.. highlight:: kotlin
.. raw:: html
Node shell
==========
.. contents::
The Corda shell is an embedded or standalone command line that allows an administrator to control and monitor a node. It is based on
the `CRaSH`_ shell and supports many of the same features. These features include:
* Invoking any of the node's RPC methods
* Viewing a dashboard of threads, heap usage, VM properties
* Uploading and downloading attachments
* Issuing SQL queries to the underlying database
* Viewing JMX metrics and monitoring exports
* UNIX style pipes for both text and objects, an ``egrep`` command and a command for working with columnar data
* Shutting the node down.
Permissions
-----------
When accessing the shell (embedded, standalone, via SSH) RPC permissions are required. This is because the shell actually communicates
with the node using RPC calls.
There are several operations that are read-only in nature and granting them should have no impact on the ledger state of the node.
These permissions are:
.. code:: bash
permissions=[
"InvokeRpc.nodeInfo",
"InvokeRpc.networkMapSnapshot",
"InvokeRpc.currentNodeTime",
"InvokeRpc.wellKnownPartyFromX500Name",
"InvokeRpc.vaultQuery",
"InvokeRpc.vaultQueryBy",
"InvokeRpc.stateMachinesSnapshot",
"InvokeRpc.nodeDiagnosticInfo",
"InvokeRpc.notaryIdentities",
"InvokeRpc.attachmentExists",
"InvokeRpc.partyFromKey",
"InvokeRpc.notaryPartyFromX500Name",
"InvokeRpc.partiesFromName",
"InvokeRpc.registeredFlows"
]
There are also operations that allow starting/killing the flows or even stopping the node as a whole:
* Watching flows (``flow watch``) requires ``InvokeRpc.stateMachinesFeed``.
* Starting flows requires ``InvokeRpc.startTrackedFlowDynamic``, ``InvokeRpc.registeredFlows`` and ``InvokeRpc.wellKnownPartyFromX500Name``, as well as a
permission for the flow being started.
* Killing flows (``flow kill``) requires ``InvokeRpc.killFlow``. This currently
allows the user to kill *any* flow, so please be careful when granting it!
Description of RPC operations can be found in :doc:`api-rpc`.
The shell via the local terminal
--------------------------------
.. note:: Local terminal shell works only in development mode!
The shell will display in the node's terminal window. It connects to the node as 'shell' user with password 'shell'
(which is only available in dev mode).
It may be disabled by passing the ``--no-local-shell`` flag when running the node.
The shell via SSH
-----------------
The shell is also accessible via SSH.
Enabling SSH access
*******************
By default, the SSH server is *disabled*. To enable it, a port must be configured in the node's ``node.conf`` file:
.. code:: bash
sshd {
port = 2222
}
Authentication
**************
Users log in to shell via SSH using the same credentials as for RPC.
No RPC permissions are required to allow the connection and log in.
The host key is loaded from the ``/sshkey/hostkey.pem`` file. If this file does not exist, it is
generated automatically. In development mode, the seed may be specified to give the same results on the same computer
in order to avoid host-checking errors.
Only RSA key is currently supported as a host key. If ``hostkey.pem`` is not RSA, it will be replaced by the newly generated RSA key.
Connecting to the shell
***********************
Linux and MacOS
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Run the following command from the terminal:
.. code:: bash
ssh -p [portNumber] [host] -l [user]
Where:
* ``[portNumber]`` is the port number specified in the ``node.conf`` file
* ``[host]`` is the node's host (e.g. ``localhost`` if running the node locally)
* ``[user]`` is the RPC username
The RPC password will be requested after a connection is established.
.. note:: In development mode, restarting a node frequently may cause the host key to be regenerated. SSH usually saves
trusted hosts and will refuse to connect in case of a change. This check can be disabled using the
``-o StrictHostKeyChecking=no`` flag. This option should never be used in production environment!
Windows
^^^^^^^
Windows does not provide a built-in SSH tool. An alternative such as PuTTY should be used.
