An open-source, decentralized content-addressable storage (CAS) system with peer-to-peer replication. No central servers. Local-first. End-to-end encryption.
HBS2 implements and provides functions required for P2P and local-first applications development.
Have you ever thought that all your team members have a full copy of the source code of projects you work on because of Git's nature, and that you actually do not need GitHub or any other central service?
Have you ever thought that something like Git + BitTorrent may bring a totally decentralized way of working, without relying on domain systems, service providers, particular IP addresses, hosts, specific physical servers, desktops, phones, phone numbers, emails, or accounts in social networks?
Anything that could be broken, stolen, leaked, banned, confiscated, cut off, censored, compromised, and so on.
That any data of any size may be described as a 44-symbol (32-byte) hash code, and that’s basically all you need to retrieve any of your data back at any time.
For example, this entire website may be identified as 4X65y4YvUjRL2gtA9Ec3YDDP4bnxjTGhfjpoah96t3z1
Have you ever thought that all you need to address someone, send them a message, share data, authenticate yourself, and verify counterparty authorization is just a couple of encryption keys (32 bytes / 44 symbols each).
Have you ever thought that all your data may be dynamically replicated across multiple servers (and you can know exactly how many, if you want)?
If so, HBS2 might be useful for you.
It works.
HBS2 has been under development since December 2022, with earlier attempts dating back to 2018-2019 when I was searching for decentralized collaboration tools but found nothing that suited my needs.
Since March 2023, HBS2 has been fully self-hosted. All work happens within HBS2 itself — GitHub serves only as a mirror and a way for non-HBS2 users to access the source code.
HBS2 can now host websites in a P2P fashion, which is how this page appeared.
| NixOS 22.11+ | Tested/Works |
| Ubuntu 22.04+ | Tested/Works |
| Linux Mint | Launched/Works |
| Debian 12 | Tested/Works |
| Raspberry Pi OS | Tested/Works |
| Mac OS X/aarch64 | Tested/Works |
| Mac OS X/x86 | Launched/Works |
| Nix-on-Droid | Launched/? |
Enables decentralized discovery of new peers without relying on central servers, using DNS bootstrap, pre-set seed peers and multicasting
Peers share information about other active peers
HBS2 effectively handles NAT traversal using a combination of peer-assisted routing, UDP, gossip-based discovery and message relaying, and duplex channels over client-initiated connections, allowing seamless bidirectional communication.
HBS2 follows a pull-based model, where peers proactively request the data they need. This reduces load and ensures that most of the work is done by the requesting side.
Gossip-based message forwarding enables peer communication even when there is no direct connection between them.
Peers only listen to and relay data for topics they are subscribed to.
This allows multiple independent groups and channels to coexist, enabling different applications to operate without interference.
Uses elliptic curve cryptography (libsodium) for message encryption. Ensures uniform encryption across all transport protocols, including TCP and UDP.
HBS2 provides multiple types of CRDT-based mutable references with built-in cryptographic proofs and access control, ensuring secure and decentralized data updates.
Blocks and Merkle trees can be stored with end-to-end encryption for multiple recipients using group encryption keys.
Any peer can seed encrypted data without being able to decrypt it, ensuring secure distribution while maintaining privacy.
Network-enabled CRDT data structures and API for data replication with cryptographic authentication and authorization
Efficient data verification and replication mechanisms using Merkle Trees.
Built-in cryptographic tools for secure peer-to-peer communication.
HBS2 primarily avoids global online consensus, relying instead on CRDT entities for data replication.
However, certain channels use a PBFT-like quorum consensus mechanism. Additionally, reference implementations of other PBFT-like protocols and Raft exist, built on top of HBS2 networking primitives.
HBS2 provides an RPC mechanism for interacting with protocol nodes, allowing external applications to integrate without requiring direct use of the HBS2 codebase or re-implementing peer (node) protocols.
HBS2 also includes a set of libraries for networking, data structures, and cryptography, which can be used independently in projects unrelated to HBS2 itself.
HBS2 includes a number of built-in applications.
While Git is known as a DVCS (Distributed Version Control System), it is not truly decentralized. It lacks a distributed transport layer, leading to centralization, with GitHub being a prime example.
"hbs2-git" offers a fully decentralized solution for collaborative development, extending Git's capabilities.
Built on top of Git’s existing mechanisms, "hbs2-git" enables content distribution over HBS2 protocols. Developers can work with distributed storage just like a regular Git repository, with automatic replication across all participants—no central servers required.
Supports end-to-end group encryption, making it suitable for both private projects and open-source collaboration (if not encrypted).
fixme A simple yet powerful distributed CLI issue tracker, fully integrated with Git repositories.
Demonstrates the use of CRDTs and RefChans for SQL database synchronization, with built-in access control and encryption.
Published data is automatically replicated across all peers subscribed to a specific channel or reference.
Data can be end-to-end encrypted using group encryption keys, ensuring secure distribution.
The hbs2-sync app enables directory synchronization across teams in a fully decentralized P2P environment. It supports end-to-end encryption with group keys and fine-grained read/write access control.
Encrypted, peer-to-peer messaging without relying on central servers.
Synchronize and distribute encrypted datasets across multiple peers securely.