Skip to main content

Getting Started with ATP

This guide will help you set up and start using the Account Transfer Protocol (ATP) version 2 on the Internet Computer.

Setting up the Development Environment​

  1. Make sure you have the DFINITY SDK (dfx) installed:
sh -ci "$(curl -fsSL https://internetcomputer.org/install.sh)"
  1. Clone the ATP repository:
git clone https://github.com/mycel-labs/atp
cd atp
  1. Start the local Internet Computer replica:
dfx start --background
  1. Deploy the ATP canister:
dfx deploy

Testing Endpoints​

Once deployed, you can interact with the ATP canister using the Candid UI (recommended) or through the command line.

When you deploy the canister using dfx deploy, the command will output a URL to access the Candid UI. This is the recommended approach for testing the endpoints as it provides a user-friendly interface.

Using the Command Line​

Alternatively, you can use the dfx canister call command to interact with the ATP canister:

Create an account​

dfx canister call atp create_account '(variant {ecdsa}, variant {secp256k1}, principal "YOUR_PRINCIPAL_ID")'

Get account details​

dfx canister call atp get_account '("YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID")'

Transfer an account​

dfx canister call atp transfer_account '("YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID", principal "NEW_OWNER_PRINCIPAL_ID")'

Activate an account​

dfx canister call atp activate_account '("YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID")'

Sign a message​

dfx canister call atp sign '("YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID", "48656c6c6f20576f726c64")'  # "Hello World" in hex

Example Implementation​

Here's a simple example of how to create and activate an account:

# Step 1: Deploy the ATP canister
dfx deploy

# Step 2: Get your principal ID
MY_PRINCIPAL=$(dfx identity get-principal)

# Step 3: Create an account with ECDSA/secp256k1
RESULT=$(dfx canister call atp create_account "(variant {ecdsa}, variant {secp256k1}, principal \"$MY_PRINCIPAL\")")

# Step 4: Extract the account ID from the result
ACCOUNT_ID=$(echo $RESULT | grep -o '"id": "[^"]*' | cut -d'"' -f4)

# Step 5: Transfer the account to another principal
OTHER_PRINCIPAL="aaaaa-aa"  # Replace with an actual principal
dfx canister call atp transfer_account "(\"$ACCOUNT_ID\", principal \"$OTHER_PRINCIPAL\")"

# Step 6: As the new owner, activate the account
# (You would need to switch identities or use a different terminal)
dfx canister call atp activate_account "(\"$ACCOUNT_ID\")"

# Step 7: Sign a message with the activated account
dfx canister call atp sign "(\"$ACCOUNT_ID\", \"48656c6c6f20576f726c64\")"

This example demonstrates the complete lifecycle of an account from creation to activation and usage.