mirror of
https://github.com/jmcorgan/fips.git
synced 2026-07-30 19:46:15 +00:00
Johnathan Corgan
146d19a8d8
Back-fill the changelog for the six user-facing changes on this line since v0.4.0: the antipoison FPR cap default, the bloom probe and secp256k1 context performance work, the coordinate-cache and path-MTU fixes, and the removed parent_switched counter. The Unreleased section was empty, so all six entries are new. Write the v0.4.1 release notes and mirror them to the root copy. The notes lead with the FPR cap change and state plainly that this is the second raise of that default in two releases, that it buys headroom rather than fixing the underlying fixed-filter constraint, and that the structural remedy is the v2 filter work. They also flag the rolling upgrade window, where an upgraded and a not-yet-upgraded node can disagree about mesh size, and point consumers of parent_switched at parent_switches. Bump the README status badge and the roadmap prose together so the two agree.
272 lines
12 KiB
Markdown
272 lines
12 KiB
Markdown
# FIPS: Free Internetworking Peering System
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[](LICENSE)
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[](https://www.rust-lang.org/)
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[](#status--roadmap)
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A self-organizing encrypted mesh network built on Nostr identities,
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capable of operating over arbitrary transports without central
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infrastructure.
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> FIPS is under active development. The protocol and APIs are not
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> yet stable. See [Status & roadmap](#status--roadmap) below.
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## What FIPS does
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A machine running FIPS becomes a node in the mesh with a
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self-generated cryptographic identity (a Nostr keypair). There are
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two equally-supported deployment modes.
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**As an overlay** on top of existing IP networks, FIPS lets your
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node reach any other FIPS node wherever it sits — behind a NAT, on
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a different ISP, on a phone over cellular, on a laptop with only
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Bluetooth in range, or behind a Tor onion. The mesh forwards IPv6
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traffic transparently and end-to-end encrypted, with no central VPN
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concentrator or coordinating server.
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**Ground up** over raw Ethernet, WiFi, or Bluetooth, FIPS provides
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a complete permissionless network without any pre-existing IP
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infrastructure, ISP, or DNS. Any node that joins the link gets
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routable IPv6 addresses, peer discovery, and a path to every other
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node automatically.
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Either way, existing networking software runs over it unchanged —
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SSH, HTTP servers, file transfer, anything IPv6-native works the
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same way it would on a local network.
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## Features
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- **Self-organizing mesh routing.** Spanning-tree coordinates with
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bloom-filter-guided discovery; no global routing tables, no
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flooding.
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- **Multi-transport.** UDP, TCP, Ethernet, Tor, Nym, and Bluetooth
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(BLE L2CAP) ship today; transports compose on a single mesh and a
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node may run several at once.
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- **Two-layer encryption.** Noise IK between peers (hop-by-hop) and
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Noise XK between mesh endpoints (independent end-to-end), with
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periodic rekey for forward secrecy.
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- **Nostr-native identity.** secp256k1 / schnorr keypairs as node
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addresses; self-generated, no registration, no central authority.
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- **IPv6 adapter.** A TUN interface maps each remote npub to an
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`fd00::/8` address, so unmodified IPv6 software reaches mesh
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peers as `<npub>.fips`. Built-in `.fips` DNS resolver, with
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optional static name mapping via `/etc/fips/hosts`.
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- **Nostr-mediated discovery and NAT traversal.** Peers publish
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endpoint adverts on public Nostr relays, exchange candidates via
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NIP-59 gift-wrapped offers and answers, and establish direct
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paths through NATs using STUN-assisted hole punching. On the local
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network, mDNS LAN discovery finds peers directly without relays.
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- **LAN gateway.** Optional `fips-gateway` service folds an entire
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unmodified LAN into the mesh: outbound (LAN clients reach mesh
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destinations through a DNS-allocated virtual IPv6 pool and
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nftables NAT) and inbound (LAN-side services exposed to the mesh
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through 1:1 port forwards).
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- **Per-link metrics.** RTT, loss, jitter, and goodput on every
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hop, plus mesh-size estimation, via the Metrics Measurement
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Protocol.
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- **ECN congestion signaling.** Hop-by-hop CE-flag relay with RFC
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3168 IPv6 marking and transport kernel-drop detection.
