## npm package for deltachat-rpc-server

This is the successor of `deltachat-node`,
it does not use NAPI bindings but instead uses stdio executables
to let you talk to core over jsonrpc over stdio.
This simplifies cross-compilation and even reduces binary size (no CFFI layer and no NAPI layer).

## Usage

> The **minimum** nodejs version for this package is `16`

```
npm i @deltachat/stdio-rpc-server @deltachat/jsonrpc-client
```

```js
import { startDeltaChat } from "@deltachat/stdio-rpc-server";
import { C } from "@deltachat/jsonrpc-client";

async function main() {
    const dc = startDeltaChat("deltachat-data");
    console.log(await dc.rpc.getSystemInfo());
    dc.close()
}
main()
```

For a more complete example refer to https://github.com/deltachat-bot/echo/pull/69/files (TODO change link when pr is merged).

## How to use on an unsupported platform

<!-- todo instructions, will uses an env var for pointing to `deltachat-rpc-server` binary -->

<!-- todo copy parts from https://github.com/deltachat/deltachat-desktop/blob/7045c6f549e4b9d5caa0709d5bd314bbd9fd53db/docs/UPDATE_CORE.md -->

## How does it work when you install it

NPM automatically installs platform dependent optional dependencies when `os` and `cpu` fields are set correctly.

references:

- https://napi.rs/docs/deep-dive/release#3-the-native-addon-for-different-platforms-is-distributed-through-different-npm-packages, [webarchive version](https://web.archive.org/web/20240309234250/https://napi.rs/docs/deep-dive/release#3-the-native-addon-for-different-platforms-is-distributed-through-different-npm-packages)
- https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v6/configuring-npm/package-json#cpu
- https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v6/configuring-npm/package-json#os

When you import this package it searches for the rpc server in the following locations and order:

1. `DELTA_CHAT_RPC_SERVER` environment variable
2. use the PATH when `{takeVersionFromPATH: true}` is supplied in the options. 
3. prebuilds in npm packages

so by default it uses the prebuilds.

## How do you built this package in CI

- To build platform packages, run the `build_platform_package.py` script:
  ```
  python3 build_platform_package.py <cargo-target>
  # example
  python3 build_platform_package.py x86_64-apple-darwin
  ```
- Then pass it as an artifact to the last CI action that publishes the main package.
- upload all packages from `deltachat-rpc-server/npm-package/platform_package`.
- then publish `deltachat-rpc-server/npm-package`,
  - this will run `update_optional_dependencies_and_version.js` (in the `prepack` script),
    which puts all platform packages into `optionalDependencies` and updates the `version` in `package.json`

## How to build a version you can use locally on your host machine for development

You can not install the npm packet from the previous section locally, unless you have a local npm registry set up where you upload it too. This is why we have separate scripts for making it work for local installation.

- If you just need your host platform run `python scripts/make_local_dev_version.py`
- note: this clears the `platform_package` folder
- (advanced) If you need more than one platform for local install you can just run `node scripts/update_optional_dependencies_and_version.js` after building multiple platforms with `build_platform_package.py`

## Thanks to nlnet

The initial work on this package was funded by nlnet as part of the [Delta Tauri](https://nlnet.nl/project/DeltaTauri/) Project.
