Blurt mental model
Before choosing APIs, learn the words the SDK uses. dblurt is easier to use when you distinguish chain concepts from SDK helper names.
This page is conceptual. Exact TypeScript shapes are in the API reference.
The shortest model
A Blurt block contains transactions.
A transaction contains operations.
Operations change or query Layer 1 state.
Authorities decide which keys can sign actions.
Nexus indexes social views derived from chain data.Layer 1
Blurt Layer 1 is the blockchain consensus layer. It is responsible for canonical chain data:
- blocks;
- transactions;
- operations;
- accounts;
- authorities;
- balances and assets;
- witnesses;
- irreversible history;
- virtual operations emitted by protocol processing.
In dblurt, Layer 1 reads are usually accessed through client.condenser, client.database, client.accountHistory and client.blockchain. Layer 1 writes go through signed transactions prepared and submitted with broadcast helpers.
Blocks and finality
A block is an ordered unit of chain history. Developer docs should distinguish:
| Concept | Meaning | When to care |
|---|---|---|
| Head block | latest block known by an RPC node | live dashboards and recent state |
| Reversible block | recent block that may be affected by fork resolution | avoid treating it as final |
| Last irreversible block | block considered irreversible by consensus | history scans and correctness-sensitive reads |
When an example prints both head and irreversible heights, it is showing live chain status. When a workflow requires stable history, prefer irreversible block ranges.
Transactions and operations
A transaction is the signed payload submitted to the chain.
An operation is one action inside that transaction.
Examples of operations include:
- vote;
- comment/post;
- transfer;
- custom JSON social actions;
- account updates;
- witness votes.
Use “operation” when explaining what action is being performed. Use “transaction” when explaining the signed container submitted to Layer 1.
Virtual operations
Virtual operations are emitted by protocol processing rather than directly signed by a user.
They are useful for account history and reward-related workflows. Do not describe them as user-submitted transactions.
Accounts
A Blurt account is a Layer 1 identity and state container. It may include:
- account name;
- liquid balances;
- vesting shares;
- authorities;
- metadata;
- social/content relationships exposed through Layer 1 or indexed through Nexus.
Account state from Layer 1 and profile/community views from Nexus should be described separately.
Authorities
Authorities define which keys or accounts can authorize actions.
| Authority | Typical meaning |
|---|---|
| owner | recovery and highest-risk account control |
| active | financial and account-management actions |
| posting | social actions such as votes/comments where supported |
| memo | memo encryption/decryption, not transaction authority |
Learn authorities before signing anything: Accounts and authorities.
Assets
A blockchain asset is an amount with a symbol and precision. Do not treat asset strings as plain numbers without preserving symbol and precision semantics.
For example, a liquid balance and vesting-related amount may both be asset-like values but they do not mean the same thing.
Witnesses
Witnesses are Layer 1 block producers and governance participants.
Witness-related reads and votes belong to Layer 1. Do not present witness data as a Nexus concept.
RPC endpoints
A node is a server exposing Blurt RPC APIs. An RPC endpoint is the URL your application calls.
One endpoint response is not the entire network. Endpoints can lag, fail or differ temporarily, so production applications should think deliberately about endpoint choice and failover.
Nexus and Bridge
Nexus is Layer 2 indexing/social infrastructure for Blurt applications. Bridge is the API style used for those social/indexed views.
In dblurt, wrapped Nexus/Bridge helpers live under client.nexus.
Nexus may expose:
- profiles;
- communities;
- ranked posts;
- discussions;
- notifications;
- referrals;
- indexed social views.
Nexus is useful for discovery and social interfaces. It should not be described as changing Layer 1 meaning.