Lit Protocol Community Update: October '23

A Monthly Newsletter on all things Lit.

Lit Protocol is a decentralized key management network powered by threshold cryptography. Lit provides a set of blockchain-agnostic tools that can be used to power access control, signing, and authentication for web3-native identity management.

Introduction.

Welcome to the tenth monthly update.

To learn more about Lit, check out the dev docs and join the community on Twitter and Discord.

General Updates.

Cayenne Network Beta Release

A new testnet, Cayenne, as well as a new version of the Lit SDK have just been released in beta! These updates introduce two new powerful features to Lit:

1. ID encrypt: This offers the same access control functionality as before, but it is much more scalable and secure. The core difference with ID encrypt is that only decryption requires communicating with the Lit nodes, whereas encryption becomes an entirely client-side operation. We are excited to see the new use cases that arise from this new feature. Read more about ID encrypt here.
2. Claimable Keys: These allow users to send tokens to any supported authentication method (e.g. email / social / SMS) to deterministically generate a wallet for the user on the other side. In other words, "Send 5 USDC to bob@site.com", prior to Bob creating his wallet. Check out the docs for claimable keys to get started.

Lit SDK V3

The Lit JS SDK V3 replaces the existing access control condition based encryption (V2) and JWT signing processes with new cryptographic primitives to offer a more secure and seamless user experience. Several notable changes were made, including updated packages, methods, and types. A complete list of changes can be viewed in the docs here.

The V3 SDK is currently only supported on the Cayenne network, and is not backwards compatible with Jalapeno or Serrano. If you’d like to continue using either of those networks, you can do so using the V2 SDK.

If you are interested in giving the new SDK a spin in order to try out the new features, you can upgrade to the V3 SDK following these migration instructions.

Updated Developer Docs

The developer docs have gotten an overhaul. Here’s a brief overview of some important sections sections to help you get acquainted:

SDK Reference: As a developer, this section provides you with the resources you need to get started building with Lit for any use case. This includes:

1. Authentication → Authorizing users and communicating with the Lit nodes
2. Access Control → Using the Lit SDK for identity-based encryption
3. Claimable Keys → Creating and claiming HD keys
4. Programmable Wallets → Using the Lit SDK to generate powerful MPC wallets and signers
5. Testing and Error Handling → Testing and debugging!

Concepts: Each page provides a high level overview of a core function provided by the Lit network, including possible applications and use cases.

Migration to V3: This section includes an overview of the migration process, the features present on different networks and SDK versions, as well as a comprehensive changelog.

Network: This section provides a list of current Lit networks, the features supported on each, and the timeline to launch (live or coming soon).

Around the Ecosystem.

Lit and Smart Contract Accounts

Take a look at the new ‘AA Integrations’ section in the developer docs to learn how Lit can be integrated as an MPC signer for smart contract accounts.

Orbis SDK: Encrypting Data with Lit

Use the Orbis SDK to encrypt social profile data for permissioned access based on the access controls you set.

Understanding Programmable Key Pairs (PKPs)

A guide on Lit PKPs, including an overview on the underlying technical primitives, possible use cases, and how to get started as an application developer using the Lit SDK.

Oamo Launch

Congrats to the team on their recent launch! Oamo is a decentralized data marketplace that enables users to share their data selectively and anonymously with companies they trust for rewards. All social profiles created on Oamo are encrypted with Lit, only accessible to those who meet the conditions you set.

Incognfto: Create a Private NFT Gallery with Spheron and Lit

Check out the guide above to learn how you can build a private NFT gallery using Spheron and Lit, where the NFT metadata is gated behind token ownership.

Ecosystem Ideas

The Ecosystem Ideas page (previously ‘Ecosystem RFPs’) has been updated and moved to the Lit Protocol GitHub. If you are interested in building with Lit but not sure where to get started, check out the Ideas page which includes suggestions for projects and tooling with the goal of advancing what is possible with Lit’s suite of developer infrastructure. To learn more, check out this intro post.

Build with Lit

If you’re interested in integrating Lit into your existing project, or want to build something completely new using Lit infrastructure, check out the Lit grants program. Grants are offered to developers who have a passion for building innovative solutions to the current shortfalls of web3.

Community Calendar

To ensure you never miss a beat, subscribe to the Lit community calendar. Here you can find the schedule for Lit’s Office Hours, additional community events, conferences, announcements, and more.

Content Recap

Featured posts from the month of September.

1. Decentralized content discovery with Index and Lit
2. Automate Web3 Signing with the Event Listener SDK
3. XION integrates Lit to catapult consumer adoption
4. Cayenne Network Beta Release and SDK V3
5. ID Encrypt with SDK V3

Hackathons and Events

1. ETHGlobal NYC Recap: It was a great time at EthGlobal NYC a few weeks ago! Linked is a list of all of the awesome projects that were built over the weekend with Lit. Some of our favorites:
   1. TrueP2P: Swap crypto to fiat without trusting a centralized middleman.
   2. ZeroTrustBounty: A web3 bug bounty platform that uses TLS notary and Lit to remove 3rd parties from sensitive data and provide whitehats a guarantee of payment for their services.
   3. POWDone: Gamified goal and milestone accomplishment with adaptable verification methods suited for private, group and public goal tracking.
2. ETHOnline: Best of luck to all of those participating in ETHOnline. The virtual hackathon is running from October 6th - 27th, with more than $200k in prizes up for grabs. Check out the three Lit sponsored bounties being offered to those building on the new SDK V3!

Coming soon 👀

Here are some of the things to look forward to in the months ahead:

1. Decentralizing the Lit Network! Right now, test networks are running with a few node operators and the distribution process is ongoing. The decentralized testnet launch is imminent…
2. The Lit Mainnet Beta. The Lit Mainnet is slated to launch in beta on December 1st. There are some stability, performance, and scalability related improvements that the development team is eager to push prior to launch. This work will serve to significantly enhance signing speed, wallet creation, and access control, all-in-all making the network highly performant at launch.

Wrapping up…

This wraps up the October update. If you enjoyed it, you can click below to subscribe and receive future updates directly in your inbox.

Once again, you can reach out to the Lit team on Discord with any questions, concerns, or feedback.

Until next time,

alt signing out.