Ways to Connect to Space and Time

We understand that some developers want to manage their own private keys, and others would rather opt for a more streamlined approach. In order to satisfy all use cases, we offer two distinct ways that you can connect to Space and Time:

Connect Directly to the Space and Time Network

Self-custodied secrets for optimal performance, flexibility, and decentralized Web3 security.

Connecting and authenticating directly to the SxT decentralized network allows you full control of session state and tracking, with no centralized intermediaries. However, this method requires more sophisticated local cryptography to validate identity, and you're in charge of refreshing sessions as needed, as well as managing authorization using biscuit tokens for each request. Both user private keys (authentication) and table private keys (authorization/permissions using biscuit tokens) remain on your client machine.

Read more about Web3 authentication here and more about biscuit authorization here.

Connect Through our Gateway (Secrets Proxy)

Delegated custody to our secure servers for a simpler, Web2-style developer experience.

The Gateway (Secrets Proxy) allows for an easier, more traditional authentication experience: developers can connect by logging in with a username/password or by using an API key. Authorization is more straightforward as well: you just make API requests, and biscuit tokens are auto-generated. You can also configure permissions for other users through simple APIs, and they will receive auto-generated biscuits. The Gateway is a centralized service built for convenience and ease-of-use. Both user private keys (authentication) and table private keys (authorization) are stored in the Gateway.

Read more about the Gateway (Secrets Proxy) here.

Interfaces

There are several different interfaces you can use to connect to Space and Time:

Space and Time Studio - AI-powered UI for exploring data, running queries, building dashboards, and managing your account. The Studio is the easiest access point for blockchain data enthusiasts, analysts, and other non-developers. Just log in with a username/password or your Web3 wallet and start running queries!
REST APIs - Comprehensive REST APIs for building your own applications on Space and Time, with one set of APIs for decentralized authentication, and a parallel set for Gateway access. Check out the API reference here.
CLI - For interacting with Space and Time with single commands or building simple shell scripts. Most of the examples in these docs will leverage the CLI.
SDKs- Software development kits that pre-model interacting with Space and Time to speed development time. Currently available in Python, Go, and NodeJS.
JDBC driver - For locally-installed applications, traditional SQL editors, or business intelligence (BI) tools that accept JDBC connections. The JDBC driver can be configured for connection to either the decentralized network directly, or via the Gateway (Secrets Proxy).

Pricing

When you use Space and Time, all you pay for is compute. Storage, indexed blockchain data, OpenAI dashboards, OLTP + OLAP queries in your cluster, Proof of SQL cryptography, and more are always included.

We offer several different pricing options to fit your needs and your use case. Visit this page to learn more.