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What's New in Alphabill

This page provides a summary of significant changes introduced in recent releases of Alphabill.

v0.4.0 — Apr 4, 2024​

  • Validator nodes now offer JSON-RPC based APIs (see the API reference for details).

    • The gRPC and REST based APIs still retained, but planned to be removed in an upcoming release.

  • CLI wallet now uses validator nodes directly (wallet support back-end service no longer needed).

    • The back-end service components still retained in codebase to support GUI wallet testing, but planned to be removed in an upcoming release.

  • Compatibility-preserving updates to GUI wallet (migration to new validator APIs planned for next release).

  • Initial release of the JavaScript/TypeScript SDK for client application development (see the GitHub and NPM pages for details).

  • Known issues in the CLI wallet:

    • The list token types command not yet implemented on the new JSON-RPC based validator APIs.
    • Dust collection retry/recovery and the related list unswapped bills command do not yet work with the new JSON-RPC based validator APIs.
    • The list fee credits command does not show the fee balance for EVM partition.

v0.3.0 — Feb 29, 2024​

Alphabill Testnet and CLI​

  • Codebase split into two, separating client components and validators. The validator code remains under AGPL, the client code moved to Apache license for more flexible integration possibilities.
  • Root Chain now implemented as a distributed system with consensus of >2/3 of validator nodes required to finalize rounds.
  • Added locking of units for improved safety in multi-transaction protocols (consolidating bills, consolidating fungible tokens, managing fee credits).
  • Transaction processing results now recorded in blocks; in particular, the results of calling smart contract functions in EVM Partition are accessible to clients this way.
  • Standard predicates (like "pay to public key hash") now implemented as templates for easier parsing and indexing.
  • Initial implementation of state file export and import for more efficient new validator node setup.
  • New API endpoints in validator nodes for querying unit states (along with proofs).
  • Code quality and test coverage improvements throughout.

Alphabill Wallet UI​

  • Added support for predicate templates.
  • Fixed API endpoint URLs and types to match server-side updates.

v0.2.0 — Sept 28, 2023​

Alphabill Testnet​

  • Implemented transaction fees, paid in Alphabill native currency ALPHA. The fee per transaction is 0.000'000'01 ALPHA. Actions that consist of two transactions (2 x 0.000'000'01 ALPHA) are adding fee credits, reclaiming fee credits, and consolidating bills.
  • Introduced EVM Partition (User Programs).
  • New state tree and refactoring of data structures.
  • The Verifiable Data Partition is no longer in use as a separate partition, the functionality is now part of the User Token Partition.

Alphabill Wallet UI​

  • The Alphabill wallet extension is now available on the Chrome Web Store.
  • Transaction fees support: you can manage fees conveniently in the wallet.
  • Removed bill verification function.
  • Added indication when there's no connection.
  • Users are allowed to toggle seed phrase and password visibility.
  • Implemented refactored transaction data structures.
  • Moved key ellipses to middle and added popover.
  • Updated wallet to handle variable-length unit identifiers.
  • Creating a new wallet clears previous custom key name.

Documentation​

  • Overview of new features introduced with latest releases.
  • Quickstart guide for the CLI wallet.
  • Quickstart guide for deploying and executing smart contracts.
  • Setup tutorials for the CLI wallet and local development environment.
  • Money Partition tutorial.

v0.1.5 — May 3, 2023​

Alphabill Wallet UI​

  • NFT support: you can now manage your non-fungible tokens (NFTs) conveniently in the wallet.
  • NFT detailed view: get a closer look at your NFTs and their unique properties with our new detailed view feature.
  • Focus password field: made it easier for you to fill out password fields by automatically focusing on them when prompted.
  • Removed token lock function: simplified the platform by removing the token lock function, which was previously used to lock your tokens.
  • Account selecting user experience: made it easier for you to switch between accounts with our improved user experience.
  • Pre-select text when renaming keys: renaming keys is now easier and quicker with the pre-select feature, which automatically selects the text when you click on the field.

v0.1.4 — March 23, 2023​

Alphabill Testnet​

  • The native currency amounts are represented with 8 decimal digits now (the total circulation is still 10bn, but now accounted with greater precision). This change of underlying data representation forced us to reset the testnet (which also means that all balances of all wallets were reset). Fortunately, the faucet is still available via ⁠testnet-faucet to replenish your wallets (though daily limits are also still in place).
  • To improve readability of the amounts with potentially many digits before and after the decimal point, apostrophe (aka straight single quote) signs are now used for digit grouping when showing amounts in user interfaces. They are also allowed (though not required) when entering amounts.
  • The command-line wallet now also relies on the backend service previously used by the browser plug-in wallet, to avoid the need for the time-consuming ledger synchronization process when submitting transactions.
  • The new command-line wallet also defaults to waiting for confirmation of the transaction execution from the network (though this can be disabled with a command-line option, if desired).
  • The faucet service now supplies fungible tokens of a predefined "user-defined" type in addition to the native currency.

Alphabill Wallet UI​

  • This release includes support for fungible user tokens, allowing users to send and receive tokens of user-defined types in addition to the native ALPHA. Users can define new token types and mint tokens of those types using the command-line wallet.
  • In addition, the user interface now represents the native currency amounts with 8 decimal digits instead of integers, providing greater precision. To improve readability, apostrophe signs are now used for digit grouping when showing amounts in the user interface. Users can also paste apostrophes into the amount field.
  • The sending view now includes a maximum amount option, and outside click handlers have been added to close pop-ups. The UI wallet can now be built with a localhost connection option for increased flexibility.
  • The button labels have been updated for clarity, with "Bills" used for native ALPHAs and "Tokens" used for user tokens.
  • This release also includes several bug fixes, including error-free wallet recovery even when the seed phrase contains typos or invalid characters. Bills can no longer get stuck in the consolidation process, and the remaining value is calculated correctly for splits. The wallet now shows all money digits even for large amounts.
  • To try out the new user token handling functions, the faucet service at Discord testnet-faucet-testing channel will supply fungible tokens of a pre-defined "user-defined" type in addition to the native currency.