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Notifying users when they receive an NFT

caution

This tutorial is the continuation of the How to create a JWT-based authentication with NestJS tutorial. We recommend you to do it first before starting this one.

Find the full project in our Github repository.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure that you have the following installed on your machine:

We will use MongoDB for our database. You can create a free instance on Mongo Atlas. Make sure to retrieve the connection URL from your dashboard.

Setting up your environment​

Installing Nestjs CLI​

To install Nestjs CLI, run:

yarn global add @nestjs/cli

Installing Dependencies​

  • axios: A promise based HTTP client for Node.js
  • nodemailer: A package that allow easy email sending
yarn add axios nodemailer

Dev dependencies​

  • @types/.*: provide the necessary typings for you to use libraries or modules in your TypeScript code with type checking and IntelliSense support

Update the schema.prisma file​

In the last tutorial we have generated a schema.prisma file inside the prisma directory. Update it to add different collections:

// This is your Prisma schema file,
// learn more about it in the docs: https://pris.ly/d/prisma-schema

generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client-js"
}

datasource db {
  provider = "mongodb"
  url      = env("DATABASE_URL")
}

model User {
  id                String     @id @default(auto()) @map("_id") @db.ObjectId
  email             String     @unique
  password          String
  publicAddress     String     @unique
  items             Item[]     @relation()
  sentTransfers     Transfer[] @relation("sentTransfers")
  receivedTransfers Transfer[] @relation("receivedTransfers")
  createdAt         DateTime   @default(now())
}

model Collection {
  id              String @id @default(auto()) @map("_id") @db.ObjectId
  contractAddress String @unique
  name            String @unique
  description     String
  items           Item[]
  nextTokenId     Int
}

model Item {
  id           String     @id @default(auto()) @map("_id") @db.ObjectId
  collection   Collection @relation(fields: [collectionId], references: [id])
  collectionId String     @db.ObjectId
  tokenId      String     @unique
  ownerAddress String     @unique
  owner        User?      @relation(fields: [ownerId], references: [id])
  ownerId      String?    @db.ObjectId
  transfers    Transfer[]
  createdAt    DateTime   @default(now())
  updatedAt    DateTime   @updatedAt
}

model Transfer {
  id         String   @id @default(auto()) @map("_id") @db.ObjectId
  item       Item     @relation(fields: [itemId], references: [id])
  itemId     String   @db.ObjectId
  from       String
  fromUser   User     @relation("sentTransfers", fields: [fromUserId], references: [id])
  fromUserId String   @db.ObjectId
  to         String
  toUser     User     @relation("receivedTransfers", fields: [toUserId], references: [id])
  toUserId   String   @db.ObjectId
  txHash     String   @unique
  createdAt  DateTime @default(now())
}

model RevokedToken {
  id  String @id @default(auto()) @map("_id") @db.ObjectId
  jti String @unique
}

User​

The *User* collection is defined to store user information. It has the following fields:

  • id: The unique identifier for the user, generated automatically.
  • email: The user's email address, which must be unique.
  • password: The user's password.
  • publicAddress: The user's public address on the blockchain.
  • items: An array of Item objects that the user owns.
  • sentTransfers: An array of Transfer objects representing transfers that the user has sent.
  • receivedTransfers: An array of Transfer objects representing transfers that the user has received.
  • createdAt: The date and time the user was created, generated automatically.

Collection​

The *Collection* collection is defined to store information about NFT collections. It has the following fields:

  • id: The unique identifier for the collection, generated automatically.
  • contractAddress: The public address of the contract that manages the collection on the blockchain.
  • name: The name of the collection, which must be unique.
  • description: A description of the collection.
  • items: An array of Item objects representing the NFTs in the collection.
  • nextTokenId: The ID of the next NFT to be created in the collection.

Item​

The *Item* collection is defined to store information about NFTs. It has the following fields:

  • id: The unique identifier for the NFT, generated automatically.
  • collection: The collection that the NFT belongs to.
  • collectionId: The ID of the Collection that the NFT belongs to.
  • tokenId: The ID of the NFT on the blockchain.
  • ownerAddress: The public address of the current owner of the NFT on the blockchain.
  • owner: An array of User objects representing the users that own the NFT.
  • ownerId: An array of ids of the Users that own the NFT.
  • transfers: An array of Transfer objects representing the transfers that the NFT has been involved in.
  • createdAt: The date and time the NFT was created, generated automatically.
  • updatedAt: The date and time the NFT was last updated.