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- **Mesh-interface security baseline.** Optional default-deny
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nftables policy for `fips0` shipped as a packaged conffile
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(`/etc/fips/fips.nft`) with an operator drop-in directory
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(`/etc/fips/fips.d/`) and a disabled-by-default
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`fips-firewall.service`. The baseline polices only the mesh
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interface, leaving Docker, Tor, and the host firewall untouched.
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- **Operator visibility.** `fipsctl` CLI for control and inspection
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with time-series stats history queryable for any metric,
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`fipstop` TUI for live status with inline sparkline dashboards,
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and a JSON-line control socket on each binary for direct
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programmatic access.
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- **Reproducible builds** with toolchain pinning and
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`SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH`.
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## Quick start
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The shortest path on Debian / Ubuntu:
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/jmcorgan/fips.git
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cd fips
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cargo install cargo-deb
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cargo deb
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sudo dpkg -i target/debian/fips_*.deb
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sudo systemctl start fips
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```
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This installs the daemon, CLI tools (`fipsctl`, `fipstop`), the
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optional `fips-gateway` service, systemd units, and a default
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`/etc/fips/fips.yaml` you can edit before starting.
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For macOS, Windows, OpenWrt, the systemd tarball, a Nix flake, or a
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from-source build, see [docs/getting-started.md](docs/getting-started.md)
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for the full multi-platform installation guide.
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To join a live mesh and reach your first peer, follow the new-user
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tutorial progression starting at
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[docs/tutorials/join-the-test-mesh.md](docs/tutorials/join-the-test-mesh.md).
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### Building from source
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```bash
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cargo build --release
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```
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Requires Rust 1.94.1+ (edition 2024). Linux, macOS, and Windows are
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supported; transport availability varies by platform.
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| Transport | Linux | macOS | Windows | OpenWrt |
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|-----------|:-----:|:-----:|:-------:|:-------:|
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| UDP | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
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| TCP | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
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| Ethernet | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
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| Tor | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
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| Nym | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
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| BLE | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
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On Linux, a source build requires `libclang` — the LAN gateway's
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nftables bindings are generated by `bindgen` at build time, which
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needs `libclang.so` on the build host. Install it before building
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(`sudo apt install libclang-dev` on Debian / Ubuntu); without it the
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build fails inside the `rustables` crate with an "Unable to find
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libclang" error. This is a build-time prerequisite only — it is not a
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runtime dependency, and the pre-built `.deb` artifacts do not need it.
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BLE is optional and, on Linux, requires BlueZ and libdbus
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(`sudo apt install bluez libdbus-1-dev` on Debian / Ubuntu). It is
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gated on a build-script probe — install the dependencies first and
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the `cargo build` line above picks it up. The OpenWrt ipk omits
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BLE because libdbus is not available on the target.
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Nym (mixnet) transport builds on all desktop platforms. The OpenWrt
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❌ is provisional, pending verification of `nym-socks5-client`
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availability on the target; it will flip to ✅ only if confirmed
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buildable there.
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Alternatively, the repo ships a [Nix flake](flake.nix): `nix develop`
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drops you into a shell with the pinned toolchain and every build
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prerequisite (libclang, dbus, pkg-config) already provided, and
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`nix build .#fips` builds all four binaries with no host setup. See the
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Nix / NixOS section of [packaging/README.md](packaging/README.md).
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## Documentation
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`docs/` is organised by reader purpose:
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- **[Tutorials](docs/tutorials/)** — hand-held walk-throughs from
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a fresh install through to a participating mesh node, plus
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advanced deployments (gateway on OpenWrt, hosting services,
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ground-up two-device mesh).
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- **[How-to guides](docs/how-to/)** — operator recipes for
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specific tasks: firewall activation, Nostr discovery, Tor onion
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service, Bluetooth peering, LAN gateway deployment and
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troubleshooting, MTU diagnostics, host aliases, persistent
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identity, unprivileged-user setup, UDP buffer tuning.
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- **[Reference](docs/reference/)** — `fips.yaml` configuration,
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wire formats, control-socket protocol, CLI references for each
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binary, security posture matrix, Nostr events catalog, transport
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statistics inventory.
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- **[Design](docs/design/)** — protocol-level architecture and
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layer specifications. Start with
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[fips-concepts.md](docs/design/fips-concepts.md) for the framing,
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then [fips-architecture.md](docs/design/fips-architecture.md) for
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the protocol stack.
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If you want to contribute, see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)
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and [testing/README.md](testing/README.md).
