Today we are proud to announce that we have reached an important milestone: the Proxeus software has reached v1.1 and has been open sourced under a GNU GPLv3 license. Set up your own Proxeus instance and create your first application today!
ABOUT PROXEUS
Just like Wordpress empowered companies and enthusiasts to create websites without starting from a blank page at the beginning of the Internet, Proxeus aims to make blockchain technology more accessible by shortening the time necessary to create and test document-oriented use cases. The Proxeus software is a powerful workflow engine, allowing users without specific programming skills to digitize complex document templates, connect them to a business logic and make them available to third-parties on a web-based portal — for free or for a fee.
Since the v1 release in September, several improvements have been made to implement the community feedback, as well as the recommendations received through a series of product, technical, legal and security audit rounds. The application comes with a better solution to implement custom nodes and a series of UI improvements.
SET UP PROXEUS
Step 1: To install and run your own instance of Proxeus, follow the instructions published on doc.proxeus.com. Always make sure that you always pull Docker images from the official `proxeus` DockerHub repository and that you are using the latest version.
Step 2: Once your Proxeus platform is up and running, head over to the configuration guide in the handbook and follow the configuration steps. After completing the power up, you can log in with your newly created root user account. We recommend you always start by connecting to the Ropsten testnet and test your applications extensively.
Step 3: Deploy your own Proxeus smart contract following the instructions you will find in the documentation, or if you prefer, use our demo contract.
If you are only interested to give Proxeus a quick try, we are running a demo platform connected to the Ropsten testnet, which you can use to get familiar with Proxeus instead of deploying your own instance. Please be aware that this platform is only available for demo purposes and the data is therefore being wiped on a regular basis: make sure to check the schedule published on the Proxeus website in order to avoid losing your work.
CREATE YOUR FIRST APPLICATION
Now that you have successfully installed and configured your Proxeus platform, you can start creating your first application. A minimal workflow comprises one template and a form to gather the data to be inserted into the document.
There are vast possibilities to use Proxeus that require zero programming. Proxeus “out of the box” is a powerful document automation platform with blockchain capabilities. You can customize the platform to your liking: place your own logo, change any text label or add multi-language support. You can configure workflows with intuitive, dynamic user forms by using the drag & drop editors.
Once your first workflow is ready, you can decide to keep it for yourself or to make it available to third-parties. For that go to the workflow workspace, set a price (in XES tokens) and click on the publish button: your workflow will become accessible to other users and you will receive a fee in XES tokens each time a workflow execution is purchased.
EXTEND PROXEUS
External nodes is an extension system allowing technical users to add functionality to their workflows without touching the Proxeus Core application. You can install extensions provided by the community without writing any code — or decide to create your own. If you are running your own software product, you could for example build an external node allowing Proxeus platform Operators to give their users direct access to your product. Learn more about external nodes on the developers page.
ACCESS AND MODIFY THE OPEN SOURCE CODE
Users with software development skills have even more comprehensive ways to customize the software. Be it for your own needs or as a contributor to the Proxeus open source community, you can deep dive into the application’s inner workings.
Proxeus is completely open source and the full code and documentation for all of the elements of the Proxeus framework has been released on the official Proxeus GitHub account repositories. where you will find:
- Proxeus Core — the main application for creating and running workflows
- Document Service — the service that renders templates into PDFs and DOCX
- ProxeusFS — an example Proxeus smart contract
GET INSPIRED
Prior to this release, we developed several prototypes showing how the framework can be used to incorporate new businesses, issue course certificates, create donation receipts, certify assets, track shipments or make anti-doping processes more secure — those examples are detailed on a dedicated section of the website. We also created two additional application examples as additional inspiration to the community and demonstrate how workflows can be monetized using XES: a tax reporting tool for crypto assets and a proof of prior existence workflow. Both come with full code and documentation and are deployed on the demo platform.
A WORD OF CAUTION
The Proxeus software has undergone a series of audits before its open source release. Despite all precautions, users should not postulate that all security-relevant issues have been identified. In fact, the assumption must be made that there will be more bugs. You are using the Proxeus software or any code from its GitHub repositories at your own risk. If you decide to use the Proxeus software, do your own research and be sure to have read and understood the documentation beforehand. You are encouraged to thoroughly inspect the code that you will run before attempting to do anything.
BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR
The open source community is a huge worldwide movement with countless brilliant minds, and we are convinced that external contributors can have an immense impact on the Proxeus software going forward: some will hunt bugs and contribute to increase the security for everyone. Others will make suggestions for improvements or for whole new features. Business-minded people will come up with new use cases and concepts for industry-specific applications. Creative minds will contribute to further improve the user interface and to upgrade the user experience. Open source communities are incredibly resourceful — passion for good software, curiosity for new ideas and the joy of achieving something together are great motivators.
How about you? If you feel that you could contribute something and want to put your own mark on the project, the Proxeus community will be more than happy to welcome you. Make sure to follow our Twitter updates and get in touch with us about possibilities to contribute in the future.
