Show HN: Dart implementation of the libp2p networking stack

10 hours ago 1

A comprehensive Dart implementation of the libp2p networking stack, providing a modular and extensible foundation for building peer-to-peer applications.

Modular Architecture: Pluggable transports, security protocols, and stream multiplexers
Multiple Transports: TCP and custom UDX (UDP-based) transport support
Security: Noise protocol for encrypted and authenticated connections
Stream Multiplexing: Yamux for efficient multi-stream communication
Peer Discovery: mDNS and routing-based peer discovery mechanisms
Protocol Support: Built-in support for Ping, Identify, and other core libp2p protocols
Resource Management: Built-in protection against resource exhaustion
Event System: Comprehensive event bus for monitoring network activity
NAT Traversal: Hole punching and relay support for NAT traversal

Add dart_libp2p to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies: dart_libp2p: ^0.5.2

Then run:

Here's a simple example of creating two libp2p nodes and connecting them:

import 'package:dart_libp2p/dart_libp2p.dart'; import 'package:dart_libp2p/core/crypto/keys.dart'; import 'package:dart_libp2p/core/multiaddr.dart'; import 'package:dart_libp2p/p2p/security/noise/noise_protocol.dart'; import 'package:dart_libp2p/p2p/transport/tcp_transport.dart'; import 'package:dart_libp2p/p2p/transport/multiplexing/yamux/session.dart'; Future<Host> createHost() async { final keyPair = await generateKeyPair(); return await Libp2p.new_([ Libp2p.identity(keyPair), Libp2p.listenAddrs([ await Multiaddr.fromString('/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/0'), ]), Libp2p.transport(TcpTransport()), Libp2p.security(NoiseSecurityProtocol()), Libp2p.muxer('/yamux/1.0.0', (conn, isClient) => YamuxSession(conn, MultiplexerConfig(), isClient)), ]); } void main() async { final host1 = await createHost(); final host2 = await createHost(); print('Host 1: ${host1.peerId}'); print('Host 2: ${host2.peerId}'); // Connect host1 to host2 await host1.connect(AddrInfo(host2.peerId, host2.addrs)); print('Connected successfully!'); // Clean up await host1.close(); await host2.close(); }

Dart Libp2p follows a layered architecture where each component provides services to the layer above it:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Application │ │ (Your Custom Protocols) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Host │ ├─────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Network/Swarm │ ├─────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Upgrader │ ├─────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Multiplexer (Yamux) │ Security │ │ │ (Noise) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Transport │ │ (TCP, UDX) │ └─────────────────────────────────────┘

Host: Central entry point that ties all components together
Network/Swarm: Manages connections, peers, and upgrade lifecycle
Upgrader: Handles security and multiplexing negotiation
Transport: Establishes raw connections (TCP, UDX)
Security: Encrypts and authenticates connections (Noise)
Multiplexer: Enables multiple streams over single connections (Yamux)

Protocols: /ip4/tcp, /ip6/tcp
Use Case: Reliable, widely available transport for most applications
Best For: Data centers, servers with public IPs

Protocols: /ip4/udp/udx, /ip6/udp/udx
Use Case: Custom UDP-based transport with built-in reliability
Best For: NAT traversal, hole punching, peer-to-peer connections

Note: This implementation does not support QUIC. Instead, we've opted for a custom dart-udx implementation that provides similar benefits for peer-to-peer networking.

Dart Libp2p uses the Noise protocol for securing connections: