Builder Orientation

EVE Frontier development has three different jobs that often get mixed together:

Job	Main Question	Typical Tools
Read public world data	What exists, where is it and what source proves it?	Black Relay API, Sui reads, World API, static-client data
Build on-chain logic	What should this assembly extension do?	Move, Sui CLI, builder scaffold, world contracts
Submit player actions	How do I safely mutate world state?	Wallets, sponsored transactions, dApp kit, game client

Black Relay mostly helps with the first job. It gives builders an indexed, source-labelled read layer so a tool does not need to run its own full backfill before it can show names, systems, gates, characters or killmails.

Suggested Learning Path

Learn the public data shape: Source Map.
Learn the world architecture: World, Chain And Client.
Pick a practical workflow: Development Workflows.
Learn direct inspection: Sui CLI And GraphQL.
Learn the assembly model: Smart Assemblies.
Build a small read-only public-data tool: Quickstart.
Design one programmable assembly workflow: Programmable SSUs or Gates, Turrets And Routes.
Use direct Sui reads only for the data that must be live before a transaction.

Public Read Layer

For display, search and exploration, the public API can save you from building a chain indexer before your first UI exists:

curl "https://api.blackrelay.network/v1/search?q=gate&limit=10"
curl "https://api.blackrelay.network/v1/current/systems?q=NN0&limit=10"
curl "https://api.blackrelay.network/v1/current/gates?limit=10"

Windows:

Invoke-RestMethod "https://api.blackrelay.network/v1/search?q=gate&limit=10"
Invoke-RestMethod "https://api.blackrelay.network/v1/current/systems?q=NN0&limit=10"
Invoke-RestMethod "https://api.blackrelay.network/v1/current/gates?limit=10"

This is only the read layer. Use the chain directly when you need a final pre-transaction check.

Choose The Right First Project

Builder Goal	First Project
Learn the data model.	A read-only search page using `/v1/search`.
Learn spatial data.	A system lookup using `/v1/current/systems`.
Learn events.	A killmail table using `/v1/killmails`.
Learn dApp identity.	EVE Vault connect plus a nonce-backed server session.
Learn assembly extension flow.	A minimal storage-unit or gate extension on a safe target.
Learn indexing.	A local mirror of `manifest.json` and one JSONL export.

Start read-only unless you specifically need mutation. Read-only tools teach ids, source confidence and freshness without risking assets.

Direct Chain When Needed

Direct chain reads are still important for:

object versions before mutation
transaction construction
wallet-owned objects
OwnerCap discovery
exact latest state for a single assembly
sponsored transaction payloads

The useful pattern is:

Registry API for discovery and labels
Sui read for exact latest object state
wallet or sponsor flow for mutation

Do not use a cached public export as the only authority before spending assets or changing assembly state.

Public Data Boundaries

Black Relay docs and API should help public development without becoming private intel infrastructure.

Good public uses:

show a sourced system name
show a gate route from public records
show current public assembly state
show the source kind and confidence label for a claim
build an explorer or field manual

Avoid:

publishing private tribe routes
turning reports into unverifiable claims
exposing credentials, keys or session data
presenting stale exports as live transaction authority
hiding source uncertainty from users

Useful Local Source Material

The local source tree under public/evefrontier contains official builder material and examples:

Sui and Move fundamentals
smart infrastructure overview
world contract explanation
object and ownership models
builder scaffold examples
smart gate, storage unit and turret notes

The community tree under public/community contains useful extraction and static-client references. Treat community tools as references that need review, not as canonical authority by themselves.