.. _standalone-shell:
The standalone shell
--------------------
The standalone shell is a standalone application interacting with a Corda node via RPC calls.
RPC node permissions are necessary for authentication and authorisation.
Certain operations, such as starting flows, require access to the CorDapp jars.
Starting the standalone shell
*****************************
Run the following command from the terminal:
.. code:: bash
corda-shell [-hvV] [--logging-level=] [--password=]
[--truststore-file=]
[--truststore-password=]
[--truststore-type=] [--user=] [-a=]
[-c=] [-f=] [-o=]
[-p=] [COMMAND]
Where:
* ``--config-file=``, ``--f`` The path to the shell configuration file, used instead of providing the rest of the command line options.
* ``--cordapp-directory=``, ``-c`` The path to the directory containing CorDapp jars, CorDapps are required when starting flows.
* ``--commands-directory=``, ``-o`` The path to the directory containing additional CRaSH shell commands.
* ``--host``, ``-a``: The host address of the Corda node.
* ``--port``, ``-p``: The RPC port of the Corda node.
* ``--user=``: The RPC user name.
* ``--password=`` The RPC user password. If not provided it will be prompted for on startup.
* ``--truststore-password=``: The password to unlock the TrustStore file.
* ``--truststore-file=``: The path to the TrustStore file.
* ``--truststore-type=``: The type of the TrustStore (e.g. JKS).
* ``--verbose``, ``--log-to-console``, ``-v``: If set, prints logging to the console as well as to a file.
* ``--logging-level=``: Enable logging at this level and higher. Possible values: ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE. Default: INFO.
* ``--help``, ``-h``: Show this help message and exit.
* ``--version``, ``-V``: Print version information and exit.
Additionally, the ``install-shell-extensions`` subcommand can be used to install the ``corda-shell`` alias and auto completion for bash and zsh. See :doc:`cli-application-shell-extensions` for more info.
The format of ``config-file``:
.. code:: bash
node {
addresses {
rpc {
host : "localhost"
port : 10006
}
}
}
shell {
workDir : /path/to/dir
}
extensions {
cordapps {
path : /path/to/cordapps/dir
}
}
ssl {
keystore {
path: "/path/to/keystore"
type: "JKS"
password: password
}
trustore {
path: "/path/to/trusttore"
type: "JKS"
password: password
}
}
user : demo
password : demo
.. note:: SSH server is not supported inside the standalone shell.
Shell Safe Mode
---------------
This is a new mode added in the Enterprise 4.3 release to prevent the Crash shell embedded commands (e.g. 'java', 'system') from being
executed by a user with insufficient privilege. This is part of a general security tightening initiative.
When a shell is running in unsafe mode, the shell behaviour will be the same as before and will include Crash built in commands. By default
the internal shell will run in safe mode but will still be have the ability to execute RPC client calls as before based on
existing RPC permissions. No Corda functionality is affected by this change; only the ability to access to the Crash shell embedded commands.
When running an SSH shell, it will run in safe mode for any user that does not explicitly have permission 'ALL' as one the items
in their RPC permission list, see :doc:`tutorial-clientrpc-api` for more information about the RPC Client API. These shell changes are
also applied to the Stand Alone shell which will now run in safe mode (Enterprise 4.3 onwards). It may be possible that, in the future,
the Crash shell embedded commands may become deprecated. Where possible, please do not write any new code that depends on them as they
are technically not part of Corda functionality.
Interacting with the node via the shell
---------------------------------------
The shell interacts with the node by issuing RPCs (remote procedure calls). You make an RPC from the shell by typing
``run`` followed by the name of the desired RPC method. For example, you'd see a list of the registered flows on your
node by running:
``run registeredFlows``
Some RPCs return a stream of events that will be shown on screen until you press Ctrl-C.
You can find a list of the available RPC methods
`here `_.
Shutting down the node
**********************
You can shut the node down via shell:
* ``run gracefulShutdown`` will put node into draining mode, and shut down when there are no flows running
* ``run shutdown`` will shut the node down immediately
Output Formats
**************
You can choose the format in which the output of the commands will be shown.
