🌐 Visit the GhostWire Website →

GhostWire

An open protocol for resilient peer-to-peer communication.

GCD4F 2026 Submission | Learn More →

---

What Is GhostWire?

GhostWire is a decentralized networking protocol — not an app. It provides the cryptographic, routing, and transport layers that developers can build communication tools on top of.

The reference implementation is written in Rust and includes a working mesh node with encrypted messaging, AI-powered routing, post-quantum cryptography, and delay-tolerant networking.

Built for: Disaster responders, rural communities, privacy advocates, researchers, and anyone who needs communication that works regardless of the odds.

---

Protocol Stack

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  APPLICATION:  Messaging │ Knowledge Ark │ Ghost Channels│
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  API:          REST (Axum) │ WebSocket │ CLI │ TUI       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  SERVICES:     BlockStore │ Mailbox │ Social │ Sphinx    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  AI ROUTING:   LightGBM → Gemma 4 → GNN → PRoPHET       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  CRYPTO:       XChaCha20-Poly1305 │ X25519 │ ML-KEM-768  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  TRANSPORTS:   StealthTCP │ WebRTC │ BLE │ LoRa │ obfs4  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  MESH:         libp2p GossipSub │ Kademlia DHT │ DTN     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Full specification: docs/spec/PROTOCOL.md

---

Key Capabilities

Capability	Description
🛡️ Encrypted P2P	XChaCha20-Poly1305 E2E encryption with X25519 key exchange and forward secrecy ratchet
🌐 Serverless Mesh	Pure P2P via libp2p — no central point of failure, no cloud dependency
🤖 AI Routing	4-layer ML stack (LightGBM → Gemma 4 → GNN → PRoPHET) for optimal path selection
📡 Delay-Tolerant	PRoPHET epidemic routing — messages survive network partitions via store-carry-forward
🔒 Post-Quantum	ML-KEM-768 (Kyber-768) hybrid key exchange — defends against harvest-now-decrypt-later
🎭 Anonymous Routing	Sphinx onion routing (same protocol as Nym and Lightning Network) with SURBs
📶 Multi-Transport	TCP, WebRTC, Bluetooth LE, LoRa, Reticulum — auto-failover based on conditions
🛡️ Censorship Resistance	4 pluggable transport modes (WebSocket, Shadowsocks, TLS, obfs4) with traffic armor
🚨 Coercion Resistance	Duress PIN, panic wipe, dead man's switch — protection against physical coercion
🧠 Web of Trust	TOFU key pinning with signed attestations and computed trust scores
📚 Knowledge Ark	Decentralized knowledge commons — share code, docs, datasets across the mesh
🔗 Protocol Bridges	Interoperability with Matrix, Meshtastic, Briar, Reticulum networks

---

Quick Start

Build & Run

git clone https://github.com/Phantomojo/GhostWire-secure-mesh-communication.git
cd GhostWire-secure-mesh-communication/ghostwire
cargo run --release

The node starts on http://127.0.0.1:8080. Mesh networking activates with --mesh-port.

Interactive TUI

cargo run --release -- tui

Terminal interface with dashboard, peer list, message history, and compose — all in one screen.

Key	Action
Tab	Switch tabs
i	Compose message
q	Quit

Full installation guide: docs/INSTALL.md

---

Build on GhostWire

GhostWire is a protocol, not just an application. You can build on it in three ways:

1. Use the Rust Library

[dependencies]
ghostwire = { git = "https://github.com/Phantomojo/GhostWire-secure-mesh-communication.git" }

2. Use the REST API

Start a GhostWire node, then interact via HTTP/WebSocket from any language.

3. Implement the Protocol

Follow the specifications in docs/spec/ to build your own implementation in any language.

Developer guide: docs/build/OVERVIEW.md

---

Published Crates

Crate	Description	Status
sphinx-rs	Sphinx onion routing with SURBs	✅ 0.1.0 on crates.io
ghostwire-dtn	Delay-tolerant networking (PRoPHET)	🚧 Next
hlc-rs	Hybrid Logical Clocks	🚧 Planned
trust-store	Web of Trust + TOFU	🚧 Planned

---

🆚 GhostWire vs Other Protocols

Feature	GhostWire	libp2p	Matrix	Nostr	I2P
P2P mesh networking	✅	✅	❌	❌	✅
Built-in encryption	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Anonymous routing	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅
Delay-tolerant networking	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
AI-powered routing	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Post-quantum crypto	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Multi-transport	✅	✅	❌	❌	✅
Offline messaging	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌
Censorship resistance	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅
Coercion resistance	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌

GhostWire is most similar to libp2p (modular P2P stack) and I2P (anonymous network layer), with unique additions in AI routing, delay-tolerant networking, and post-quantum cryptography.

