reddent

Reddent is a distributed data exchange protocol and open standard intended to enable low-latency event notification and resource discovery across heterogeneous networks. It aims to allow diverse clients to publish events and subscribe to feeds without centralized brokers while providing robust security and access control.

Etymology and scope: The name reddent suggests rapid response and resilient connectivity. The specification covers core messaging, discovery, and policy mechanisms, and remains implementation-agnostic.

Architecture: Reddent uses a peer-to-peer topology with a distributed hash table for discovery. Messages are addressed by content identifiers and transmitted as signed JSON envelopes over TLS. Optional end-to-end encryption and ACLs support privacy and access control.

Key features include a publish-subscribe model, offline caching, deduplication, and versioned events. The protocol supports event replay within retention windows and includes key management, revocation, rate limiting, and abuse prevention mechanisms.

History and adoption: The project began in 2021 with an open draft and released reference implementations in 2022–23. Some research institutions and IoT deployments have piloted reddent, while governance is maintained by an international standards community.

Variants and ecosystem: A Core profile serves general use, with Lite and Enterprise profiles adding resource constraints and advanced policy, auditing, and monitoring. Interoperability layers and bridges facilitate integration with existing messaging standards.

Reception and challenges: Reddent offers reduced reliance on centralized brokers but faces complexity, churn, and interoperability overhead. Ongoing work emphasizes security reviews, formal verification, and deployment guidance.