react-native-idpass-smartshare v0.1.0

react-native-idpass-smartshare

A Secure Communications Library For Sharing Credentials

Steps to test run the minimal example app

The use of Java version 1.8 is recommended and has been tested to be smoothly compatible for this project. This project's intial setup was generated by npx create-react-native-library react-native-idpass-smartshare template project structure and settings.

git clone https://github.com/idpass/react-native-idpass-smartshare
cd react-native-idpass-smartshare/
npm install
cd example/
npm install
npx react-native start

# open another terminal
cd react-native-idpass-smartshare/example
npx react-native run-android

Installation

npm install react-native-idpass-smartshare

Usage

Import in main app:

import BluetoothApi from "react-native-idpass-smartshare"

Bluetooth API Description

First, a connection code or params needs to be communicated out-of-band and not via this library. This connection code specifies the intended peer to connect to. The mechanism to communicate the params connection code is up to the application. Such mechanism would include, but is not limited to, through a QR code for example.

The app that displays the QR code shall generate the ephemeral connection parameters:

var params = BluetoothApi.getConnectionParameters()
console.log(params)

// Use any out-of-band mechanism to communicate the value of params to the peer device.
// For example, you can use a QR code generator library to visually display params.

The connection code or params looks like:

{
  "cid": "1ejpu",
  "pk": "819176777955C098B78BAF949084A4484AEC5A769CED2307D59E46DC85A0F758"
}

The app that scans the QR code shall set its connection parameters:

// Use any out-of-band mechanism to get the value of params of the peer device.
// For example, you can use a QR code scanning library to get params

BluetoothApi.setConnectionParameters(params)

Both apps create the connection:

BluetoothApi.createConnection("dual", () => {
  // A secure Bluetooth connection is created
  // Anytime, either app may call BluetoothApi.send()
})

Once the connection is created, either app can send a string message.

BluetoothApi.send(msg, () => {
  // message sent
})

The app can intentionally destroy the connection.

BluetoothApi.destroyConnection()

The app must handle Nearby events in order to receive messages, to monitor transfer status of incoming/outgoing messages, or to monitor connection related events:

BluetoothApi.handleNearbyEvents((event) => {
    switch (event.type) {
    case "msg":
    console.log(event.data)
    break;

    case "onDisconnected":
    console.log("onDisconnected:" + event.data)
    break;

    case "transferupdate":
    console.log("transferupdate:" + event.data)
    break;

    default:
    break;
  }

})

The React Native app can print native debug logs for debugging, by:

BluetoothApi.handleLogEvents((event) => {
  console.log(event.log)
})

Non-dual Bluetooth Connection Creation Mode

The above example snippets illustrated the use of the dual Bluetooth connection creation mode, wherein both devices will actively attempt to connect to each other and depending on who does it first, a connection is thereby created. The dual mode is a more robust mechanism to create a connection. However, an application may opt to configure one device as the advertiser and the other as the discoverer. For example, the first app that displays the QR code will advertise its presence and waits for a connection by:

BluetoothApi.createConnection("advertiser", () => {
  // A secure Bluetooth connection is created
  // Anytime, either app may call BluetoothApi.send()
})

and the other app that scans the QR code will attempt to discover the first app by:

BluetoothApi.createConnection("discoverer", () => {
  // A secure Bluetooth connection is created
  // Anytime, either app may call BluetoothApi.send()
})

This secure Bluetooth communication library needs to be used with another mechanism, for example a QR code, for the exchange of a connection parameters (params). This library uses asymmetric cryptography with ephemeral keys to secure the payload with Authenticated Encryption.

Open source dependencies

• idpass-smartshare
• lazysodium-android

License

Apache-2.0 License