TL;DR for new Canton Network developers

Use this document to begin your journey as a Canton Network developer. We recommend you join the suggested Slack channels, then work through the introductory links under each subheading to orient yourself to Daml and the Canton Network, then begin building as early as possible. Return to this guide whenever you hit a roadblock.

Installing the SDK

If you are working on the latest Splice 0.5.0 / Canton 3.4 project then we recommend to follow the Digital Asset Package Manager (Dpm) instructions.

If you are working on a Splice 0.4.x / Canton 3.3 project then continue to use the Daml Assistant Daml Assistant.

Alternatively, use the quick start approach to quickly install the Daml SDK.

Slack channels to join

Join these channels for development support. (Questions and statements regarding Canton Coin value and price speculation results in immediate removal).

Also, join validator-announce@lists.sync.global at https://lists.sync.global/groups for announcements.

Daml and Canton overview

Learn the foundational concepts of Daml language and Canton Network architecture.

CN global synchronizer overview

Understand how the global synchronizer coordinates processes across the distributed Canton Network.

Canton Network application quickstart

Use the Quickstart repository to rapidly bootstrap and deploy your first Canton Network application.

Reference documentation

Canton Network APIs

The following APIs are helpful in building a Canton Network dApp.

Wallet developers should review the Wallet SDK.

Use the JSON API to create language bindings for the Ledger API (LAPI) from the OpenAPI spec. Daml-LF JSON encoding describes the Daml <-> JSON encodings received from the payloads.

Important topics

Reference documentation for technical details.