# [](https://www.bigchaindb.com)
> Official JavaScript driver for [BigchainDB](https://github.com/bigchaindb/bigchaindb) to create transactions in Node.js and the browser.
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- [Main Documentation](https://docs.bigchaindb.com/projects/js-driver/en/latest/usage.html)
- [Driver API reference](API.md)
## Compatibility
| BigchainDB Server | BigchainDB JavaScript Driver |
| ----------------- |------------------------------|
| `0.10` | `0.1.x` |
| `1.0.0` | `0.3.x` |
| `1.3.x` | `3.x.x` |
| `>= 2.0.0` | `4.x.x` |
## Breaking changes
- **Version 4.0** of BigchainDB JavaScript Driver makes the driver compatible with BigchainDB 2.0. There are new functions for sending off transactions along with other changes. Check [older versions](https://docs.bigchaindb.com/projects/js-driver/en/latest/readme.html#features)
- **Version 3.2** of BigchainDB JavaScript Driver introduces a new way of creating transfer transactions. Check [older versions](https://docs.bigchaindb.com/projects/js-driver/en/latest/readme.html#features)
## Table of Contents
- [Installation and Usage](#installation-and-usage)
- [Example: Create a transaction](#example-create-a-transaction)
- [Browser usage](#browser-usage)
- [BigchainDB Documentation](#bigchaindb-documentation)
- [Speed Optimizations](#speed-optimizations)
- [Development](#development)
- [Authors](#authors)
- [License](#license)
---
## Installation and Usage
```bash
npm install bigchaindb-driver
```
```js
const driver = require('bigchaindb-driver')
// or ES6+
import driver from 'bigchaindb-driver'
```
### Example: Create a transaction
```js
const driver = require('bigchaindb-driver')
// BigchainDB server instance (e.g. https://test.bigchaindb.com/api/v1/)
const API_PATH = 'http://localhost:9984/api/v1/'
// Create a new keypair.
const alice = new driver.Ed25519Keypair()
// Construct a transaction payload
const tx = driver.Transaction.makeCreateTransaction(
// Define the asset to store, in this example it is the current temperature
// (in Celsius) for the city of Berlin.
{ city: 'Berlin, DE', temperature: 22, datetime: new Date().toString() },
// Metadata contains information about the transaction itself
// (can be `null` if not needed)
{ what: 'My first BigchainDB transaction' },
// A transaction needs an output
[ driver.Transaction.makeOutput(
driver.Transaction.makeEd25519Condition(alice.publicKey))
],
alice.publicKey
)
// Sign the transaction with private keys
const txSigned = driver.Transaction.signTransaction(tx, alice.privateKey)
// Send the transaction off to BigchainDB
const conn = new driver.Connection(API_PATH)
conn.postTransactionCommit(txSigned)
.then(retrievedTx => console.log('Transaction', retrievedTx.id, 'successfully posted.'))
```
### Browser usage
```html
BigchainDB boilerplate
Hello BigchainDB
Your transaction id is: processing
```
## BigchainDB Documentation
- [The Hitchhiker's Guide to BigchainDB](https://www.bigchaindb.com/developers/guide/)
- [HTTP API Reference](https://docs.bigchaindb.com/projects/server/en/latest/http-client-server-api.html)
- [The Transaction Model](https://docs.bigchaindb.com/projects/server/en/latest/data-models/transaction-model.html?highlight=crypto%20conditions)
- [Inputs and Outputs](https://docs.bigchaindb.com/projects/server/en/latest/data-models/inputs-outputs.html)
- [Asset Transfer](https://docs.bigchaindb.com/projects/py-driver/en/latest/usage.html#asset-transfer)
- [All BigchainDB Documentation](https://docs.bigchaindb.com/)
## Speed Optimizations
This implementation plays "safe" by using JS-native (or downgradable) libraries for its crypto-related functions to keep compatibilities with the browser. If you do want some more speed, feel free to explore the following:
* [chloride](https://github.com/dominictarr/chloride), or its underlying [sodium](https://github.com/paixaop/node-sodium) library
* [node-sha3](https://github.com/phusion/node-sha3) -- **MAKE SURE** to use [steakknife's fork](https://github.com/steakknife/node-sha3) if [the FIPS 202 upgrade](https://github.com/phusion/node-sha3/pull/25) hasn't been merged (otherwise, you'll run into all kinds of hashing problems)
## Development
```js
git clone git@github.com:bigchaindb/js-bigchaindb-driver.git
cd js-bigchaindb-driver/
npm i
npm run dev
```
After updating source files in `src/`, make sure to update the API documentation. The following command will scan all source files and create the Markdown output into `./API.md`:
```bash
npm run doc
```
## Authors
* inspired by [`js-bigchaindb-quickstart`](https://github.com/sohkai/js-bigchaindb-quickstart) of @sohkhai [thanks]
* BigchainDB
## License
```
Copyright 2017 BigchainDB GmbH
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
```