Files
fips/docs/how-to
Johnathan Corgan 507086e39d docs: refresh tutorials, how-to, design, reference, and examples for v0.4.0
Pre-cut documentation pass for the 0.4.0 release, verified against current source.

Corrections:
- fipsctl: stale 'show identities'/'show node' -> 'show status'
  (host-a-service, run-as-unprivileged-user)
- mesh address derivation: first 16 bytes of SHA-256(pubkey) with the leading
  byte set to 0xfd, not a fixed fd97: prefix (reach-mesh-services,
  ipv6-adapter-walkthrough)
- gateway control socket mode 0660 -> 0770 (troubleshoot-gateway)
- Tor example: add advertised_port: 8443 so the published port matches the
  prose (enable-nostr-discovery)
- bloom mesh-size estimate rewritten to the OR-union-of-peer-filters algorithm;
  plus mtu deep-link, gateway pool wording, and a NAT failure-mode line
- examples: delete orphaned nostr-rs-relay config, accept inbound to the local
  8443 TCP listener, fix fd::/8 -> fd00::/8 typos, dotless wireguard alias

Additions:
- new Nym mixnet transport section (fips-transport-layer) and the architecture
  transport list
- new LAN/mDNS discovery section (fips-nostr-discovery)
- reference docs: Nym transport, LAN discovery, and new control/stats surfaces;
  drop ble from the connect transport list
2026-06-14 15:14:05 +00:00
..

How-To Guides

Task-oriented, step-by-step recipes for operators with a specific goal in mind. Each guide assumes the reader already knows what FIPS is and wants to get a particular thing done — enable a feature, deploy a component, troubleshoot a class of problem.

How-to guides do not teach concepts (that is the role of design/) and do not enumerate options (that is the role of reference/). They take the reader along the shortest correct path from "I want to do X" to "X is done".

Available Guides

Guide Goal
enable-mesh-firewall.md Activate the default-deny nftables baseline on fips0
enable-nostr-discovery.md Turn on Nostr-mediated discovery (3 capabilities — resolve, advertise, open — across 5 scenarios)
deploy-tor-onion.md Run a Tor onion service for inbound FIPS connections
tune-udp-buffers.md Set host sysctls so FIPS UDP sockets don't get clamped
tune-file-descriptors.md Raise RLIMIT_NOFILE so a busy node doesn't exhaust file descriptors (EMFILE) as peer count grows
run-as-unprivileged-user.md Run the daemon under a dedicated unprivileged service account (drops the default-root posture)
deploy-gateway.md Manually deploy fips-gateway on a non-OpenWrt Linux host (LAN-to-mesh outbound + mesh-to-LAN inbound port-forwards). For the OpenWrt path, see the gateway tutorial.
troubleshoot-gateway.md Diagnostic recipes for the gateway, organised by half (outbound, inbound, common)
persistent-identity.md Provision a stable Nostr keypair so the node keeps the same npub across restarts
host-aliases.md Use shortnames (test-us01.fips, my-laptop.fips) instead of full npubs by editing /etc/fips/hosts or setting peer aliases
set-up-bluetooth-peer.md Configure a Bluetooth Low Energy peer link
diagnose-mtu-issues.md Triage MTU-shaped failures and rule out their imposters (bufferbloat, transport saturation)