Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing OConsent, ensure you have the following:

• Python 3.8 or later

• Node.js 14 or later (for smart contract development)

• An Ethereum node or provider (like Infura)

• IPFS node (optional, for decentralized storage)

Basic Installation

Install using pip:

$ pip install oconsent

For development installation:

$ git clone https://github.com/oconsent/oconsent.git
$ cd oconsent
$ pip install -e .

Smart Contract Setup

To set up the smart contracts:

$ cd contracts
$ npm install
$ cp .env.template .env
# Edit .env with your configuration
$ npx hardhat compile

IPFS Testing Setup

To run IPFS integration tests, you’ll need additional setup:

1. Install and Run IPFS

First, install IPFS daemon:

• Download from IPFS Installation Guide

• Or use package manager:

# On Ubuntu
$ sudo apt install kubo

# On MacOS with Homebrew
$ brew install ipfs

Initialize and start IPFS:

$ ipfs init
$ ipfs daemon

2. Configure Environment

Set up environment variables either by exporting directly:

# Required
$ export IPFS_NODE=/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/5001
$ export IPFS_GATEWAY=https://ipfs.io

# Optional - for pinning service testing
$ export IPFS_PINNING_SERVICE=https://api.pinata.cloud
$ export IPFS_PINNING_KEY=your_pinning_service_key

Or create a .env file in the project root:

IPFS_NODE=/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/5001
IPFS_GATEWAY=https://ipfs.io
IPFS_PINNING_SERVICE=https://api.pinata.cloud
IPFS_PINNING_KEY=your_pinning_service_key

Troubleshooting

Common Installation Issues

1. Python Dependencies

   If you encounter dependency conflicts:

   $ pip install -e . --no-deps
   $ pip install -r requirements.txt
   

2. Node.js Issues

   For smart contract compilation errors:

   $ rm -rf node_modules
   $ npm cache clean --force
   $ npm install
   

3. IPFS Connection

   If IPFS daemon won’t start:

   $ ipfs init --empty-repo
   $ ipfs config --json API.HTTPHeaders.Access-Control-Allow-Origin '["*"]'
   $ ipfs daemon --offline  # Test offline first
   

4. Network Issues

   For connection timeouts:

   # Test local endpoints
   $ curl http://localhost:8545  # Ethereum
   $ curl http://localhost:5001  # IPFS
   
   # Check firewall
   $ sudo ufw status
   $ sudo ufw allow 4001  # IPFS swarm
   $ sudo ufw allow 5001  # IPFS API
   

Environment Setup

For environment issues:

1. Python Environment:

   $ python -m venv venv
   $ source venv/bin/activate  # Unix
   $ .\venv\Scripts\activate   # Windows
   

2. Node Version:

   $ nvm install 14
   $ nvm use 14
   

3. Path Issues:

   Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

   export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin
   export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin  # For IPFS
   

System Requirements

• Memory: 4GB minimum (8GB recommended)

• Storage: 1GB for installation, 10GB+ for blockchain data

• Ports: 8545 (Ethereum), 5001 (IPFS API), 4001 (IPFS swarm)

For detailed testing instructions, see Testing Guide.