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## Examples
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- **[examples/sidecar-nostr-relay/](examples/sidecar-nostr-relay/)** —
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Run a [strfry](https://github.com/hoytech/strfry) Nostr relay
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reachable exclusively over the FIPS mesh. The relay container
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shares the FIPS sidecar's network namespace and is isolated from
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the host network.
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- **[examples/sidecar-nostr-mixnet-relay/](examples/sidecar-nostr-mixnet-relay/)** —
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Single-container demo of FIPS peering through a **mixnet**
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(implemented with [Nym](https://nym.com/)): the FIPS daemon, the mixnet
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proxy, and a strfry Nostr relay all in one isolated container, with
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the direct route to the peer firewalled off so traffic provably
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crosses the mixnet.
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- **[examples/k8s-sidecar/](examples/k8s-sidecar/)** — Run FIPS as
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a Kubernetes Pod sidecar. The sidecar creates `fips0` in the
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Pod's shared network namespace so every other container in the
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Pod gets mesh access without modification.
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- **[examples/wireguard-sidecar-macos/](examples/wireguard-sidecar-macos/)** —
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Reach the FIPS mesh from a macOS host through a local Docker
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container over a WireGuard tunnel. Only traffic destined for
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`fd00::/8` transits the sidecar; regular internet traffic
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continues to use the host network.
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## Project structure
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```text
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src/ Rust source: library + fips, fipsctl, fipstop, fips-gateway binaries
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docs/ Documentation: tutorials, how-to, reference, design
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packaging/ Debian, macOS .pkg, Windows ZIP, OpenWrt ipk, AUR, systemd tarball
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examples/ Deployment examples (Nostr relay, K8s sidecar, macOS WireGuard)
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testing/ Docker-based integration test harnesses + chaos simulation
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```
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## Status & roadmap
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FIPS is at **v0.4.1** on the `maint` branch.
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[v0.4.1](https://github.com/jmcorgan/fips/releases/tag/v0.4.1) has
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shipped; this line carries patch-level fixes for the 0.4.x series. The
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core protocol works end-to-end over
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UDP, TCP, Ethernet, Tor, Nym, and Bluetooth on a global, public test
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mesh of thousands of nodes. v0.4.0 added the Nym mixnet transport and
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mDNS LAN discovery alongside the existing Nostr-mediated peer discovery,
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UDP NAT traversal, peer ACL, and packaging hardening. New wire-format work
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continues to be staged on the `next` branch for the subsequent
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release line.
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### What works today
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- Spanning-tree construction with greedy coordinate routing.
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- Bloom-filter-guided destination discovery (no flooding,
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single-path with retry).
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- Two-layer Noise encryption (IK at the link, XK at the session)
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with periodic hitless rekey for forward secrecy at both layers.
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- Persistent or ephemeral node identity with key-file management.
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- IPv6 TUN adapter with built-in `.fips` DNS resolver and
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multi-backend auto-configuration (systemd dns-delegate,
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systemd-resolved, dnsmasq, NetworkManager).
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- Static hostname mapping (`/etc/fips/hosts`) with auto-reload.
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- Per-link metrics (RTT, loss, jitter, goodput) and mesh size
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estimation.
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- ECN congestion signaling (hop-by-hop CE relay, IPv6 CE marking,
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kernel-drop detection).
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- UDP, TCP, Ethernet, Tor, Nym (mixnet), and BLE transports (BLE
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via L2CAP CoC with per-link MTU negotiation).
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- Nostr-mediated overlay endpoint discovery and UDP hole punching
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for NAT traversal, plus mDNS LAN discovery for local peers.
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- LAN gateway (`fips-gateway`) with both outbound (LAN-to-mesh)
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and inbound (mesh-to-LAN port-forwarding) modes.
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- Peer ACL: per-npub allow / deny admission control at the link
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layer; opt-in mesh-firewall baseline at `fips0` ingress.
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- Runtime inspection and peer management via `fipsctl` and
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`fipstop`.
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- Reproducible builds with toolchain pinning and
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`SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH`.
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- Linux (Debian, systemd tarball, OpenWrt, AUR), macOS (`.pkg`),
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and Windows (ZIP, service) packaging.
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- Docker-based integration and chaos testing.
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### Near-term priorities
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- Native API for FIPS-aware applications (npub:port addressing
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without the IPv6-shim path).
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- Security audit of the cryptographic protocols.
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### Longer-term
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- Mobile platform support.
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- Bandwidth-aware routing and QoS.
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- Protocol stability and a versioned wire format.
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- Published crate.
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## License
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MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
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