Skip to main content
Version: v0.13.1

Deploy Your Own Participant to the Playground

This guide walks you through deploying your own TSG participant and connecting it to the TSG Playground dataspace. By deploying your own infrastructure, you'll interact with Alice, Bob, and Charlie from your own participant.

Overview​

What you'll deploy:

  • Your own Wallet for credential management
  • Your own Control Plane for catalog and negotiation management
  • Your own HTTP Data Plane for data exchange
  • All components configured to join the playground dataspace

What you'll learn:

  • How to configure TSG for an existing dataspace
  • The onboarding process for new participants
  • Managing your own datasets and policies
  • Operating as an independent participant

Prerequisites​

Before starting, ensure you have:

Infrastructure Requirements​

  • Kubernetes cluster (version 1.24 or higher)
  • kubectl configured and connected to your cluster
  • Helm (version 3.x) installed
  • Ingress Controller with public routes (e.g., NGINX Ingress Controller)
  • TLS Certificate Management (e.g., cert-manager)
  • Public domain pointing to your Kubernetes ingress

Tool Requirements​

  • Node.js (version 22 or higher)
  • TSG CLI installed: npm install -g @tsg-dsp/cli@latest

New to TSG? Check the Getting Started Guide for detailed installation instructions.

Step 1: Request Playground Credentials​

Before deploying, you need authorization to join the playground dataspace.

1.1 Navigate to Authority Wallet​

Go to the Dataspace Authority Wallet

1.2 Request Credential Offer​

  1. Click Request Credential
  2. Enter your email address
  3. Submit the request

1.3 Retrieve Pre-authorized Code​

  1. Check your email for a message from noreply@dataspac.es
  2. Click the button in the email to retrieve your code
  3. Copy the pre-authorized code - you'll need this for configuration
  4. Note the instructions provided for claiming your credential

If you don't receive the email, check your spam folder or wait a few minutes. The email system may have delays.

Step 2: Configure Your Participant​

Create a participant.yaml file with your configuration:

general:
  namespace: my-playground-participant          # Your Kubernetes namespace
  username: admin                               # Your admin username
  password: "your-secure-password"              # Strong password
  authorityDomain: playground.dataspac.es       # DO NOT CHANGE
  credentialType: PlaygroundCredential          # DO NOT CHANGE

participant:
  host: myorg.org                               #  Your domain
  id: myorg                                     # Your organization ID
  name: My Organization                         # Your organization name
  hasControlPlane: true
  issuer: false
  credentialSubject:
    role: playground:Participant                # DO NOT CHANGE
  preAuthorizedCode: YOUR_CODE_FROM_EMAIL      # REQUIRED: Code from Step 1
  dataPlanes:
    http-data-plane:
      type: http-data-plane
      postgres: true
      tsgDataPlane: true
      subPath: http-data-plane
      config:
        dataset:
          type: versioned
          title: My Test Dataset                # Your dataset name
          currentVersion: 1.0.0
          versions:
            - version: 1.0.0
              distributions:
                - backendUrl: https://httpbin.org  # Your API endpoint
                  openApiSpecRef: https://httpbin.org/spec.json

Configuration Guide​

Must customize:

  • namespace: Unique Kubernetes namespace for your deployment
  • username / password: Your admin credentials (store securely)
  • host: Your domain
  • id: Unique identifier for your organization
  • name: Display name for your organization
  • preAuthorizedCode: Code from Step 1
  • dataset.title: Name for your shared dataset
  • backendUrl: API endpoint you want to share (or use httpbin.org for testing)

Do not change:

  • authorityDomain: Must be playground.dataspac.es
  • credentialType: Must be PlaygroundCredential
  • role: Must be playground:Participant

Your host must be a domain that resolves to your Kubernetes ingress and has valid TLS certificates.

Step 3: Bootstrap Configuration​

Generate Helm value files from your configuration:

tsg bootstrap participant -f participant.yaml

This creates an output/ directory containing:

  • wallet-values.yaml - Wallet configuration
  • control-plane-values.yaml - Control Plane configuration
  • http-data-plane-values.yaml - Data Plane configuration

Review the generated files in the output/ directory to understand what will be deployed.

Step 4: Deploy to Kubernetes​

Deploy your participant to the playground:

tsg deploy participant -f participant.yaml

The CLI will:

  1. Create the Kubernetes namespace
  2. Deploy Wallet with credential configuration
  3. Deploy Control Plane
  4. Deploy HTTP Data Plane with your dataset
  5. Configure ingress routes for all components

Deployment takes approximately 2-5 minutes depending on your cluster.

Monitor Deployment Progress​

# Check pod status
kubectl get pods -n my-playground-participant

# Watch pods start up
kubectl get pods -n my-playground-participant -w

# Check ingress configuration
kubectl get ingress -n my-playground-participant

Wait until all pods show Running status and READY 1/1.

Step 5: Discover Playground Participants​

Your participant can now interact with the playground.

5.1 Access Your Control Plane​

Navigate to: https://myorg.org/control-plane

Log in with your admin credentials.

5.2 View Registry​

  1. Click Registry in the left menu
  2. Click Addresses tab
  3. You should see Alice, Bob, and Charlie listed

The playground participants are pre-configured in the registry for easy access.

5.3 Request a Catalog​

  1. Click on Alice (or Bob/Charlie) in the Addresses list
  2. Click Request Catalog
  3. Wait a few seconds for the catalog to be fetched

Step 6: Negotiate Your First Contract​

Establish a contract with Alice to access her HTTPBin dataset.

6.1 Browse Alice's Catalog​

  1. Click Catalogs in the left menu
  2. Find and click on Alice's catalog
  3. The dataset "Alice HTTPBin" appears

6.2 View Dataset Details​

  1. Click the info icon on the Alice HTTPBin dataset
  2. Review the dataset information:
    • Title: Alice HTTPBin
    • Policy: Always Allow (unrestricted access)
    • Distribution: API endpoint and specification

6.3 Initiate Contract Negotiation​

  1. Click Negotiate Contract
  2. The system creates a negotiation request and sends it to Alice
  3. Since contract negotiation is automatic, these steps will happen automatically. Try enabling manual contract negotiation in the Settings in the topbar and see what happens!

6.4 (If manual contract negotiation) Sign the Contract​

  1. Click Negotiations in the left menu
  2. Alice has automatically accepted the negotiation (within seconds)
  3. Click Sign to sign the contract on your side
  4. Alice automatically signs as well
  5. The negotiation status changes to Completed

6.5 View Completed Contract​

  1. Click Negotiation History in the left menu
  2. Find your completed negotiation with Alice
  3. Click on it to view the full contract details

Step 7: Request a Data Transfer​

With a signed contract, you can now request data transfer:

7.1 Initiate Transfer​

  1. From the negotiation details view (Step 7.5), click Request Transfer
  2. The system creates a transfer agreement
  3. Navigate to Transfers in the left menu

7.2 Verify Active Transfer​

You should see your transfer with Alice showing:

  • Status: Active
  • Participant: Alice
  • Dataset: Alice HTTPBin
  • Agreement: Your contract reference

Do not complete, suspend, or stop the transfer. You need it active to access data. If you accidentally stop it, repeat Steps 6-7.

Step 8: Access Data from Alice​

You can now retrieve data from Alice's HTTPBin service through your data plane.

8.1 Access Your Data Plane​

Navigate to: https://myorg.org/http-data-plane

Log in with your admin credentials.

8.2 Execute Your First Request​

  1. Click Execute in the Quick Actions menu (middle button)
  2. Configure the request:
    • Transfer: Select your active transfer with Alice
    • Method: GET
    • Path: /anything
    • Headers: (leave default)
    • Body: (empty for GET requests)
  3. Click Send Request

8.3 View Response​

You should see a successful response:

{
  "args": {},
  "data": "",
  "files": {},
  "form": {},
  "headers": {
    "Accept": "*/*",
    "Host": "httpbin.org",
    ...
  },
  "json": null,
  "method": "GET",
  "origin": "...",
  "url": "https://httpbin.org/anything"
}

You have successfully completed your first data exchange as a deployed participant.

Step 9: Experiment Further​

Try Different Endpoints​

HTTPBin provides many testing endpoints:

GET Requests:

GET /get                 - Returns GET request data
GET /headers            - Returns request headers only
GET /ip                 - Returns origin IP address
GET /user-agent         - Returns user-agent string
GET /status/200         - Returns specific HTTP status code

POST Requests:

POST /post              - Returns POST data
  Body: {"message": "Hello from my participant!"}
  
POST /anything          - Returns anything sent
  Body: {"test": "data", "timestamp": "2025-11-06"}

Other Methods:

PUT /put                - Returns PUT data
DELETE /delete          - Returns DELETE confirmation
PATCH /patch            - Returns PATCH data

Share Your Own Data​

Your deployed participant is also offering a dataset (configured in participant.yaml):

  1. Visit Alice/Bob/Charlie to request your catalog
  2. They can negotiate contracts with your participant
  3. You'll see incoming negotiations in your Control Plane
  4. Negotiations are automatically accepted in the playground

Understanding Your Deployment​

Data Flow​

  1. Discovery: Your Control Plane requests catalogs from other participants
  2. Negotiation: Contracts are negotiated via Dataspace Protocol
  3. Authorization: Wallet credentials prove your identity
  4. Transfer: Data Plane executes transfers based on contracts
  5. Access: Backend APIs are accessed through your Data Plane proxy

What Gets Stored​

  • Wallet: Verifiable Credentials (persisted)
  • Control Plane: Catalogs, negotiations, transfers, contracts (persisted)
  • Data Plane: No data storage - passes through to backend
  • Backend API: Data storage depends on your backend (HTTPBin doesn't store)

