Skip to content

Networking and TLS

Jump to bottom
Dr edited this page Oct 23, 2026 · 1 revision

Networking and TLS 1.3

One of the most unique features of LimonOS is that it has a fully functional network stack and cryptographic library implemented entirely from scratch, operating directly in Ring 0.

Custom Network Stack

The kernel includes a custom network stack written specifically for the Intel e1000 network interface card.

Protocol Stack

The implementation covers the full path from the hardware up to the application layer:

  1. Ethernet: Base layer for local network communication.
  2. ARP: Address Resolution Protocol for mapping IP addresses to MAC addresses.
  3. IP & ICMP: Internet Protocol routing and Ping support.
  4. UDP & TCP: Transport layer protocols for data transfer.
  5. DHCP: Automatic IP address configuration.
  6. DNS: Domain Name System for resolving hostnames.

Hand-Written TLS 1.3

On top of the TCP stack, LimonOS implements its own TLS 1.3 protocol. There are no external dependencies like OpenSSL or MbedTLS; every line of cryptographic code is written from scratch.

Cryptographic Primitives

The custom crypto library includes:

  • Hashing and Integrity: SHA-256, HMAC, and HKDF.
  • Symmetric Encryption: AES-GCM.
  • Key Exchange: X25519.

Real-World Application

Thanks to this implementation, LimonOS can make secure HTTPS requests to the global internet.

Currently, the system uses this capability to run an AI terminal. The terminal communicates with AI models over the network (via the OpenRouter API) and displays the responses directly on the screen, proving the stability and functionality of the TLS stack.

Clone this wiki locally