Universal Connectivity Workshop

Welcome to the Universal Connectivity Workshop! This hands-on workshop teaches you how to build peer-to-peer applications using libp2p, the powerful networking stack for decentralized applications.

Quick Start (All)

1. Make sure you have Python3 installed.
2. Make sure you have Git installed.
3. Make sure you have Docker and Docker Compose installed.

The workshop tool will try to detect Python3, Git, and Docker Compose on your system. It will give you an error if it cannot find them. They must be installed so that workshop can find them for this to work.

Quick Start (Rust)

1. Make sure you have Rust installed.
2. Intall the workshop tool:

   cargo install workshop

3. Install this workshop:

   workshop --install https://github.com/libp2p/universal-connectivity-workshop

4. Start the workshop in one terminal window:

   workshop

5. Follow the setup instructions workshop shows you in a second terminal window.
6. Select the workshop.
7. Complete all lessons.

Status

This workshop has been ported to multiple programming languages and translated into multiple spoken languages.

Programming Languages:

• Rust: Lessons 1 and 2 are confirmed to work, Lessons 3-8 are in progress.

Spoken Languages:

• English

What You'll Learn

Throughout this workshop, you'll build a complete universal connectivity application from scratch, learning:

• libp2p Fundamentals: Peer identity, transport layers, and protocol composition
• Network Protocols: TCP, QUIC, and WebRTC transports for different connectivity scenarios
• Peer Discovery: Using Kademlia DHT and identify protocols for automatic peer discovery
• Group Communication: Implementing chat functionality with gossipsub pub/sub messaging

Workshop Structure

The workshop consists of 7 progressive lessons with 4 interactive checkpoints where you'll connect to another peer to demonstrate your progress.

Current Lesson Structure

1. Identity and Basic Swarm (Lesson 1): Create a basic swarm and set up peer identity
2. TCP Transport (Lesson 2): Implement TCP transport layer for connectivity
3. Ping Checkpoint 🏆 (Lesson 3): Connect to a remote peer and send ping
4. QUIC Transport (Lesson 4): Add QUIC transport for improved connectivity
5. Identify Checkpoint 🏆 (Lesson 5): Exchange peer information and capabilities
6. Gossipsub Checkpoint 🏆 (Lesson 6): Implement pub/sub messaging for group communication
7. Kademlia Checkpoint 🏆 (Lesson 7): Use DHT for distributed peer discovery and content routing

Checkpoints Overview

1. Ping Connection (Lesson 3): Connect to a remote peer and send ping
2. Identify Protocol (Lesson 5): Extract peer information from a remote peer
3. Gossipsub Messaging (Lesson 6): Join a remote peer's chat room and send messages
4. Kademlia Discovery (Lesson 7): Use DHT to discover the multiaddr of a remote peer

Prerequisites

• Programming Knowledge: Familiarity with writing applications in your favorite programming language
• Networking Basics: Understanding of IP addresses, ports, and basic networking
• Development Environment: A working development setup for your favorite programming language

Workshop Format

This is an interactive workshop designed for classroom settings although you may complete these on your own as well. You'll work through exercises step-by-step, with:

• Clear Learning Objectives: Each lesson focuses on specific concepts and skills
• Hands-on Exercises: Practical coding challenges that build real functionality
• Progressive Hints: Multiple levels of help, from gentle nudges to complete solutions
• Competitive Elements: Timed checkpoints with prizes to maintain engagement
• Collaborative Learning: Opportunities to help peers and learn from each other

Final Application

By the end of this workshop, you'll have built a peer-to-peer networking application featuring:

• Multi-transport connectivity (TCP, QUIC)
• Peer identity management and swarm networking
• Bidirectional connectivity with ping protocol
• Peer information exchange with identify protocol
• Group communication with gossipsub pub/sub messaging
• Distributed peer discovery with Kademlia DHT

Get ready to dive deep into the world of peer-to-peer networking with libp2p!