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FGov P2P Network

How to Use

P2PNetwork currently has three entrypoints in Network/cmd:

  • bootstrap - interactive bootstrap node
  • peer - interactive peer node
  • gui - Fyne desktop UI

Build the binaries

Section titled “Build the binaries”

From Network/:

Terminal window
go build -o bootstrap ./cmd/bootstrap
go build -o peer ./cmd/peer
go build -o gui ./cmd/gui

The repository also includes a Makefile:

Terminal window
make bootstrap
make peer

Bootstrap node flow

Section titled “Bootstrap node flow”

Start the bootstrap node:

Terminal window
./bootstrap

The program prompts for a node name, appends -bootstrap to it, starts on port 52837, prints the peer ID and multiaddrs, and writes the first multiaddr to a file called bs-nodes in the working directory.

Keep this terminal open. Every peer needs a bootstrap address to start discovering the network.

Peer node flow

Section titled “Peer node flow”

Start a second terminal in the same directory:

Terminal window
./peer

The peer node:

  • reads bs-nodes if it exists
  • prompts for a display name
  • connects to the bootstrap peers
  • starts discovery on fgov-network
  • keeps reconnecting to discovered peers when they are not already connected

Commands in the peer CLI

Section titled “Commands in the peer CLI”

The peer terminal accepts these commands:

connect <multiaddr>
peers
discovered
exit

Notes:

  • connect expects a full /ip4/.../tcp/.../p2p/... multiaddr
  • peers prints the currently connected peers and their names
  • discovered prints peers found by discovery
  • exit shuts the node down cleanly

The current CLI does not expose a disconnect command, even though the node package has a Disconnect method for programmatic use.

GUI flow

Section titled “GUI flow”

Run the desktop app:

Terminal window
./gui

The window title is FGov P2P Network. It lets you:

  • enter a node name
  • turn the node on and off
  • refresh the peer list
  • inspect the current running state

What the network does on startup

Section titled “What the network does on startup”
  1. The host is created with libp2p.
  2. The DHT starts in server mode.
  3. Bootstrap peers from bs-nodes are connected.
  4. The node prints Peer ID and Full addresses.
  5. Discovery starts after a short delay.
  6. Connected peers exchange names over the /fgov protocol.

Working with bs-nodes

Section titled “Working with bs-nodes”

The bootstrap node writes the first multiaddr it sees to bs-nodes.

That means:

  • running the peer from the same directory is enough for local testing
  • copying bs-nodes to another machine lets another peer join the same bootstrap node
  • if you move the binary elsewhere, copy the file too

Practical examples

Section titled “Practical examples”

Local test setup

Section titled “Local test setup”
Terminal window
./bootstrap
./peer
./peer

Because peer nodes listen on port 0, they pick an available port automatically. You can run several on one machine without adding a custom port flag.

Join from another machine

Section titled “Join from another machine”
  1. Start the bootstrap node on a reachable host.
  2. Use the printed multiaddr with the host’s real IP address.
  3. Give that multiaddr to peers on the same network or across the internet.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

The peer never finds anything

Section titled “The peer never finds anything”
  • Check that bs-nodes exists
  • Check that the bootstrap node is still running
  • Make sure the printed multiaddr uses an address the peer can actually reach

The GUI starts but shows no peers

Section titled “The GUI starts but shows no peers”
  • Make sure a bootstrap node is already running
  • Refresh after the peer has had time to discover others

The name output looks odd

Section titled “The name output looks odd”
  • The bootstrap node gets -bootstrap appended automatically
  • Names are exchanged directly between peers after a connection is established

Next pages

Section titled “Next pages”