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NEM NISNIS (NEM Infrastructure Server) is the backbone of the NEM network. NIS nodes are nodes that maintain the blockchain of NEM. It also has a web server built in and uses that to serve queries via JSON RESTful APIs on the blockchain. A NIS node is trustless in the NEM network, meaning one does not need to trust it for any transaction. Anyone can use any NIS to broadcast transactions to the network. Transactions in blockchain technology platforms require that they are signed by the person controlling an account before they can be broadcast out. Signing of a transaction should always be done locally on the computer of the person signing it and the signing key should never ever need to leave the person’s computer.
NEM NCCNEM’s first wallet is the NCC (NEM Community Client). It was written in a mix of Java and JS code. It is a completely separate wallet program than NIS that does the signing locally and then sends the transaction to a NIS node to broadcast it. That NIS node can be on the same machine locally or an external address operated by a third party, like blockexplore.in.
So if one is sending some XEM and signs the transaction in the NCC, no one else can get sensitive information about that account. This is because NEM was designed from day one to have a unique 2-tier architecture that allows anyone to make any transaction on any node safely, and without that node charging any third party service fees.
NEM LightwalletNEM has recently introduced a new type of wallet: the lightwallet. It allows users to make transactions just like what one can do with the NCC, but it uses a browser webpage written in javascript. So, now one can have just one html file to send XEM in a public network using any NIS without risking the safety of the account.
Through the NIS web server, the NIS is essentially acting as a lightwallet service provider. While a trusted NIS can be accessed via a web browser without any additional add-ins or programs running, the most secure way to use the lightwallet is to run it locally on any device that supports js/html. To do this the all new lightwallet has been released as a stand alone version without the need to boot up a NIS.
The lightwallet enables any novice or beginner to access the NEM platform without much knowledge of the technical intricacies of the blockchain technology, securely and easily to transact.
Why is the lightwallet important ?One the more obvious functions that has come out of this new lightwallet is the ability for any merchant to incorporate the lightwallet js code into their webpage on their websites to facilitate payments easily. This can be done in minutes and the implications can be profound as the NEM blockchain data become easily available and accessible by the merchant.
How to use the NEM light wallet.Go to http://nem.io/install.html
Download and unzip the nginx light wallet.
To start the server simply start nginx.exe.
Next, go to http://127.0.0.1:7777/ in your web browser.
To stop double click stop-nginx.bat.
You can now safely run your own light wallet locally!
Tip: If you decide to make a pass phrase wallet, we strongly suggest you make a long and secure password.
Note: The light wallet is very light. When you double click nginx.exe, it might look like nothing happened; it did! If you can visit the page http://127.0.0.1:7777/ in your browser and the light wallet loads, then you started it properly. Once you double click stop-ngix.bat, you should find that the page no longer loads.
Troubleshooting: If you are running an NIS on the same machine you are running a lightwallet they ports, they will both try to access port 7777 so there will be a conflict, so a person should run either one or the other, or adjust ports in the config files.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://blog.nem.io/lightwallet/