netletic

Netletic is a decentralized software framework and protocol designed to enable mesh-based communication for Internet of Things devices and edge services. It emphasizes low latency, security, and resilience by reducing reliance on centralized intermediaries.

Origins and development: Netletic began as an open-source initiative in the late 2010s led by a collaboration of researchers and engineers. The first production release appeared in 2020, with subsequent versions adding routing optimizations, NAT traversal, and encryption enhancements. A community foundation provides governance and funding.

Architecture and operation: The system comprises a peer-to-peer overlay, a routing protocol, and a modular transport stack. It supports multiple backends such as WebRTC, UDP, and TCP, and uses a publish-subscribe model for service discovery. The framework includes a lightweight cryptography library and policy engine for access control and auditing.

Features and use: Netletic enables device-to-device meshing, automatic peer discovery, end-to-end encryption, offline messaging, and gateway interoperability with existing networks. It is intended for industrial automation, smart homes, and remote sensing projects, with pilots in several sectors.

Reception and status: Critics have praised its scalability and privacy protections while noting complexity and a fragmented ecosystem. The governing body, the Netletic Foundation, coordinates releases and certification programs, while adoptions vary by region and application.

See also: peer-to-peer networks, mesh networking, Internet of Things, edge computing.