Canister-manager NPM

Canister Manager

A utility to make ICP Canisters easier to handle. This package provides a simple interface for managing Internet Computer (ICP) canisters, handling both local development and mainnet environments.

Features

Easy canister actor creation
Automatic URL management for local and mainnet environments
Support for localhost subdomains in Chrome
Internet Identity integration
TypeScript support
SSL configuration support for local development
Expo development server support

Installation

npm install canister-manager

Usage

Basic Setup

import { CanisterManager } from 'canister-manager';
import { IDL } from '@dfinity/candid';

// Initialize the manager
const manager = new CanisterManager({
  dfxNetwork: 'local', // or 'ic' for mainnet
  staticIpAddress: '192.168.0.210', // Your static IP address for external access
  // Optional: customize ports
  replicaPort: 4943, // Required for local development
  // The following ports are only needed when accessing from a smartphone
  canisterPort: 14943, // For canister communication via SSL
  internetIdentityPort: 24943, // For Internet Identity via SSL
});

// Create an actor for your canister
const actor = manager.createActor({
  canisterId: 'your-canister-id',
  interfaceFactory: yourCanisterIDL, // Your canister's Candid interface
  // Optional: provide custom identity
  identity: yourCustomIdentity,
});

URL Management

// Get backend URL for canister communication
const backendUrl = manager.getBackendCanisterURL('your-canister-id');

// Get frontend URL for canister access
const frontendUrl = manager.getFrontendCanisterURL('your-canister-id');

// Get Internet Identity URL
const iiUrl = manager.getInternetIdentityURL('your-canister-id');

Local Development

The manager automatically handles different environments:

For mainnet (dfxNetwork: 'ic'):
- Canister URLs: https://<canister-id>.ic0.app
- Internet Identity: https://identity.ic0.app
For local development (dfxNetwork: 'local'):
- Chrome: Supports localhost subdomains (http://<canister-id>.localhost:4943)
- Other browsers: Falls back to query parameter URLs
- Smartphone access: Requires SSL configuration with custom ports

Port Configuration

replicaPort (default: 4943): Required for local development
canisterPort (default: 14943): Only needed for smartphone access via SSL
internetIdentityPort (default: 24943): Only needed for smartphone access via SSL

When developing locally with Chrome, you only need to specify the replicaPort. The other ports are only required when you need to access the local development server from a smartphone.

SSL Configuration for Local Development

To connect to a local replica from a web application or native app on a smartphone, SSL configuration is required. Here's how to set it up:

1. Set Up Static IP Address

To access the development server on your PC from a smartphone, you need to set up a static IP address. This ensures the IP address remains unchanged even after PC restart, enabling stable connectivity.

macOS

Open "System Settings" from the Apple menu
Click "Network" in the sidebar
Select your active network connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and click "Details"
Open the "TCP/IP" tab
From the "Configure IPv4" dropdown menu, select "Using DHCP with manual address" and enter:
- IP Address: Recommended to use range 192.168.0.200-192.168.0.254 to avoid conflicts with DHCP dynamic assignments. For example, you could use 192.168.0.210.

2. Install mkcert

mkcert is a tool for easily implementing HTTPS communication in local development environments.

macOS Installation

brew install mkcert
brew install nss # Required if using Firefox

Root CA Setup

mkcert -install

Check Root Certificate Location

mkcert -CAROOT

Installing Root Certificate on iOS

Send rootCA.pem file to iOS device
Install from "Profile Downloaded" in Settings app
Enable mkcert certificate in Settings → General → About → Certificate Trust Settings

Installing Root Certificate on Android

Transfer rootCA.pem file to Android device
Go to Settings → Security → More → Install from storage
Select and install as CA certificate

Important Notes

nss installation is mandatory when using Firefox
Never share generated key files
Root certificate installation process may vary depending on Android device model

3. Create Server Certificate

Preparation

mkdir .mkcert
cd .mkcert

Certificate Creation

mkcert [static IP address]

The following files will be generated:

[static IP address].pem - Server certificate
[static IP address]-key.pem - Private key

4. Configure local-ssl-proxy

Update your package.json with SSL proxy configurations:

{
  "scripts": {
    "ssl:canisters": "local-ssl-proxy --key ./.mkcert/[static IP address]-key.pem --cert ./.mkcert/[static IP address].pem --source 14943 --target 4943",
    "ssl:ii": "local-ssl-proxy --key ./.mkcert/[static IP address]-key.pem --cert ./.mkcert/[static IP address].pem --source 24943 --target 4943",
    "ssl:web": "local-ssl-proxy --key ./.mkcert/[static IP address]-key.pem --cert ./.mkcert/[static IP address].pem --source 18081 --target 8081"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "local-ssl-proxy": "^2.0.5"
  }
}

Each configuration does the following:

ssl:canisters: Provides HTTPS connection for Canisters (14943→4943)
ssl:ii: Provides HTTPS connection for Internet Identity (24943→4943)
ssl:web: Provides HTTPS connection for Expo development server (18081→8081), enabling mobile app testing

Important Notes

Replace [static IP address] with the static IP address you configured earlier
Ensure the server certificate and private key file paths match the location of files generated by mkcert
The ssl:web proxy is specifically for accessing Expo's development server from mobile devices

5. Start DFX and Deploy Canisters

First, start DFX and deploy your canisters:

# Start DFX with SSL
dfx start --clean

# In a new terminal, deploy your canisters
dfx deploy

6. Start local-ssl-proxy

After DFX is running and canisters are deployed, launch the SSL proxy servers:

# Terminal 1: Start canister proxy
npm run ssl:canisters

# Terminal 2: Start Internet Identity proxy
npm run ssl:ii

# Terminal 3: Start Expo development server proxy (if using Expo)
npm run ssl:web

These commands do the following:

ssl:canisters provides HTTPS connection for Canisters (14943→4943)
ssl:ii provides HTTPS connection for Internet Identity (24943→4943)
ssl:web provides HTTPS connection for Expo development server (18081→8081), enabling mobile app testing

Important Notes

Run each command in a separate new terminal
Before running commands, ensure target ports are not in use
Verify SSL certificate paths are correctly configured
After launch, each can be stopped individually with Ctrl+C
The Expo development server must be running on port 8081 before starting the ssl:web proxy
Always start DFX and deploy canisters before starting the local-ssl-proxy servers

7. Update your application configuration

const manager = new CanisterManager({
  dfxNetwork: 'local',
  staticIpAddress: '192.168.0.210', // Your static IP address for external access
  // Use default ports unless you've configured custom ones
  replicaPort: 4943,
  canisterPort: 14943, // Only needed for smartphone access
  internetIdentityPort: 24943, // Only needed for smartphone access
});

8. Access from different devices

Web Browser: Use https://<your-ip>:<port>/?canisterId=<canister-id>
Mobile App: Use the same URL format as web browser
Chrome on Desktop: Supports localhost subdomains (http://<canister-id>.localhost:4943)
Expo App: Use https://<your-ip>:18081 to access the development server

Common Issues and Solutions

SSL Certificate Errors:
- For development, you may need to accept self-signed certificates in your browser
- For mobile apps, you might need to configure certificate pinning or disable SSL verification in development
- Ensure mkcert root certificate is properly installed on all devices
- Verify that the server certificate matches your static IP address
Connection Issues:
- Ensure your device is on the same network as your development machine
- Check if your firewall allows connections to the specified ports
- Verify that the IP address is correct and accessible
- Make sure mkcert is properly installed and configured
- Confirm that your static IP address is properly set and not conflicting with other devices
- Verify that all local-ssl-proxy instances are running correctly
- For Expo development server, ensure the Expo server is running before starting the proxy
- Make sure DFX is running and canisters are deployed before starting local-ssl-proxy
Port Conflicts:
- If the default ports are in use, you can customize them in the configuration
- Make sure to update your DFX configuration to match the custom ports
- Verify that the local-ssl-proxy ports match your application configuration
- Check that no other services are using the required ports
- Ensure Expo development server is running on port 8081

Configuration Options

type CanisterManagerConfig = {
  /** The DFX network to connect to (e.g., 'local', 'ic') */
  dfxNetwork: string;
  /** Static IP address for external access to local development server */
  staticIpAddress: string;
  /** Port for the local replica (default: 4943) */
  replicaPort?: number;
  /** Port for canister communication via SSL (default: 14943). Only needed for smartphone access. */
  canisterPort?: number;
  /** Port for Internet Identity via SSL (default: 24943). Only needed for smartphone access. */
  internetIdentityPort?: number;
};

Development

Clone the repository
Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Run tests:
```
npm test
```
Build the project:
```
npm run build
```

License

MIT

icp internet-computer canister dfinity dfx typescript ssl local-development

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