dfinity
RFP-4: HTTPS Outcalls
Overview
On the Internet Computer blockchain, canister smart contracts can make HTTP outcalls to specified URLs, either to directly obtain off-chain data or to interact with off-chain systems, such as Web 2.0 services or enterprise IT infrastructure. The results of these calls are processed and agreed upon by consensus, preventing non-determinism. This avoids the need for trusted oracles and bridges.
Areas for Proposals
Novel applications and infrastructure
Oracles
HTTPS outcalls allow canisters to fetch data from web services. The canister can then provide this data to other canisters as a service. Robust oracle implementations will fetch data from different web services and aggregate the responses.
Example applications are:
- Price oracles for DeFi applications
- Prediction market resolution
- Parametric insurance
Web 2.0 Service Integrations
There are web services that provide APIs to send emails, text messages, push notifications, and all kinds of other integrations. HTTPS outcalls allow canister developers to leverage these capabilities.
Since the call to the web service will be replicated it's important to look for web services that support idempotency.
Your unique idea
Of course, we are also excited to support you in the implementation of novel use cases that we haven't thought of.
Libraries and Tooling
Examples are libraries that simplify the integration of specific web services.
Tutorials and well-documented Sample Applications
Tutorials in written and/or video form as well as well-documented example applications help new developers get started.
How to apply?
Please submit your application at https://dfinity.org/grants
References
Hi @domwoe. This is what I understood by this RFP: We need to develop a library that allows canister developers to get prices of different coins or other utilities. Internally this library uses https_outcalls to fetch the prices from multiple providers and then it decides on the final result that will be provided to the canister code that will be used for further usage. Am I correct? I would like to work on this.
Idempotent Proxy can be used to proxy HTTPS Outcalls for ICP canisters, enabling integration with any Web2 service.
