ObliFS: Typed Actor Coordination Over Storage

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Overview

ObliFS is a typed actor coordination layer over storage. It provides capability-based access control, consent-based channels, and emergent system behaviours—all derived from the Oblíbený programming language’s phase-separated type system.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Application (uses ObliFS API)          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ObliFS (typed actors, message-passing) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Adapter Layer                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ext4 / ZFS / S3 / any storage backend  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Properties

• Typed Actors: Every stored entity has a type defining what it can and cannot do

• Turing-Incomplete by Construction: Safety from bounded behaviour, not runtime checks

• Consent-Based Channels: Both parties must agree before communication

• Capability Security: Access requires presenting unforgeable tokens

• Reversible Operations: All state changes define their inverse

• Audit by Construction: Operations are typed and logged by definition

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Nix with flakes enabled

• Just command runner

Development Environment

# Enter development shell
nix develop

# Run all checks
just check

# Build the project
just build

Documentation

• Technical Summary — One-page architecture overview

• Type Specification — Formal entity type definitions

• Architecture — Visual diagrams and layer model

• Elevator Pitches — Framing for different audiences

• FAQ & Objections — Anticipated pushback with responses

• Glossary — Metaphor to technical term mapping

• Comparison — How ObliFS relates to existing systems

Entity Types

Type	Purpose	Key Constraint
Manifest	Immutable specification	Cannot execute or mutate
Actor	Active entity with state	Bounded loops, no syscalls
Channel	Message conduit	Stateless, forward only
Router	Message routing	Cannot read content
Workflow	Operation composition	Must use channels
Archive	Historical preservation	Append-only

Project Structure

obli-fs/
├── grammar/                 # Oblíbený language grammar
├── spec/                    # Formal specifications
├── outreach/                # Communication materials
├── src/                     # Implementation
│   ├── core/               # Core types (ReScript)
│   ├── runtime/            # Coordination runtime (Deno)
│   └── wasm/               # WASM modules
├── .well-known/             # Web discovery files
├── flake.nix               # Nix development environment
└── justfile                # Task automation

Technology Stack

• ReScript — Type-safe language compiling to efficient JavaScript

• Deno — Secure runtime with TypeScript support

• WebAssembly — Performance-critical modules

• Nix — Reproducible development environments

• Podman — Rootless container runtime

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.adoc for guidelines.

This project follows the Code of Conduct.

License

Dual-licensed under:

• Palimpsest-MPL-1.0 License — Permissive use with attribution

• Palimpsest License v0.8 — Ethical AI restrictions

See LICENSE.txt for full terms.

Status

Pre-alpha — Specification phase. No implementation yet.

See CHANGELOG.adoc for version history.