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Version 13.1 by Zenna Elfen on 2025/11/24 11:47
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3 This page contains an overview of all P4P Networks in this wiki and their building blocks.
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5 You can also [[add a P4P Network>>doc:Projects.WebHome]] or have a look at the [[P4P Applications>>doc:P4P.Applications.WebHome]].
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15 == Building Blocks of P4P Networks ==
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20 Lost in translation? Take a look at the [[terminology>>doc:P4P.Definitions.WebHome]].
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23 To fully assemble a P4P network one needs a few different building blocks. The following is an overview of the building blocks needed for P4P networks.
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26 ##### 9. **Data Synchronization**
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28 > Synchronization answers **how updates flow between peers** and how they determine what data to exchange. This layer is about **diffing, reconciliation, order, causality tracking, and efficient exchange**, not persistence or user-facing collaboration semantics.
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30 - _How do peers detect differences and synchronize state?_
31 - Examples: Range-Based Set Reconciliation, RIBLT, Gossip-based sync, State-based vs op-based sync, Lamport/Vector/HLC clocks, Braid Protocol
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33 *Relevant links or documentation:*
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36 ##### 10. **Collaborative Data Structures & Conflict Resolution**
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38 > This layer defines **how shared data evolves** when multiple peers edit concurrently. It focuses on **conflict-free merging, causality, and consistency of meaning**, not transport or storage. CRDTs ensure deterministic convergence, while event-sourced or stream-driven models maintain a history of all changes and derive consistent state from it.
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40 - _How do peers collaboratively change shared data and merge conflicts?_
41 - Examples: CRDTs (Yjs, Automerge), OT, Event Sourcing, Stream Processing, Version Vectors, Peritext
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43 *Relevant links or documentation:*
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46 ##### 11. **Data Storage & Replication**
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48 > This layer focuses on **durability, consistency, and redundancy**. It handles write-paths, crash-resilience, and replication semantics across nodes. It is the “database/storage engine” layer where **data lives and survives over time**, independent of sync or merging logic.
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50 - _How is data persisted locally and replicated between peers?_
51 - Examples: SQLite, IndexedDB, LMDB, Hypercore (append-only logs), WALs, Merkle-DAGs (IPFS/IPLD), Blob/media storage
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53 *Relevant links or documentation:*
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55 ##### 12. **Peer & Content Discovery**
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57 > Discovery occurs in two phases:
58 > 1. **Peer Discovery** → finding _any_ nodes
59 > 2. **Topic Discovery** → finding _relevant_ nodes or resources
60 > These mechanisms enable decentralized bootstrapping and interest-based overlays.
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63 - _How do peers find each other, and how do they discover content in the network?_
64 - Examples: DHTs (Kademlia, Pastry), mDNS, DNS-SD, Bluetooth scanning, QR bootstrapping, static peer lists, Interest-based routing, PubSub discovery (libp2p), Rendezvous protocols
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66 *Relevant links or documentation:*
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68 ##### 13. **Identity & Trust**
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70 > Identity systems ensure reliable mapping between peers and cryptographic keys. They underpin authorization, federated trust, and secure overlays.
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72 - _How peers identify themselves, authenticate, and establish trustworthy relationships?_
73 - Examples: PKI, Distributed Identities (DIDs), Web-of-Trust, TOFU (SSH-style), Verifiable Credentials (VCs), Peer key fingerprints (libp2p PeerIDs), Key transparency logs
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80 == Distributed Network Types ==
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83 [[Flowchart depicting distributed network variants, under development. Building on work from Z. Elfen, 2024: ~[~[https:~~~~/~~~~/doi.org/10.17613/naj7d-6g984~>~>https://doi.org/10.17613/naj7d-6g984~]~]>>image:P4P_Typology.png||alt="Flowchart depicting typologies of distributed networks, such as Friend-2-Friend, Grassroots Networks, Federated Networks, Local-First, P2P and P4P Networks" data-xwiki-image-style-alignment="center" height="649" width="639"]]
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87 == Overview of P4P Networks ==
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89 {{include reference="Projects.WebHome"/}}