Corda integration options in 2020

December 07, 2020
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Corda RPC is not the only option

Corda RPC

The RPC is the grandfather of Corda integration options. Developed by R3 in the early days of Corda, it is still the only officially supported connectivity option, although it seems Corda 5 is likely to change that at some point in 2021.

Corda node database

Surprisingly few engineers consider this to be a viable option, but it’s actually official. CorDapp can specify and manage a database schema for contract state classes (see QueryableState), and Corda will create necessary tables in the node database and even evolve the table structure in line with the upgrades.

Cordite Braid

Braid is an open source project as part of Cordite, which is a collection of tools for Corda network developers. Braid has been around for a number of years and has a mature codebase, which for many makes it a default choice for cross-platform integrations with Corda.

Web3j-corda

Not as widely known as Braid, but still an interesting library from Web3 Labs. Web3j-corda generates server-side and client code in Kotlin for contract states and workflows of a CorDapp by analysing the code.

Cordaptor

Last, but not least, meet the new entrant to this space — Cordaptor by B180.tech. Full disclosure: I am the core contributor and the maintainer of the project.

Conclusion

This was a whistle-stop tour over a number of different integration technologies that are available for developers building on Corda. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses and need to be chosen wisely.

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