DevPortal Update 5: Jussi, SteemConnect, Improved Structure, and Recipes

Previously, in Dev Portal Update #4, we expanded the JavaScript tutorials, added Contribution Guidelines, fixed a few bugs, and expanded on the API Definitions to include Broadcast Operations.

Since the last update, there have been additions to the Services section to include Jussi setup, overall improvements to the document structure, and the addition of a new type of tutorial we call "Recipes."

Jussi

You might not be aware of Jussi, but it is a critical piece of software (a “reverse proxy”) that allows you to access steemit.com. It's a really important component for keeping the quality of Steem-related services high. It's also especially useful for developers and node operators.

To demystify Jussi for the technical folk, we added an explanation on how to get it up and running: Services :: Jussi

In addition, since Jussi is becoming a recommended part of any Steem stack, Steemworks is crafting a command line rake tool (Managing API Definitions) to help explore the status of the API running on a Jussi instance. It’s command-line only, still in an alpha state, and points at https://api.steemit.com by default, but it provides useful information.

Community Contributions

We’ve added community libraries to the resources section for SteemConnect: Community :: SteemConnect. Note: We recommend you vet these libraries thoroughly before use.

Improved Structure

We noticed a lack of uniformity in some of our tutorials that could make it difficult for developers to absorb the important parts of a tutorial. We want our dev portal to be the easiest and fastest way for developers to learn how to program on Steem, so to solve this problem, we developed a loose standard for writing tutorials. There's a guideline—a statement of purpose—for each tutorial, so that they have a more uniform appearance. As our understanding of what “makes a good tutorial” evolves, you can expect both new and existing tutorials to continue to improve.

You can look at the current guide here: Tutorial & Recipe Structure

These are the articles that implement the new structure:

• Javascript :: Submit a comment
• Ruby :: Get a post list using the various available categories

Recipes

We’re also working on something called “recipes.” To understand the value of these recipes, let’s briefly detour into the kind of recipes you are already familiar with. In the real world (away from the keyboard), recipes do more than simply make it easier to cook up your favorite dish. They also help you plan your grocery trip or even condense what would have been multiple shopping trips into just one.

Recipes are a series of instructions that enable you to efficiently accomplish your objective. Sometimes you just want to understand how things should be put together without personally putting on the chef's hat and slicing the garlic. Other times, you just want to know what's involved before committing to a particular task. That's what we're attempting to accomplish with recipes in the Dev Portal, and recipes will be more general (in contrast to the language-specific tutorials) so that developers proficient in any particular language will benefit from reading them. We outline the concepts so that you can fill in the details.

Here are the very first recipes, let us know what you think!

• Calculating the approximate value of an upvote.
• Using jussi as a Multiplexer

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We at the Steemworks team are doing our very best to improve developers.steem.io as rapidly as possible, and we hope these updates help you write great software on the blockchain of opportunity. Your feedback is always welcome, both directly on github as well as by email to Steemit’s Developer Advocate at da@steemit.com, with the subject line “devportal - $subject”.

Steemworks Team