[Libp2p](https://libp2p.io) is a networking library created by [Protocol Labs](https://protocol.ai) that allows nodes to discover each other using a Distributed Hash Table. Paired with [NAT hole punching](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hole_punching_(networking)) this allows Hyprspace to create a direct encrypted tunnel between two nodes even if they're both behind firewalls.
**Moreover! Each node doesn't even need to know the other's ip address prior to starting up the connection.** This makes Hyprspace perfect for devices that frequently migrate between locations but still require a constant virtual ip address.
### So How Does Hyprspace Compare to Something Like Wireguard?
[WireGuard](https://wireguard.com) is an amazing VPN written by Jason A. Donenfeld. If you haven't already, definitely go check it out! WireGuard actually inspired me to write Hyprspace. That said, although WireGuard is in a class of its own as a great VPN, it requires at least one of your nodes to have a public IP address. In this mode, as long as one of your nodes is publicly accessible, it can be used as a central relay to reach the other nodes in the network. However, this means that all of the traffic for your entire system is going through that one system which can slow down your network and make it fragile in the case that node goes down and you lose the whole network. So instead say that you want each node to be able to directly connect to each other as they do in Hyprspace. Unfortunately through WireGuard this would require every node to be publicly addressable which means manual port forwarding and no travelling nodes.
By contrast Hyprspace allows all of your nodes to connect directly to each other creating a strong reliable network even if they're all behind their own NATs/firewalls. No manual port forwarding required!
## Use Cases:
##### A Digital Nomad
I use this system when travelling, if I'm staying in a rental or hotel and want to try something out on a Raspberry Pi I can plug the Pi into the location's router or ethernet port and then just ssh into the system using the same-old internal Hyprspace ip address without having to worry about their NAT or local firewall. Furthermore, if I'm connected to the Virtual Hyprspace Network I can ssh into my machines at home without requiring me to set up any sort of port forwarding.
##### A Privacy Advocate
Honestly, I even use this system when I'm at home and could connect directly to my local infrastructure. Using Hyprspace however, I don't have to trust the security of my local network and Hyprspace will intelligently connect to my machines using their local ip addresses for maximum speed.
If anyone else has some use cases please add them! Pull requests welcome!
| :exclamation: | Hyprspace is still a very new project. Although we've tested the code locally for security, it hasn't been audited by a third party yet. We probably wouldn't trust it yet in high security environments. |
| `--config` | `-c` | Specify the path to a hyprspace config for an interface. |
## Tutorial
### Initializing an Interface
The first thing we'll want to do once we've got Hyprspace installed is
initialize the configuration for an interface. In this case we'll call the
interface on our local machine `hs0` (for hypr-space 0) and `hs1` on our remote server
but yours could be anything you'd like.
(Note: if you're using a Mac you'll have to use the interface name `utun[0-9]`. Check which interfaces are already in use by running `ip a` once you've got `iproute2mac` installed.)
(Note: if you're using Windows you'll have to use the interface name as seen in Control Panel. IP address will be set automatically only if you run Hyprspace as Administrator.)
###### Local Machine
```bash
sudo hyprspace init hs0
```
###### Remote Machine
```bash
sudo hyprspace init hs1
```
### Add Each Machine As A Peer Of The Other
Now that we've got a set of configurations we'll want to
tell the machines about each other. By default Hyprspace will
put the interface configurations in `/etc/hyprspace/interface-name.yaml`.
So for our example we'll run
###### Local Machine
```bash
sudo nano /etc/hyprspace/hs0.yaml
```
and
###### Remote Machine
```bash
sudo nano /etc/hyprspace/hs1.yaml
```
### Update Peer Configs
Now in each config we'll add the other machine's ID as a peer.
You can find each machine's ID at the top of their configuration file.
Update,
```yaml
peers: {}
```
to
```yaml
peers:
10.1.1.2:
id: YOUR-OTHER-PEER-ID
```
Notice here we'll have to pick one of our machines to be `10.1.1.1`
and the other to be `10.1.1.2`. Make sure to update the interface's IP
address for the machine who needs to change to be `10.1.1.2`.
### Starting Up the Interfaces!
Now that we've got our configs all sorted we can start up the two interfaces!
###### Local Machine
```bash
sudo hyprspace up hs0
```
and
###### Remote Machine
```bash
sudo hyprspace up hs1
```
After a few seconds you should see a the network finish setting up
and find your other machine. We can now test the connection by
pinging back and forth across the network.
###### Local Machine
```bash
ping 10.1.1.2
```
### Stopping the Interface and Cleaning Up
Now to stop the interface and clean up the system you can run,
###### Local Machine
```bash
sudo hyprspace down hs0
```
and,
###### Remote Machine
```bash
sudo hyprspace down hs1
```
## Disclaimer & Copyright
WireGuard is a registered trademark of Jason A. Donenfeld.
