Creating, Exporting, and Importing Business Network Cards

Creating, Exporting, and Importing Business Network Cards

Business network cards are represented by .card files containing a metadata.JSON file, a connection profile, and optional certificates.

Business network cards can be used in the Hyperledger Composer Playground to manage identities for different business networks and connection profiles.

Creating Business Network Cards

Business network cards can be created in the wallet screen, created from the component files, or created within a business network.

Please note: If cards are created from the wallet screen, or created from the component files, there must be a corresponding identity already created in the business network.

Creating a business network card within a business network

  1. From the My Wallet screen, select an identity to use to connect to your business network. Click Connect Now. Please note: You must use an identity with the permission to create new identities.

  2. Optional: To create a participant to assign to the identity, click the Test tab, and click Create New Participant.

  3. Click the name of your identity in the upper right, and click ID Registry.

  4. Click Issue New ID.

  5. Choose an ID Name, and select a Participant to associate the new identity with.

  6. Click Create New.

  7. Click Add to My Wallet. Adding the business network card to your wallet allows you to use it to connect to the business network, or export it for someone else to use.

The My Wallet screen should now show the new business network card.

Creating a business network card from the Wallet

A business network card can be created from the My Wallet page, however, a corresponding identity must already have been created in the business network. Creating a business network card from the My Wallet page requires that you use the same User ID, User Secret and the correct Business network name credentials as when the identity was created within the business network.

To create a business network card from the My Wallet page:

  1. After receiving a valid User ID and User Secret, click the Create Business Network Card button in the upper right of the My Wallet page.

  2. Select a connection profile and click Next.

  3. Enter the User ID and User Secret that were generated when the identity was created.

  4. Enter the correct Business Network Name and click Create.

The business network card should now be displayed in the My Wallet page.

Creating a business network card from component files

business network cards are composite files containing up to three elements:

  • A connection profile. (connection.json)
  • A metadata file containing the data for the identity to use to connect to the business network. (metadata.json)
  • An optional credentials directory containing a certificate and private key for the identity in files named certificate and privateKey respectively.

Please note: If there is no credentials directory, the metadata file must contain the enrollment secret required to obtain the credentials with the property name enrollmentSecret. If an enrollmentSecret is specified and the business network card is used to connect to a business network, a credentials directory with certificates will be created and populated if the business network card is exported.

The metadata file should take the following format:

{
    "version": 1,
    "userName": "alice",
    "description": "Alice's identity for basic-sample-network",
    "businessNetwork": "basic-sample-network",
    "enrollmentSecret": "UserSecret",
    "roles": [
    ]
}

The businessNetworkName, description, enrollmentSecret, and roles properties are optional. The available roles are PeerAdmin and ChannelAdmin.

To create the business network card file, run the composer card create command.

This business network card can now be imported using the Hyperledger Composer Playground.

Importing and Exporting business network cards

Importing and exporting business network cards is the simplest way to grant access to other users of the business network in Playground. Valid business network cards must be created using one of the methods above, but can then be exported and sent to other users.

Exporting Business Network Cards

  1. To export a business network card create an identity by using a business network and add the business network card to your wallet.

  2. On the My Wallet page, click the Export icon on the business network card you wish to export. The business network card should download as a .card file.

Please note: If you export a business network card that has never been used, for example to send to a new participant, it will contain the enrollment ID and enrollment secret required to obtain the certificate and private key which are then used to identify participants. Alternatively, if you export a business network card that has been used before, it will already contain the certificate and private key.

Important: Exported identity cards should be handled with care since they contain unprotected credentials. For example, you should never send identity cards via email or other unencrypted means of communication.

Importing Business Network Cards

Importing a business network card allows you to connect to a business network without creating a connection profile, identity, and certificates. Members of a business network can create business network cards and export them to give others access to a business network.

  1. On the My Wallet screen, click Import business network card in the upper right.

  2. Drag and drop, or browse, to select a business network card (.card) file to import. Click Import.

The business network card should now be visible in your wallet.