Troubleshooting​

Deployment Issues​

Pods Not Starting

# Check pod status
kubectl get pods -n my-playground-participant

# View pod logs
kubectl logs <pod-name> -n my-playground-participant

# Describe pod for events
kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n my-playground-participant

Common causes:

  • Resource constraints (insufficient CPU/memory)
  • Configuration errors (check generated values files)

Ingress Not Working

# Check ingress configuration
kubectl get ingress -n my-playground-participant
kubectl describe ingress <ingress-name> -n my-playground-participant

Common causes:

  • DNS not configured correctly
  • TLS certificates not issued (check cert-manager)
  • Ingress controller not running

Credential Issues​

Cannot Claim Credential

"Invalid pre-authorized code" error:

  • Verify you copied the complete code from the email
  • Ensure the code hasn't expired (request a new one if needed)
  • Check that authorityDomain in config is exactly playground.dataspac.es

Credential Not Appearing in Wallet

After claiming, no credential shows in wallet:

  • Wait 30 seconds and refresh the page
  • Check wallet pod logs: kubectl logs <wallet-pod> -n <namespace>
  • Verify network connectivity to playground.dataspac.es

Catalog and Negotiation Issues​

Cannot See Alice/Bob/Charlie in Registry

Registry Addresses is empty:

  • Wait a couple of minutes, synchronization happens on an interval
  • Check Control Plane configuration includes playground authority
  • Verify your credential was successfully claimed
  • Restart control plane pod: kubectl delete pod <control-plane-pod> -n <namespace>

Catalog Request Fails

Requesting catalog shows error or times out:

  • Verify target participant is accessible (try from browser: https://alice.playground.dataspac.es/control-plane)
  • Check your Control Plane pod logs for connection errors
  • Ensure your cluster has outbound internet access

Negotiation Stuck

Negotiation doesn't show "Accepted" status:

  • Wait 10-15 seconds and refresh the page
  • Check that the target participant (Alice/Bob/Charlie) is online
  • Review Control Plane logs for negotiation protocol errors

Data Transfer Issues​

Transfer Shows "Failed" or "Terminated"

Transfer doesn't activate successfully:

  • Check that the contract was fully signed by both parties
  • Verify the dataset distribution URL is accessible
  • Review Data Plane pod logs for errors

Cannot Execute Data Plane Request

"No active transfer" or "Transfer not found" error:

  • Verify you have an Active transfer in Control Plane → Transfers
  • In Data Plane, ensure you've selected the correct transfer
  • Restart Data Plane pod if transfer list is outdated

Data Plane Returns 404 or 500

Request executes but returns error response:

  • Verify the endpoint path is correct (HTTPBin: /anything, /get, /post, etc.)
  • Check HTTP method matches endpoint (GET for /get, POST for /post)
  • Ensure the backend API (httpbin.org) is accessible from your cluster

Network and Access Issues​

Cannot Access Web Interfaces

Browser shows "Connection refused" or "DNS not found":

  • Verify DNS is configured for your domain
  • Check ingress is running: kubectl get ingress -n <namespace>
  • Verify TLS certificates are issued: kubectl get certificate -n <namespace>

"Forbidden" or "Unauthorized" Errors

Login page shows access denied:

  • Verify you're using the credentials from your participant.yaml
  • Check for typos in username/password
  • Try different browser or clear cookies

Intermittent Connection Issues

Some requests work, others fail:

  • Check Kubernetes pod health: kubectl get pods -n <namespace>
  • Verify pod resources aren't exhausted: kubectl top pods -n <namespace>
  • Review pod logs during failures for specific errors

Advanced Configuration​

Custom Backend API​

To share your own API instead of HTTPBin:

  1. Update participant.yaml:
backendUrl: https://api.myorg.com/v1
openApiSpecRef: https://api.myorg.com/openapi.json

  1. Ensure your API:

    • Is accessible from your Kubernetes cluster
    • Returns proper HTTP responses
    • Has CORS configured if needed
    • Provides an OpenAPI specification

  2. Redeploy:

tsg bootstrap participant -f participant.yaml
tsg deploy participant -f participant.yaml

Multiple Data Planes​

You can deploy additional data plane types:

dataPlanes:
  http-data-plane:
    type: http-data-plane
    # ... config ...
  
  analytics-data-plane:
    type: analytics-data-plane
    # ... config ...

Cleaning Up​

Remove Your Deployment​

To remove your participant from the playground:

# Delete all resources in the namespace
kubectl delete namespace my-playground-participant

# Or use TSG CLI (if supported)
tsg delete participant -f participant.yaml

Revoke Credentials​

Your credential remains in the Authority Wallet even after deletion. Contact the playground administrators if you need credentials revoked.

Next Steps​

Explore Production Deployment​

Ready for production? See:

Dive Deeper into TSG​

Connect with the Community​

If you encounter issues not covered in troubleshooting, please open an issue with details about your deployment.