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network

libp2p Network Protocols Overview​

Kademlia (kad)​

  • Purpose: Distributed hash table (DHT) for peer discovery and content routing
  • Function: Finds peers, stores/retrieves data across the network without central servers
  • Use case: Peer discovery, content addressing, routing in decentralized networks

GossipSub​

  • Purpose: Publish-subscribe messaging protocol
  • Function: Efficiently broadcasts messages to groups of interested peers
  • Use case: Chat systems, blockchain transaction propagation, real-time updates

mDNS (Multicast DNS)​

  • Purpose: Local network peer discovery
  • Function: Automatically discovers peers on the same local network (LAN/WiFi)
  • Use case: Finding nearby peers without internet connectivity

Relay​

  • Purpose: Connection relaying for NAT traversal
  • Function: Allows peers behind firewalls/NATs to connect through relay nodes
  • Use case: Helps peers connect when direct connection fails

Noise​

  • Purpose: Cryptographic security protocol
  • Function: Provides encryption, authentication, and forward secrecy for connections
  • Use case: Securing all peer-to-peer communications

In your current relay server:​

  • Using: relay (main service), ping (connection health), identify (peer info exchange), and noise (security)
  • You could add: kad for peer discovery, gossipsub for messaging, or mdns for local discovery depending on your needs