Project overview#
Permissioned networks for pages, private communication and shared services.
Linux 0.9.0 | Install | Host | Documentation | Security | HyperNetSuite
HyperNet lets a group run its own network for publishing Pages, exchanging encrypted mail and files, and sharing services. Each network decides who can join and what its members can do. Hosts choose which services they provide and how much storage, compute and network access they allow.
Pages are reviewed publications with text, layout, forms and images. Separate networks can share approved Pages through federation while keeping their own membership and administration.
This repository provides the authority, hosting services and local runtime manager. HyperNetSuite provides the separate native graphical browser, terminal viewer and command-line clients. Reading a Page does not require running a host or authority replica.
[!NOTE] Linux 0.9.0 is qualified on native Ubuntu x86_64 within the documented limits. Other Linux distributions depend on compatible libraries and the required kernel and runtime capabilities. AArch64, macOS and SELinux-enabled operation remain unqualified. This release has no independent security certification. Read the release notes and deployment limits before choosing a deployment.
Capabilities#
| Area | Function |
|---|---|
| Pages | Publish reviewed revisions with responsive layouts, colours, forms and static media. HyperPages contain no scripts. |
| Confidential content | Share sealed publications with selected readers and hosts that agree to store encrypted content. |
| Exchange encrypted letters with owner-controlled addresses, separate devices and recipient-selected storage. | |
| File exchange | Offer encrypted files for a recipient to accept, with durable delivery receipts. |
| Shared services | Offer approved, fixed-command OpenSSH services without granting arbitrary shell access. |
| Search | Search approved network catalogues or an explicitly selected local catalogue. Private local queries stay local. |
| Federation | Share publications through network agreements, author opt-in and destination review. |
| Hosting | Choose software, storage, exposure, resources and lifetime. A host can withdraw without waiting for a quorum. |
| Application streams | Connect application services through consented, relay-only duplex streams with separate identities and scoped permissions. |
| Administration | Manage replicated policy and permissions, scoped application access, audit, backups and recovery. |
Normal remote reader traffic uses authenticated, pinned TLS routes. SSH is a separate service capability, not the transport required to browse Pages or send mail. A relay hides the reader's address from the destination connection; privacy from the destination operator additionally depends on independently operated, noncolluding infrastructure. See private routes.
Start here#
Use a network. Install HyperNetSuite, preview its sample Pages, then follow its invitation and connection guides. The browser and terminal client use the same Page format and permission checks.
Operate a network. Follow installation, host requirements and network preparation. A working network needs accepted trust, four appointed authority replicas, current clock observations and explicitly admitted services. Installing the binary alone creates none of these.
Integrate an application. Start with application access and the protocol reference. Applications use separate identities and restricted grants; they do not receive a user's private keys.
Install#
Download the Linux 0.9.0 release or build from source. For a signed package, follow the package installation guide: verification requires independently accepted publisher trust and the current signed update policy. Packages include the matching immutable OCI image.
Build from source#
Use Linux, a Rust toolchain supporting edition 2024, a GNAT compiler with Ada 2022 support, and C linker and archive tools. GNATprove is needed for the separate SPARK proof check. The installation guide distinguishes build tools, package tools and host requirements.
From a trusted source checkout:
export CARGO_TARGET_DIR="$HOME/.local/state/HyperNetBuild"
cargo build --locked --release
"$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/release/HyperNet" --help
This builds the manager and confinement helper. It does not install a service,
open a listener or create a network. GNAT_GCC selects an Ada-capable compiler
when the default gcc lacks Ada support. Dependencies are locked in Cargo.lock.
Keep build outputs, package trust and live data in separate directories.
Operate a host#
| Task | Guide |
|---|---|
| Prepare identities, certificates and clock inputs | Network preparation |
| Preview, consent to and start an authority | Authority runtime |
| Add Page, Media, Mail, Transfer, Route, Bridge or SSH hosting | Service runtime |
| Inspect a failure without exporting private state | Diagnostics |
| Renew consent, recover after reboot or change software | Stopped transitions |
| Enable explicit boot and logout operation | Managed lifecycle |
| Preserve content and recover from loss | Content backups and network recovery |
Hosts require rootless Podman, delegated cgroup v2, seccomp and Landlock ABI 6 or newer. Missing mandatory isolation prevents activation. Containers share the host kernel; four replicas on one machine do not provide independent failure domains. Native AArch64, macOS and SELinux-enabled operation remain pending; Windows is outside the current supported profile.
Trust and security#
Four appointed authority replicas run permissioned Basic HotStuff. Decisions require the protocol's ordered history, durable voting state and a quorum of three. Collecting three signatures alone is insufficient. Membership does not confer hosting, review, voting or confidential-content access.
Rust implements the runtime and protocols. A narrow Ada/SPARK boundary checks media extents. These implementation choices, signatures and passing tests do not constitute an independent security assessment. Read security for reporting and trust boundaries, and authority for permissions and recovery.
Documentation and development#
The release notes describe the 0.9.0 scope and known limits. The documentation index provides reading routes for operators, authors and application developers, plus the complete reference library. Source layout maps implementation modules. Qualification describes focused checks and the limits of deployment evidence. Dependencies and system-library licences cover third-party software.
Licensed under the MIT License.