS API.
References
Visit the reference docs for the Polkadot-JS API
Visit the reference docs for the Polkadot-JS Common Utilities