---

🏗️ Architecture

graph TD;
  subgraph "User Interface"
    WebUI["React Web Interface"]
    CLI["Rust Command-Line Interface"]
    TUI["Terminal User Interface"]
  end

  subgraph "GhostWire Core (Rust)"
    Core["Core Manager"]
    Identity["Identity Manager"]
    Kademlia["DHT / Kademlia (libp2p)"]
    Swarm["Swarm Controller (libp2p)"]
    Security["Security Manager"]
    Transport["Adaptive Transport System"]
  end

  subgraph "Network Layer"
    TCP["Stealth TCP"]
    WebRTC["WebRTC (P2P)"]
    LoRa["LoRa (Long Range)"]
    BT["Bluetooth LE"]
  end

  subgraph "Protocol Bridges"
    Briar["Briar Adapter"]
    Meshtastic["Meshtastic Adapter"]
    Matrix["Matrix Bridge"]
  end

  WebUI <-->|REST / WebSocket| Core
  CLI <-->|Direct API| Core
  TUI <-->|Direct API| Core

  Core <--> Identity
  Core <--> Kademlia
  Core <--> Swarm
  Core <--> Security

  Swarm <--> Transport
  Transport <--> TCP
  Transport <--> WebRTC
  Transport <--> LoRa
  Transport <--> BT

  Core <--> Briar
  Core <--> Meshtastic
  Core <--> Matrix

Loading

Deep dive: docs/ARCHITECTURE.md

---

📚 Documentation

Guide	Description
📋 Protocol Spec	Formal protocol specification (like NIPs / Matrix Spec)
🏗️ Architecture	System internals and design decisions
🛠️ Installation	Detailed setup for various platforms
🔒 Security	Security model and vulnerability disclosure
📡 First Ping	First cross-machine mesh communication record
🤖 AI Integration	Gemma 4 and AI routing setup
🔧 Build Instructions	Compilation and development guide
🏗️ Build on GhostWire	How to build applications on the protocol
📜 Governance	Protocol evolution process (GIPs)
📋 Wiki	Full project knowledge base

---

🏆 Competition

GCD4F 2026

GhostWire is submitted to the Global Competition on Design for Futures (GCD4F) 2026, organized by Beijing Normal University and UNESCO IITE.

Detail	Information
Track	Higher Education — AI for Society
Team	Team GhostWire
Institution	Open University of Kenya
Theme	AI for Society
SDG Alignment	SDG 9 (Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Communities), SDG 17 (Partnerships)

---

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributors across all layers of the protocol:

Get Started

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

Ways to Contribute

• 🦀 Rust — libp2p networking, transport layers, crypto, AI routing
• 🐍 Python — ML model training, data pipelines, GNN optimization
• 🌐 TypeScript/React — Web UI, dashboard, visualization
• 📖 Documentation — Protocol specs, guides, translations
• 🧪 Testing — Write tests, report issues, penetration testing
• 🔒 Security — Cryptographic analysis, threat modeling, audits
• 🌉 Bridges — Matrix, Meshtastic, Briar, Reticulum adapters

Guidelines: CONTRIBUTING.md | Code of Conduct

---

📜 Licensing

GhostWire is dual-licensed:

License	Use Case	Cost
🆓 AGPL-3.0-or-later	Personal, Research, Education, Open Source	Free
🏢 Commercial License	Proprietary Products, SaaS, Closed-Source	Contact for pricing

Library crates (sphinx-rs, ghostwire-dtn, etc.) are licensed under MIT + Apache-2.0 for permissive use.

Which License Do I Need?

Your Use Case	License
Personal projects	✅ AGPL-3.0 (free)
University research	✅ AGPL-3.0 (free)
Open source projects	✅ AGPL-3.0 (free)
Using library crates	✅ MIT + Apache-2.0 (free)
Proprietary products	🏢 Commercial
SaaS without source disclosure	🏢 Commercial

Commercial inquiries: mirungu015@proton.me

Full terms: LICENSE | COMMERCIAL_LICENSE.md | LICENSE_EXPLANATION.md

---

👥 Team

Team GhostWire — Open University of Kenya, Nairobi

Name	Role	Contact
Michael Irungu Muriithi	Team Lead, Protocol Architecture	mirungu015@proton.me

Advisors & Contributors:

• Frank — Technical Advisor
• Austin — Hardware Lead (Mechatronics)

---

📞 Community & Support

Get Help

• 📖 Documentation: docs/
• 💬 Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• 🐛 Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
• 📧 Contact: mirungu015@proton.me

Stay Updated

• ⭐ Star this repo to get release notifications
• 🔔 Watch for major updates

Security

• 🔒 Security Policy: docs/SECURITY.md
• 🚨 Report Vulnerability: GitHub Security Advisories or mirungu015@proton.me

---

🏆 Roadmap

✅ Completed

• P2P mesh networking — libp2p GossipSub + Kademlia DHT
• End-to-end encryption — XChaCha20-Poly1305 with X25519
• Forward secrecy — Symmetric ratchet
• AI routing — LightGBM + PRoPHET fallback (4-layer system)
• Terminal UI — Ratatui dashboard
• Web API — Axum HTTP server
• Anomaly detection — Isolation Forest
• Shamir recovery — Secret sharing for key recovery
• First cross-machine ping — April 5, 2026
• Protocol specifications — Formal specs in docs/spec/
• Sphinx onion routing — Published as sphinx-rs crate

🔄 In Progress

• Message persistence and history
• Full Double Ratchet with DH steps
• GNN routing optimization (target: 85%+ accuracy)
• Mobile clients (Tauri Android/iOS)
• ghostwire-dtn crate publication

📋 Planned

• Voice over mesh (VoIP)
• LoRa/Reticulum bridge (production)
• Protocol adapters (Matrix, Meshtastic, Briar)
• Knowledge Ark — offline content serving
• Zero-knowledge proofs
• Third-party security audit

---

🌟 Built for connection. Designed for resilience.

GhostWire — An open protocol for resilient peer-to-peer communication.

📍 Nairobi, Kenya | 🌐 Website | 📧 mirungu015@proton.me

---

Licensed under AGPL-3.0-or-later or Commercial License

GCD4F 2026 Submission — Global Competition on Design for Futures