Transfer​

The *Transfer* collection is defined to store information about transfers of NFTs. It has the following fields:

  • id: The unique identifier for the transfer, generated automatically.
  • item: The Item object representing the NFT that was transferred.
  • itemId: The id of the Item that was transferred.
  • from: The public address of the user who sent the NFT.
  • fromUser: The User object representing the user who sent the NFT.
  • fromUserId: The id of the User who sent the NFT.
  • to: The public address of the user who received the NFT.
  • toUser: The User object representing the user who received the NFT.
  • toUserId: The id of the User who received the NFT.
  • txHash: The transaction hash of the transfer on the blockchain.
  • createdAt: The date and time the transfer was created, generated automatically.

RevokedToken​

The *RevokedToken* collection is defined to store information about revoked JWT tokens. It has the following fields:

  • id: The unique identifier for the revoked token, generated automatically.
  • jti: The "JWT ID" of the revoked token, which must be unique.

Updating the Sign-up route​

In the last tutorial our users registered themselves to our app with an email and a password. Since we want to monitor when they receive an NFT, we need to ask them for their public key at registration.

Create a new SignUp.dto.ts in the src/user directory:

import { IsEmail, IsEthereumAddress, IsStrongPassword } from 'class-validator';

export default class SignUpDto {
  @IsEmail()
  email: string;

  @IsStrongPassword()
  password: string;

  @IsEthereumAddress()
  publicAddress: string;
}

This DTO includes a public address field, which allows users to provide their public EVM address. We will use this address to identify when a user receives a new NFT.

Update the DTO type in the controller:

@Post('auth/sign-up')
  async signUp(
    @Body() newUser: SignUpDto,
    @Res() res: Response,
  ): Promise<void> {
    try {
      const { user, token }: { user: Partial<User>; token: string } =
        await this.userService.signUp(newUser);

      delete user.password;

      res.cookie('jwt', token, { httpOnly: true });

      res.status(201).send({ user: user });
    } catch (err: unknown) {
      throw new InternalServerErrorException(err);
    }
  }

Creating a Starton module​

To simplify development, we will create a StartonModule. This module will wrap API calls into utility methods.

nest g module starton
import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
import axios from 'axios';
import {
  cryptoquartzCollectionAddress,
  network,
  signerWallet,
} from 'src/utils/constants';

@Injectable()
export class StartonService {
  private readonly instance = axios.create({
    baseURL:
      'https://api.starton.com/v3/smart-contract/' +
      network +
      '/' +
      cryptoquartzCollectionAddress +
      '/',
    headers: {
      'x-api-key': process.env.STARTON_API_KEY,
    },
  });

  async initTransfer(from: string, to: string, tokenId: string) {
    await this.instance.post('call', {
      signerWallet,
      functionName: 'safeTransferFrom',
      params: [from, to, tokenId, 1, '0x00'],
    });
  }

  async initMint(to: string, tokenId: string) {
    await this.instance.post('call', {
      signerWallet,
      functionName: 'mint',
      params: [to, tokenId, 1, '0x00'],
    });
  }

  async initBurn(address: string, tokenId: string) {
    await this.instance.post('call', {
      signerWallet,
      functionName: 'burn',
      params: [address, tokenId, '0x00'],
    });
  }
}

First, we define an axios instance as a member of the StartonService class. This is convenient because we can configure the instance with a baseURL and headers, which prevents us from repeating ourselves in subsequent code.

Next, we define three wrappers for common API calls: transfers, mints, and burns:

initTransfer​

Initiate an NFT transfer by making a safeTransferFrom function call to the smart-contract

initMint​

Initiate an NFT mint by making a mint function call to the smart-contract

initBurn​

Initiate an NFT burn by making a burn function call to the smart-contract

Now that your have your StartonService, export it in a module:

nest g module starton
import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';
import { StartonService } from './starton.service';

@Module({
  imports: [],
  controllers: [],
  providers: [StartonService],
  exports: [StartonService],
})
export class StartonModule {}

Creating an EmailModule​

We will encapsulate the functions responsible for sending emails in a service that will be exported from the EmailModule.

nest g service email
nest g module email
import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
import { createTransport } from 'nodemailer';

