The official STEEM public node, `api.steemit.com` started routing some of the endpoints (follow api + tags api) to a Hivemind instance. It looks like the [current migration](https://steemit.com/hivemind/@steemitblog/hivemind-is-live) performs well.

I have been [running a public Hivemind node](https://steemit.com/hivemind/@emrebeyler/introducing-a-public-hivemind-node) for a while. Current endpoint list of Hivemind is limited, however, it has a *powerful database* where you can filter and audit blockchain actions.

Hivemind doesn't sync every type of operation into its internal database. But, you can access

- accounts 
- posts/comments
- relationships (follows, reblogs, etc.)

with a direct SQL query. 


# Introducing [Tower](https://github.com/emre/tower)
<center><img src="https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNQ8RsVgaVaSw9uaezw7FjvEFxMZNWksejZg24TXF31Lz/Screen%20Shot%202019-01-16%20at%202.28.27%20PM.png"></center>


Tower is a solution to expose the Hivemind's database as REST API interface. You can have a look at the documentation at [tower.emrebeyler.me](https://tower.emrebeyler.me), and the base URL for the API is: `https://tower.emrebeyler.me/api/v1/`.

# Example Calls (/api/v1/accounts)

- Get the accounts in Germany, ordered by highest reputation


**[/api/v1/accounts/?location__contains=Germany&ordering=-reputation](https://tower.emrebeyler.me/api/v1/accounts/?location__contains=Germany&ordering=-reputation)**


- Get the most followed accounts (Top10)


**[/api/v1/accounts/?ordering=-followers&limit=10](https://tower.emrebeyler.me/api/v1/accounts/?ordering=-followers&limit=10)**


- List the accounts selected @inertia as their witness voting proxy

**[/api/v1/accounts/?proxy=inertia](https://tower.emrebeyler.me/api/v1/accounts/?proxy=inertia)**


- Get an account detail

[api/v1/accounts/emrebeyler/](https://tower.emrebeyler.me/api/v1/accounts/emrebeyler/)

# Example Calls (/api/v1/post_cache)

<center><img src="https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWAWjBSWBriHd9deVTwra5z4F2RpmVYCp4eDDcT1ihcUm/Screen%20Shot%202019-01-16%20at%202.29.05%20PM.png"></center>

- List @emrebeyler's posts ordered by highest payout

[/api/v1/post_cache/?author=emrebeyler&ordering=-payout](http://tower.emrebeyler.me/api/v1/post_cache/?author=emrebeyler&ordering=-payout)

- Find @inertia's first post in the chain

[api/v1/post_cache/?author=inertia&ordering=created_at&limit=1](http://tower.emrebeyler.me/api/v1/post_cache/?author=inertia&ordering=created_at&limit=1)

# Example Calls (/api/v1/posts/)

- Find @emrebeyler's posts where the community was dpoll.

[api/v1/posts/?author=emrebeyler&community=poll](https://tower.emrebeyler.me/api/v1/posts/?author=emrebeyler&community=poll)

- Find an author's deleted posts/comments

[/api/v1/posts/?is_deleted=True&limit=10&author=author](https://tower.emrebeyler.me/api/v1/posts/?is_deleted=True&limit=10&author=author)

***

These are just example queries. Make sure to check the documentation for filters and ordering options.

# Limitations

Available filters and ordering choices may subject to change in the future. Also, keep in mind that this is an experimental service and depending of the costs, my `tower.emrebeyler.me` may become private. 

# Technical Details

Tower is a Python3.6 and Django application. It uses [DRF](https://django-rest-framework.org) to expose [database models](https://github.com/emre/tower/blob/master/hive/models.py) as a REST interface. 

If you want to run a `Tower` instance, follow these steps.

# Installation

```
$ git clone https://github.com/emre/tower.git
$ python3.6 -m venv tower-env
$ source tower-env/bin/activate
$ cd tower
$ pip install -r requirements.txt
```

# Configuration

```
$ vim tower/local_settings.py
```

Add database information of your Hivemind:

```
DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql_psycopg2',
        'NAME': 'db_name',
        'USER': 'db_user',
        'PASSWORD': 'db_password',
        'HOST': 'host',
        'PORT': 'port',
    }
}
```

# Running

For development:

```
$ python manage.py runserver
```

For production:

```
$ gunicorn tower.wsgi
```

# Roadmap

- More filtering options on `posts` and `posts_cache` tables. These tables are huge and don't have many indexes. If I come up with a fast solution, I plan to add more filtering options.

- Additional view sets for relationships (follow, reblog, etc.) These are already handled on the hive's internal RPC server, not a priority but good to have.

# Post Updates

- @ausbitbank has a new tower node located at https://hivemind.steemviz.com. Thank you!
- @jrawsthorne has an alternative graphql implementation located at https://steem-graphql.jakerawsthorne.co.uk/.

# Vote for me as a witness

I do my best to support the blockchain with my skills. If you like what I do, consider casting a vote on [via Steemconnect](https://steemconnect.com/sign/account-witness-vote?witness=emrebeyler&approve=1) or on [steemit.com](https://steemit.com/~witnesses).