In the last post I talked about the basics of how the blockchain, The Garden, was created and operates (link).

In today’s post we will talk about how we connect to it!

I don’t connect with MetaMask?

Not yet. The Garden operates in a custodial manner like Custodial Wallet service such as those on an Exchange, NBA Top Shot (Dapper Wallet), and any service that does not provide you, and only you, with the private keys and seed phrase to your wallet.

For the current implementation of the Greenhouse a user only needs a login and password to interact with the blockchain, through the Fields.

In this post I will cover the purchase flow of a plant located in the Garden. Plants located in the Marketplace will be covered in another post.

Purchasing a New Plant

The Fields exist as a layer between the front-end user and the backend blockchain.

A Real Life Comparison: Your local garden center

Purchase Flow

To visualize what is happening here, imagine yourself at a VIP access only garden center. You walked into the doors of the center and scanned your ID Badge, proving your identity and allowing access to the main floor of the building.

You are handed a clipboard for orders, requests, and feedback to assist you during your visit.

On your left you can see a massive wall with no hanging’s markings, only an imposing set of large double doors and a keypad.

On your right you can see a marketplace (Post coming soon.)

At the back of the building there are rows upon rows of vegetation, and in between these rows are employees assisting users with purchases. These employees await to receive requests from you and your completed clipboard, along with the payment option of your choice – provided we support it.

Authorization

Authorization happens within seconds; users will know if their purchase is successful or not in the same amount of time a physical card tap payment would take.

Checkpoint #1

When you are ready to purchase an item, you hand your clipboard to an employee who again checks your ID Badge to authenticate you, as well as confirm the items you wish to transact with are in stock. If required, the employee may request multi factor authentication to prove your identity.

Upon verification, the employee takes your clipboard and payment, and heads toward that set of imposing double doors with big letters that read “EMPLOYEES ONLY”.

Checkpoint #2

These doors are locked and require the employees ID Badge and your authenticated clipboard to access.

Only the employees possess the required authorization to access what is behind these doors: The Greenhouse Vault

While users are not allowed physical access, they are informed of what these vaults contain: their secret keys.

Each user is given their own safety deposit box in a vault, locked by their username and password. Employees can unlock these lockboxes without ever seeing your private key or password.

Checkpoint #3

With the authorized clipboard order, the lockbox is retrieved, and the employee can assist with your purchase. (If your lockbox is missing or does not exist, please contact management.)

The employee clears your clipboard with your secret key and is ready to fulfill your order.

Purchasing

The employee, now having an authorized clipboard order, payment, and secret key verification, they can fulfill your order.

They exit the Vault, walk through the Fields, and head to the Garden to complete the transaction. The users’ items are found, bundled together, and delivered back to the user at the Greenhouse.

Enjoy your new plants!

Thanks to the Vault (custodial ownership) a user never has to worry about losing their secret keys.

Users can change their Greenhouse authentication method at any time, but the Garden is locked behind an immutable secret key.

Happy planting 🙂