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| MAILING SERVICE
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
@Injectable()
export class EmailService {
  // Utility object to send emails
  //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  private readonly _transporter = createTransport(
    {
      host: process.env.EMAIL_HOST, // smtp.elasticemail.com
      port: process.env.EMAIL_PORT, // default to 2525 with elasticemail
      auth: {
        user: process.env.EMAIL_USER, // The email address that sends the message
        pass: process.env.EMAIL_PASS, // The password of the email address
      },
    },
    {
      from: `Cryptomancy <${process.env.EMAIL_USER}>`, // "from" field of the message
    },
  );

  // Verify SMTP configuration at construction
  //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  constructor() {
    this._transporter.verify().then(() => {
      console.log('Ready to send emails');
    });
  }

  // Send an email
  //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  async sendEmail(to: string, subject: string, text: string) {
    await this._transporter.sendMail({ to, subject, text });
  }
}

To send emails, we use nodemailer, a package that abstracts SMTP to make it easier to send emails. The first step is to define a transporter, which is responsible for transmitting emails. This can be done by calling the createTransport function and passing a configuration object as an argument to it. For this example we use smtp.elasticemail.com as host. You can create an account and generate SMTP credentials for free on their website.

In the constructor, we call the verify method to check if we are authenticated correctly and that the server is ready to accept messages.

We also define a single method, sendEmail, which takes a recipient email address, subject, and message body as parameters and send the email.

Create an Item resource​

ItemService​

Now that we have all the necessary utility services, we need services for adding and updating items in the database.

Run the following command to generate the ItemService under src/item/item.service.ts:

nest g service item

Update it to look like this:

/*
| Developed by Starton
| Filename : item.service.ts
| Author : Alexandre Schaffner ([email protected])
*/

import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
import { Prisma } from '@prisma/client';
import { PrismaService } from 'src/prisma/prisma.service';
import { nullAddress } from 'src/utils/constants';

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| ITEM SERVICE
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/

@Injectable()
export class ItemService {
  constructor(private readonly prisma: PrismaService) {}

  async create(data: Prisma.ItemCreateInput) {
    await this.prisma.item.create({ data });
  }

  async updateByTokenId(tokenId: string, data: Prisma.ItemUpdateInput) {
    await this.prisma.item.update({ where: { tokenId }, data });
  }

  async deleteByTokenId(tokenId: string) {
    await this.prisma.item.delete({ where: { tokenId } });
  }

  async safeTransferFrom(
    collection: string,
    tokenId: string,
    from: string,
    to: string,
  ) {
    // Add item to database in case of a mint (from === nullAddress)
    //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
    if (from === nullAddress) {
      await this.prisma.item.create({
        data: {
          collection: {
            connect: {
              contractAddress: collection,
            },
          },
          tokenId,
          ownerAddress: to,
        },
      });

      // Increment nextTokenId in the database
      //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
      await this.prisma.collection.update({
        where: {
          contractAddress: collection,
        },
        data: {
          nextTokenId: {
            increment: 1,
          },
        },
      });

      // Update item's owner in case of a transfer
      //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
    } else {
      await this.prisma.item.updateMany({
        where: {
          AND: [
            { tokenId },
            { collection: { contractAddress: collection } },
            { ownerAddress: from },
          ],
        },
        data: {
          ownerAddress: to,
        },
      });
    }
  }
}

The ItemService is responsible for managing items in the database. It provides several methods:

  • create(data: Prisma.ItemCreateInput): adds a new item to the database.
  • updateByTokenId(tokenId: string, data: Prisma.ItemUpdateInput): updates an existing item in the database based on its token ID.
  • deleteByTokenId(tokenId: string): removes an item from the database based on its token ID.
  • safeTransferFrom(collection: string, tokenId: string, from: string, to: string): adds or updates an item in the database depending on whether it was transferred or minted. If the from address is nullAddress, it creates a new item in the database (mint). Otherwise, it updates the item's owner in the database.

ItemModule​

Now that we have an Item service we need to export it in a module to be able to use it elsewhere.

