Lantern in five minutes

Read the demo library

The demo is a static library served with this site: nothing to install, nothing to sign in to.

1. Read its handshake

   Every library says what it is, which features it offers and its limits in one document.

   curl -s https://lantern.boreale.dev/demo/lantern.json

2. List its apps

   A page of apps for one platform: each carries its size, its sha256 and the path of its file.

   curl -s https://lantern.boreale.dev/demo/v1/apps/vita/pages/1.json

3. Download and check

   The file's SHA-256 is the one the app announced. A client refuses what does not match.

   curl -s https://lantern.boreale.dev/demo/v1/blobs/sha256/fa75492f7b78cad7ca4044e8fb548ac67bfd7fbf05242ceecb29ebe492218a0d | sha256sum

More to try, including libraries made to break a client: Demo library

Talk to a server of your own

A server with accounts asks a device to pair first. These calls use a made-up address.

1. Find it

   On a local network a client discovers it with a UDP datagram; with an address, it reads the handshake at a well-known path.

   curl -s https://shelf.example.org/.well-known/lantern

2. Pair

   The server answers with a code to enter, on another device, where its owner signs in and approves.

   curl -s -X POST https://shelf.example.org/api/lantern/v1/pairing \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     -d '{"schema":1,"device":"My console","scopes":["library"]}'

3. Call it

   With the token it gave, as a bearer; a device that paired with a key also signs each request.

   curl -s https://shelf.example.org/api/lantern/v1/apps?page_size=5 \
     -H 'Authorization: Bearer et_…'

The whole path

Step through it: each press lights one step and dims the rest.

Specification