6 ms·

Does this require a 3rd party host, or is it peer-to-peer?

by binarymax 1y ago

nine_k 1y ago
Peer to peer, unless both ends are behind NAT, then you need to run a relay.
- justusthane 1y ago
  They provide a default relay. It’s not clear to me whether you can manually specify a different relay.
  - avtar 1y ago
    They have docs for using self-hosted relays: https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh/blob/main/iroh/docs/local_relay_node.md https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh/blob/main/iroh/docs/loca...
    - DrillShopper 1y ago
      It'd be nice if the Getting Started link on the n0des page went here instead of immediately asking me to sign up before I know what the hell I'm signing up for
    - aniviacat 1y ago
      Unfortunately the link to the Config struct is broken. It should be: https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh/blob/main/iroh-relay/src/main.rs https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh/blob/main/iroh-relay/src...
  - rklaehn 1y ago
    Dumbpipe is using our set of relays. It is meant as a standalone tool as well as a showcase for what you can do with iroh. If you use iroh as a library, you can specify your own relays. It is important to mention that relays are interoperable, so you don't have isolated bubbles of nodes using certain relay networks. I can have the n0 relays specified and still talk to another node that is using a different set of relays.
b_fiive 1y ago
it's p2p. dumbpipe is hardcoded to use a public set of relays that we run for free (we being number 0, the team that make iroh & dumbpipe). we can definitely add a config argument to skip the hardcoded relays & provide custom ones!
- binarymax 1y ago
  Thanks for the response. This statement confuses me a bit. What is a relay? Does traffic go through it at all, or is it for connection negotiation, or some of both?
  - 4gotunameagain 1y ago
    Your questions are answered in TFA, including multiple links to documentation about the process. https://www.iroh.computer/docs/concepts/relay https://www.iroh.computer/docs/concepts/relay \ https://crates.io/crates/iroh https://crates.io/crates/iroh
  - b_fiive 1y ago
    sibling comment with links to docs is the more accurate, but to summarize, it's some of both: * all connections are always e2ee (even when traffic flows through a relay) * relays are both for connection negotiation, and as a fallback when a direct connection isn't possible * initial packet is always sent through the relay to keep a fast time-to-first-byte, while a direct connection is negotiated in parallel. typical connections send a few hundred bytes over the relay & the rest of the connection lifetime is direct
  - kiitos 1y ago
    tl;dr: resolving ids to destinations requires a third party relay
    - dignifiedquire 1y ago
      relays _can_ be used to resolve IDs, but so can mDNS, an email or any other form of third party channel

Does this require a 3rd party host, or is it peer-to-peer?

nine_k 1y ago

Peer to peer, unless both ends are behind NAT, then you need to run a relay.

justusthane 1y ago
They provide a default relay. It’s not clear to me whether you can manually specify a different relay.
- avtar 1y ago
  They have docs for using self-hosted relays: https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh/blob/main/iroh/docs/local_relay_node.md https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh/blob/main/iroh/docs/loca...
  - DrillShopper 1y ago
    It'd be nice if the Getting Started link on the n0des page went here instead of immediately asking me to sign up before I know what the hell I'm signing up for
  - aniviacat 1y ago
    Unfortunately the link to the Config struct is broken. It should be: https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh/blob/main/iroh-relay/src/main.rs https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh/blob/main/iroh-relay/src...
- rklaehn 1y ago
  Dumbpipe is using our set of relays. It is meant as a standalone tool as well as a showcase for what you can do with iroh. If you use iroh as a library, you can specify your own relays. It is important to mention that relays are interoperable, so you don't have isolated bubbles of nodes using certain relay networks. I can have the n0 relays specified and still talk to another node that is using a different set of relays.

b_fiive 1y ago

it's p2p. dumbpipe is hardcoded to use a public set of relays that we run for free (we being number 0, the team that make iroh & dumbpipe). we can definitely add a config argument to skip the hardcoded relays & provide custom ones!

binarymax 1y ago
Thanks for the response. This statement confuses me a bit. What is a relay? Does traffic go through it at all, or is it for connection negotiation, or some of both?
- 4gotunameagain 1y ago
  Your questions are answered in TFA, including multiple links to documentation about the process. https://www.iroh.computer/docs/concepts/relay https://www.iroh.computer/docs/concepts/relay \ https://crates.io/crates/iroh https://crates.io/crates/iroh
- b_fiive 1y ago
  sibling comment with links to docs is the more accurate, but to summarize, it's some of both: * all connections are always e2ee (even when traffic flows through a relay) * relays are both for connection negotiation, and as a fallback when a direct connection isn't possible * initial packet is always sent through the relay to keep a fast time-to-first-byte, while a direct connection is negotiated in parallel. typical connections send a few hundred bytes over the relay & the rest of the connection lifetime is direct
- kiitos 1y ago
  tl;dr: resolving ids to destinations requires a third party relay
  - dignifiedquire 1y ago
    relays _can_ be used to resolve IDs, but so can mDNS, an email or any other form of third party channel