Spark Plugins Overview

A Spark Plugin is a powerful Vatom Communities feature that enables developers to create effective plugins that extend the functionality of the Vatom Wallet.

The Development Process

The following steps are essential to building a successful Spark Plugin:

• Use NGrok to locally host a static domain.
• Build a Spark Plugin from a fork of working sample code.
• Test the locally built sample plugin with NGrok.
• Iteratively develop and test your own plugin locally.
• Deploy to production when it is working properly.

Setting Up Your Test Server on NGrok

Ngrok is a cross-platform tool that enables developers to expose a local server to the internet. This tool creates a secure tunnel between the local server and the internet, allowing developers to test their plugins in a secure environment. This capability is commonly referred to as "reverse proxy".

1. Visit ngrok.com to download and install ngrok on your local machine.
2. Obtain a static domain from ngrok
3. Contact support.vatom.com to have your static domain registered in the Spark Engine under your Vatom business ID.
4. Start the Spark Plugin server on your local machine using yarn start
5. After starting the Spark Plugin server, run ngrok to expose the local server to the internet. Remember to specify the correct port that the server is running on.

Testing the Spark Plugin Locally

Once you are running the Spark plugin locally using ngrok, it's time to test it. Testing the plugin involves using the Vatom Wallet Connect features

To test the Spark Plugin locally, you'll need to follow these steps:

1. Open the Vatom Wallet and navigate to the business specified in #3 above
2. Click on the Connect tab in the footer
3. You should see your local plugin being called

Deploying the Spark Plugin to Production

After you've tested the Spark Plugin locally and ensured it meets your expectations, it's time to deploy it to a production environment.

To deploy the Spark plugin to production, you'll need to follow these steps:

1. Build the Spark Plugin using yarn build.
2. Deploy to a server that is exposed to the Internet using a secure, reliable mechanism.
3. Start the Spark server.

Conclusion

In conclusion, building a Spark Plugin locally using ngrok is a powerful way to test your plugins before deploying them to production. By following the steps outlined above, you can build and test your Spark plugins with ease. Remember to test your Spark Plugins thoroughly before deploying them to production to avoid any issues. Happy coding!