So, @ecoinstant, came to me the other day with a request: could we host a simple, one-page tool? Just a single file with HTML, Javascript, and CSS. Seemed straightforward enough.
The tool itself is designed to help users stake HIVE tokens onto the VSC sidechain. I took a look at the existing script, which was originally put together by @drlobes the Ferengi (gotta appreciate a fellow Star Trek fan!). Checking it out, I saw it was built using the dhive library and, importantly, required users to input their active key directly into the interface.
Now, asking users to paste their active key straight into a web tool... yeah, that didn't sit right with me. Keys, especially active keys, need careful handling. From a security perspective, it just felt like asking for potential problems down the road. You know me, always thinking about security.
So, I offered to rework the tool. My go-to solution for situations like this is to integrate Hive Keychain for handling the necessary signatures. This way, your key never actually leaves the safety of your Keychain extension, which is a much more secure approach for everyone. Instead of pasting a key, you'll just get a Keychain pop-up to approve the transaction.
Why build this? Well, I guess up until now, people wanting to stake HIVE on VSC were often manually crafting the custom JSON requests needed, maybe using the Keychain playground or writing little temporary scripts. That works, sure, but it definitely leaves room for typos or other errors. Since there's potential money involved when staking, making the process easier and reducing the chance of mistakes seems like a worthwhile effort. We figured we could make it simpler and safer.
Big props to @drlobes for creating the original script that laid the groundwork for this, included in the bennies!
I'll include a screenshot or two here so you can see the updated tool in action:
The tool is live now: https://vsc.thecrazygm.com and if you really want to use the original one, I did put it up as well, but it's there for comparison to make sure I got the custom_json right.
Hopefully, this little tool makes the VSC staking process smoother and, more importantly, safer for everyone involved. Always happy to build things that make life on Hive a bit easier.
As always,
Michael Garcia a.k.a. TheCrazyGM