/*
| Developed by Starton
| Filename : item.module.ts
| Author : Alexandre Schaffner ([email protected])
*/

import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';
import { PrismaModule } from 'src/prisma/prisma.module';

import { ItemService } from './item.service';

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| ITEM MODULE
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
@Module({
  imports: [PrismaModule],
  providers: [ItemService],
  exports: [ItemService],
})
export class ItemModule {}

Create a Transfer resource​

TransferService​

/*
| Developed by Starton
| Filename : transfer.service.ts
| Author : Alexandre Schaffner ([email protected])
*/

import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
import { Prisma } from '@prisma/client';
import { PrismaService } from 'src/prisma/prisma.service';

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| TRANSFER SERVICE
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
@Injectable()
export class TransferService {
  constructor(private readonly prisma: PrismaService) {}

  // Create a transfer record in the database
  //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  async create(transfer: Prisma.TransferCreateInput) {
    await this.prisma.transfer.create({ data: transfer });
  }
}

The create method adds a new record to the Transfer collection of the database. We will call this method every time a transfer happens.

TransferController​

First things first, let’s generate the TransferController:

nest g controller transfer

Watcher & Webhook​

For our app to be notified of a Transfer event, we need to set up a Watcher on Starton. A Watcher is a condition that is checked upon inspection of each block. When the watcher is triggered, it sends a POST request to a webhook containing data about the event. You can find how to create a Watcher here.

/*
| Developed by Starton
| Filename : transfer.controller.ts
| Author : Alexandre Schaffner ([email protected])
*/

import {
  Body,
  Controller,
  InternalServerErrorException,
  Post,
  UseGuards,
} from '@nestjs/common';
import { Prisma } from '@prisma/client';
import { MintDto } from 'src/contracts/dto/Mint.dto';
import { SafeTransferDto } from 'src/contracts/dto/SafeTransfer.dto';
import { AuthGuard } from 'src/guards/auth/auth.guard';
import { ItemService } from 'src/item/item.service';
import { StartonService } from 'src/starton/starton.service';
import { UserService } from 'src/user/user.service';
import { cryptoquartzCollectionAddress } from 'src/utils/constants';

import { EmailService } from '../email/email.service';
import { TransferService } from './transfer.service';
import { StartonGuard } from 'src/guards/starton/starton.guard';

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| TRANSFER CONTROLLER
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/

@Controller('transfer')
export class TransferController {
  constructor(
    private readonly transferService: TransferService,
    private readonly starton: StartonService,
    private readonly userService: UserService,
    private readonly itemService: ItemService,
    private readonly emailService: EmailService,
  ) {}

  /*
  |--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  | WEBHOOK ENDPOINT TRIGGERED BY STARTON
  |--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */

	@UseGuards(StartonGuard)
  @Post('webhook')
  async webhook(@Body() body: any) {
    try {
      const { from, to, id } = body.data.transferSingle;
      const transfer: Prisma.TransferCreateInput = {
        item: { connect: { tokenId: id.hex.toLowerCase() } },
        from: from.toLowerCase(),
        to: to.toLowerCase(),
        toUser: { connect: { publicAddress: to.toLowerCase() } },
        fromUser: { connect: { publicAddress: from.toLowerCase() } },
        txHash: body.data.transaction.hash.toLowerCase(),
      };

      // Check if user exists, if not, don't connect records
      //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
      const toUser = await this.userService.findByPublicAddress(
        to.toLowerCase(),
      );
      if (!toUser) delete transfer.toUser;
      const fromUser = await this.userService.findByPublicAddress(
        from.toLowerCase(),
      );
      if (!fromUser) delete transfer.fromUser;

      // Change the owner of the item in the database
      //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
      await this.itemService.safeTransferFrom(
        cryptoquartzCollectionAddress,
        id.hex.toLowerCase(),
        from.toLowerCase(),
        to.toLowerCase(),
      );

      // Create the transfer record
      //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
      await this.transferService.create(transfer);

      // If the recipient is a user, send an email
      //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
      if (!toUser) return;

      // Use a template here
      //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
      await this.emailService.sendEmail(
        toUser.email,
        'NFT Transfer',
        'The address ' +
          from +
          ' sent the NFT #' +
          id.hex +
          ' to your address ' +
          to +
          '.',
      );

      return;
    } catch (err: unknown) {
      console.error(err);
      throw new InternalServerErrorException();
    }
  }
}

So, we need a route to handle requests sent by Starton.

We create a /transfer/webhook endpoint. In it, we create a Transfer record from the data we received in the body and check if addresses in the Transfer record are related to a user.