To see what is the format that's currently used, you can type ``output-format get``.
To update the format, you can type ``output-format set json``.
The currently supported formats are ``json``, ``yaml``. The default format is ``yaml``.
Flow commands
*************
The shell also has special commands for working with flows:
* ``flow list`` lists the flows available on the node
* ``flow watch`` shows all the flows currently running on the node with result (or error) information
* ``flow start`` starts a flow. The ``flow start`` command takes the name of a flow class, or
*any unambiguous substring* thereof, as well as the data to be passed to the flow constructor. If there are several
matches for a given substring, the possible matches will be printed out. If a flow has multiple constructors then the
names and types of the arguments will be used to try and automatically determine which one to use. If the match
against available constructors is unclear, the reasons each available constructor failed to match will be printed
out. In the case of an ambiguous match, the first applicable constructor will be used
* ``flow kill`` kills a single flow, as identified by its UUID.
Parameter syntax
****************
Parameters are passed to RPC or flow commands using a syntax called `Yaml`_ (yet another markup language), a
simple JSON-like language. The key features of Yaml are:
* Parameters are separated by commas
* Each parameter is specified as a ``key: value`` pair
* There **MUST** to be a space after the colon, otherwise you'll get a syntax error
* Strings do not need to be surrounded by quotes unless they contain commas, colons or embedded quotes
* Class names must be fully-qualified (e.g. ``java.lang.String``)
* Nested classes are referenced using ``$``. For example, the ``net.corda.finance.contracts.asset.Cash.State``
class is referenced as ``net.corda.finance.contracts.asset.Cash$State`` (note the ``$``)
.. note:: If your CorDapp is written in Java, named arguments won't work unless you compiled the node using the
``-parameters`` argument to javac. See :doc:`generating-a-node` for how to specify it via Gradle.
Creating an instance of a class
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Class instances are created using curly-bracket syntax. For example, if we have a ``Campaign`` class with the following
constructor:
``data class Campaign(val name: String, val target: Int)``
Then we could create an instance of this class to pass as a parameter as follows:
``newCampaign: { name: Roger, target: 1000 }``
Where ``newCampaign`` is a parameter of type ``Campaign``.
Mappings from strings to types
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In addition to the types already supported by Jackson, several parameter types can automatically be mapped from strings.
We cover the most common types here.
Amount
~~~~~~
A parameter of type ``Amount`` can be written as either:
* A dollar ($), pound (£) or euro (€) symbol followed by the amount as a decimal
* The amount as a decimal followed by the ISO currency code (e.g. "100.12 CHF")
SecureHash
~~~~~~~~~~
A parameter of type ``SecureHash`` can be written as a hexadecimal string: ``F69A7626ACC27042FEEAE187E6BFF4CE666E6F318DC2B32BE9FAF87DF687930C``
OpaqueBytes
~~~~~~~~~~~
A parameter of type ``OpaqueBytes`` can be provided as a UTF-8 string.
PublicKey and CompositeKey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A parameter of type ``PublicKey`` can be written as a Base58 string of its encoded format: ``GfHq2tTVk9z4eXgyQXzegw6wNsZfHcDhfw8oTt6fCHySFGp3g7XHPAyc2o6D``.
``net.corda.core.utilities.EncodingUtils.toBase58String`` will convert a ``PublicKey`` to this string format.
