Linked chain ecosystem ARK has announced the testing of its Core 2 update, beginning with the roll out of its new API v2 software that promises an easier, cleaner experience for developers to experiment with and run extensions on.

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Fresh from its latest business release of the ARK Deployer, a lightweight script to release custom ARK blockchains, the French tech firm has made a reputation with its flagship blockchain platform’s notable SmartBridge feature, which allows ARK to solve the issue of isolated blockchains. SmartBridge essentially bridges different blockchains for a simultaneous use of multiple networks, eliminating the complexity of having to exchange coins just to access rivaling networks.

Keen to carry on its commitment to ever-developing progress and improvements, ARK strives to be seen as the pioneering leaders of innovation and breakthroughs in blockchain technology. Its latest API v2 will be better able to handle data, allowing for caching and throttling right from the get go.

Keeping it enjoyable with Hapi

Initially starting with Restify, owing to its established place within Node.JS API development, the new API quickly outgrew its initial objectives and needed a redesign to align with ARK goals. As such, its new iteration, Hapi, now offers a full range of framework and plugin system able to scale from personal needs to enterprise requirements. All previous API version will still be able to be implemented by ARK as plugins, with a simple act of commenting out removing an entire version of AP. In other words, it’s never been easier to use ARK Core v2.

Further enhancements

Another issue found in API v1 was its failure to comply with any standards and non-reflective of REST. This changes with API v2, being completely RESTful, following closely JSON API specs. This simply means that all endpoints serving resources in the API, such as transactions and blocks, will act as collections.

Calling `/api/blocks/{id}` where `/api/blocks` is the collection of the record requested via `{id}` will be grabbed from, instead of calling `/api/blocks/get?id=`. Users will now better understand how API endpoints are structures and function, with a standard structure meaning API documentation no longer needs to be referred to all the time.

Upping the throttle and cache

Public access APIs can be abused to attack servers with flood requestings, causing query overload and killing the database. Now introducing “request throttling”, users can perform a request to any API endpoint and check response headers to see if it works. This does not replace DDoS mitigation, it merely prevents API flooding.

Additionally, database load can be further reduced by caching API calls, as most data on blockchain is immutable. ARK leverages Catbox to provide a wide range of drivers for major caching solutions such as Riak, Redis and Memcached. Since responses are never generated twice, ARK Core v2 should gain some speed and reduced server loads.

To learn more about ARK’s fastest in the industry 8-second blockchain solution, visit the website or try the ARK Wallet available in web lite, paper and desktop. To catch up with recent news and developments, find them on Facebook, Twitter, or read their blog on Medium.