Then, we call itemService's safeTransferFrom method to update the Item’s owner in the database and we create a new Transfer record in the DB via transferService's create method.

Finally, we use the emailService we coded previously to send an email to the receiver of the NFT if he is a registered user.

Note that the endpoint is protected by the StartonGuard, which we will focus later on.

StartonGuard​

We can now be notified of transfers via the /transfer/webhook endpoint. This is good, but we need to secure the endpoint so that only Starton can trigger it.

To do so we create a StartonGuard:

nest g guard guards/starton
/*
| Developed by Starton
| Filename : starton.guard.ts
| Author : Alexandre Schaffner ([email protected])
*/

import { CanActivate, ExecutionContext, Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
import { createHmac } from 'crypto';
import { Request } from 'express';

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| STARTON'S SIGNATURE VERIFICATION GUARD
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/

@Injectable()
export class StartonGuard implements CanActivate {
  canActivate(context: ExecutionContext): boolean {
    const request: Request = context.switchToHttp().getRequest();
    const payload = JSON.stringify(request.body);

    const reqSignature = request.get('starton-signature');
    if (!reqSignature) return false;

    // Re-compute the signature and compare it with the one received
    //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
    const localSignature = createHmac(
      'sha256',
      process.env.STARTON_SECRET as string,
    )
      .update(Buffer.from(payload))
      .digest('hex');

    return reqSignature === localSignature;
  }
}

In it, we retrieve the Request object, the payload of the body and the signature. Then, we compute the signature again using the payload and the signing key (you can find yours in your Starton’s dashboard under: Your project > Developer > Webhook). Finally we compare the signature we computed with the one provided in the header of the request we retrieved previously. If they match, we allow access to the endpoint, and if not it responds with an error.

Utility endpoints​

Next, we add endpoints to allow minting, burning and transfers of items.

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| TRANSFER / MINT / BURN ENDPOINTS
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/

// safeTransferFrom
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------
@UseGuards(AuthGuard)
@Post()
async safeTransferFrom(@Body() safeTransferDto: SafeTransferDto) {
  await this.starton.initTransfer(
    safeTransferDto.from,
    safeTransferDto.to,
    safeTransferDto.tokenId,
  );
}

// Mint a token
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------
@UseGuards(AuthGuard)
@Post('mint')
async mint(@Body() mintDto: MintDto) {
  await this.starton.initMint(mintDto.to, mintDto.tokenId);
}

// Burn a token
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------
@UseGuards(AuthGuard)
@Post('burn')
async burn(@Body() burnDto: MintDto) {
  await this.starton.initBurn(burnDto.to, burnDto.tokenId);
  await this.itemService.deleteByTokenId(burnDto.tokenId);
}

All the 3 endpoints calls methods of the Starton wrapper service. Thus, Starton can make the smart contract function calls to apply changes on-chain. Every call to this endpoint ends up in a Transfer event on-chain, which triggers our webhook and applies changes to the database.

TransferModule​

Finally, we group TransferService and TransferController in a TransferModule:

nest g module transfer
import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';
import { EmailModule } from 'src/email/email.module';
import { ItemModule } from 'src/item/item.module';
import { PrismaModule } from 'src/prisma/prisma.module';
import { StartonModule } from 'src/starton/starton.module';
import { UserModule } from 'src/user/user.module';

import { TransferService } from './transfer.service';

@Module({
  imports: [PrismaModule, StartonModule, UserModule, ItemModule, EmailModule],
  providers: [TransferService],
})
export class TransferModule {}

Now that everything looks fine you can test your code by running

yarn start

Congratulations!​

You successfully created an email notification system that is triggered every time a transfer occurs on your ERC1155 NFTs collection !

You have learned how to create an email module to automatically send emails with Nodemailer, how you can use a Watcher with a webhook to track for specific event on the blockchain.

Now that you have successfully created an email notification system that sends emails whenever a transfer occurs on your ERC1155 NFTs collection, you can customize the email template to make it more appealing to your users. You can also explore other notification methods such as SMS or push notifications to provide your users with more options. Additionally, you may want to consider implementing more security features like roles to ensure that your endpoints are properly secured against unauthorized access.

Loubna Benzaama

Lead technical writer

Created:

April 3, 2024

Reading time:

18 min

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