Party
~~~~~
A parameter of type ``Party`` can be written in several ways:
* By using the full name: ``"O=Monogram Bank,L=Sao Paulo,C=GB"``
* By specifying the organisation name only: ``"Monogram Bank"``
* By specifying any other non-ambiguous part of the name: ``"Sao Paulo"`` (if only one network node is located in Sao
Paulo)
* By specifying the public key (see above)
NodeInfo
~~~~~~~~
A parameter of type ``NodeInfo`` can be written in terms of one of its identities (see ``Party`` above)
AnonymousParty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A parameter of type ``AnonymousParty`` can be written in terms of its ``PublicKey`` (see above)
NetworkHostAndPort
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A parameter of type ``NetworkHostAndPort`` can be written as a "host:port" string: ``"localhost:1010"``
Instant and Date
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A parameter of ``Instant`` and ``Date`` can be written as an ISO-8601 string: ``"2017-12-22T00:00:00Z"``
Examples
^^^^^^^^
Starting a flow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We would start the ``CashIssueFlow`` flow as follows:
``flow start CashIssueFlow amount: $1000, issuerBankPartyRef: 1234, notary: "O=Controller, L=London, C=GB"``
This breaks down as follows:
* ``flow start`` is a shell command for starting a flow
* ``CashIssueFlow`` is the flow we want to start
* Each ``name: value`` pair after that is a flow constructor argument
This command invokes the following ``CashIssueFlow`` constructor:
.. container:: codeset
.. sourcecode:: kotlin
class CashIssueFlow(val amount: Amount,
val issuerBankPartyRef: OpaqueBytes,
val recipient: Party,
val notary: Party) : AbstractCashFlow(progressTracker)
Querying the vault
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We would query the vault for ``IOUState`` states as follows:
``run vaultQuery contractStateType: com.template.IOUState``
This breaks down as follows:
* ``run`` is a shell command for making an RPC call
* ``vaultQuery`` is the RPC call we want to make
* ``contractStateType: com.template.IOUState`` is the fully-qualified name of the state type we are querying for
Attachments
***********
The shell can be used to upload and download attachments from the node. To learn more, see the tutorial
":doc:`tutorial-attachments`".
Getting help
************
You can type ``help`` in the shell to list the available commands, and ``man`` to get interactive help on many
commands. You can also pass the ``--help`` or ``-h`` flags to a command to get info about what switches it supports.
Commands may have subcommands, in the same style as ``git``. In that case, running the command by itself will
list the supported subcommands.
Extending the shell
-------------------
THIS FUNCTIONALITY IS NOW ONLY AVAILABLE WHEN RUNNING THE SHELL IN UNSAFE MODE (see Safe Shell section above). This is because of possible
security vulnerabilities caused by the Crash shell embedded commands. When shell commands are executed via SSH, a remote user has the ability
to effect the node internal state (including running scripts, gc and even shutting down the node). Prior to Enterprise 4.3 this was possible
regardless of the user's permissions. A user must now have 'ALL' as one of their RPC Permissions to be able to use the embedded commands via
the unsafe shell. You are advised, where possible to design out dependencies on the Crash shell embedded commands (non-Corda commands)
and, as a minimum, not to introduce any new dependencies on the unsafe shell environment.
The shell can be extended using commands written in either Java or `Groovy`_ (a Java-compatible scripting language).
These commands have full access to the node's internal APIs and thus can be used to achieve almost anything.
A full tutorial on how to write such commands is out of scope for this documentation. To learn more, please refer to
the `CRaSH`_ documentation. New commands are placed in the ``shell-commands`` subdirectory in the node directory. Edits
to existing commands will be used automatically, but currently commands added after the node has started won't be
automatically detected. Commands must have names all in lower-case with either a ``.java`` or ``.groovy`` extension.
.. warning:: Commands written in Groovy ignore Java security checks, so have unrestricted access to node and JVM
internals regardless of any sandboxing that may be in place. Don't allow untrusted users to edit files in the
shell-commands directory!
Limitations
-----------
The shell will be enhanced over time. The currently known limitations include:
* Flows cannot be run unless they override the progress tracker
* If a command requires an argument of an abstract type, the command cannot be run because the concrete subclass to use cannot be specified using the YAML syntax
* There is no command completion for flows or RPCs
* Command history is not preserved across restarts
* The ``jdbc`` command requires you to explicitly log into the database first
* Commands placed in the ``shell-commands`` directory are only noticed after the node is restarted
* The ``jul`` command advertises access to logs, but it doesn't work with the logging framework we're using
.. _Yaml: http://www.yaml.org/spec/1.2/spec.html
.. _Groovy: http://groovy-lang.org/
.. _CRaSH: http://www.crashub.org/