Blockchain Investigative Tool

Solution overview

The analytics tool serves as a comprehensive web-based solution tailored for our client’s analyst team, streamlining their workflow and enhancing efficiency in managing address mentions and entities within their ecosystem.

Functionality

The tool allows users to add, store, view, and approve address mentions from different sources. It also enables users to generate offchain migrations based on these mentions and easily add or edit entities.

Tool interface

The user interface mainly has a table view with features like filtering, searching, sorting, and selecting rows for actions. It also has separate tabs for adding and editing data, using a form-based view for simplicity.

User roles

There are three distinct roles: Researcher, Approver, and Administrator. Each role contributes to the overall efficiency and security of the system:

• Researchers can view mentions, utilize filters, sort, and search; add, remove, and tag mentions; send mentions for approval; access additional information; add and edit entities.

• Approvers have all the permissions of a researcher, plus the ability to add and edit sources, and generate migrations based on mentions.

• Administrators have all Approver permissions, and they also have the additional capability to add and remove users, as well as manage user roles within the system.

Security and access control

To ensure strong security, the tool requires a unique username and password that meet complexity requirements. Additionally, multi-factor authentication provides an extra layer of protection. The tool is hosted in a separate network and can only be accessed through Infrastructure VPN, reducing exposure to the public internet.

Logging

The tool maintains detailed logs for all user-based events, such as changes, permission/role escalations, logins, and logouts. This logging mechanism improves accountability and provides a traceable record of system activities.

Technical solution highlights

In conclusion, our technical solution combines a powerful Python-driven Microservices backend, a sophisticated TypeScript-based frontend, strategically chosen databases, and seamless integration with prominent blockchain networks. This comprehensive stack ensures a robust, scalable, and user-friendly blockchain investigative tool tailored to meet the complexities of blockchain data analysis and exploration.

Backend

Our blockchain investigative tool utilizes a robust backend foundation, with Python as the primary language. The Microservices architecture enables independent development and deployment of services, enhancing scalability and facilitating efficient maintenance. Leveraging the Django REST framework, we build secure and scalable APIs for handling diverse blockchain data. Intuitive API documentation through Swagger enhances developer understanding and collaboration. Asynchronous task execution is streamlined with Python Celery, enabling efficient processing of tasks like data parsing and analysis. Our tool seamlessly integrates with blockchain networks, including TRON and Algorand, using gRPC/JRPC protocols for communication and data retrieval.

Frontend

The frontend is built using TypeScript and Angular, providing a seamless user experience with a modern and responsive interface. TypeScript enhances the robustness of our frontend by introducing static typing, increasing code quality and developer productivity. Angular ensures a dynamic and feature-rich user interface, offering a cohesive and interactive experience. The integration of Angular Material contributes to a visually appealing design, following UI/UX best practices. Standard web technologies like HTML and SCSS are used to create responsive and stylized web components.

Databases

The tool utilizes a carefully selected set of databases to efficiently manage and store blockchain data. PostgreSQL, a powerful and relational database, ensures data integrity and scalability, making it an ideal choice for complex blockchain-related information. Additionally, we incorporate RocksDB and LevelDB, which provide efficient and high-performance storage solutions specifically designed for blockchain data.

Results

In just one month, the cross-functional team at Itexus developed a fully-featured blockchain investigative tool for our client’s analytics team. The tool completely met the client’s requirements. Currently, we are working on introducing advanced functionality to the system.