README.md 8.1 KB
GNUnet is a new network protocol stack for building secure, distributed, and privacy-preserving applications.
How to Install GNUnet
1. From Source
Dependencies
Install these packages. Some of them may need to be installed from source depending on your OS.
- libmicrohttpd >= 0.9.42 (available from https://www.gnu.org/software/libmicrohttpd/)
- libgcrypt >= 1.6
- libgnurl >= 7.35.0 (recommended, available from https://gnunet.org/gnurl)
- libcurl >= 7.35.0 (alternative to libgnurl)
- libunistring >= 0.9.2
- gnutls >= 3.2.12 (highly recommended: a gnutls linked against libunbound)
- libidn >= 1.0
- libextractor >= 0.6.1 (highly recommended)
- openssl >= 1.0 (binary, used to generate X.509 certificate)
- libltdl >= 2.2 (part of GNU libtool)
- sqlite >= 3.8 (default database, required)
- mysql >= 5.1 (alternative to sqlite)
- postgres >= 9.5 (alternative to sqlite)
- Texinfo >= 5.2 [*1]
- which (for the bootstrap script)
- gettext
- zlib
- pkg-config
You can also install the dependencies with the GNU Guix package manager: by using the provided environment file:
guix package -l guix-env.scm
Using GNU Make
./bootstrap # Run this to generate the configure files.
./configure # See the various flags avalable to you.
make
make install
Using the GNU Guix package manager:
# To build, run tests, and install:
guix package -f guix-env.scm
# To skip the testing phase:
guix package -f guix-env.scm:notest
2. Docker
# From within the top-level of this repository run:
docker build -t gnunet -f ./contrib/docker/Dockerfile .
For more info on using the docker container see here.
Using GNUnet
There are many possible ways to use the subsystems of GNUnet, so we will provide a few examples in this section.
GNUnet is composed of over 30 modular subsystems
Start GNUnet Services
Before we can begin using most of the components we must start them.
gnunet-arm --start
Now we can open up another shell and try using some of the modules.
Cadet
Examples
Open a Cadet connection:
# Node 1
gnunet-cadet -o <shared secret>
Conect to peer:
# Node 2
gnunet-cadet <peer-id of Node 1> <shared secret>
Sharing Files
With the cli tool, you can also share files:
# Node 1
gnunet-cadet -o <shared secret> > filename
On the Node 2 we're going to send the file to Node 1, and to do this we need to make use of coprocesses. The syntax for using coprocesses varies per shell. In our example we are assuming Bash. More info for different shells can be found here
# Node 2
coproc gnunet-cadet <peer-id of Node 1> <shared secret>
cat <file> >&"${COPROC[1]}"
Now this enables us to do some fun things, such as streaming video by piping to a media player:
# Node 1
gnunet-cadet -o <shared secret> | vlc -
# Node 2
coproc gnunet-cadet <peer-id of Node 1> <shared secret>
cat <video-file> >&"${COPROC[1]}"
Filesharing
You can use GNUnet as a content-addressed storage, much like IPFS: sharing immutable files in a decentralized fashion with added privacy.
For instance, you can get a nice cat picture with
gnunet-download gnunet://fs/loc/CB0ZX5EM1ZNNRT7AX93RVHCN1H49242DWZ4AXBTCJBAG22Z33VHYMR61J71YJXTXHEC22TNE0PRWA6D5X7NFNY2J9BNMG0SFN5DKZ0G.R48JSE2T4Y3W2AMDHZYX2MMDJC4HR0BVTJYNWJT2DGK7EQXR35DT84H9ZRAK3QTCTHDBAE1S6W16P8PCKC4HGEEKNW2T42HXF9RS1J0.1906755.J5Z3BDEG2PW332001GGZ2SSKCCSV8WDM696HNARG49X9TMABC4DG.B6Y7BCJ6B5K40EXCXASX1HQAD8MBJ9WTFWPCE3F15Q3Q4Y2PB8BKVGCS5HA4FG4484858NB74PBEE5V1638MGG7NS40A82K7QKK3G0G.1577833200 --output cat.png
You can also give files to the network, like so:
$ echo "I love GNUnet" > ILoveGNUnet.txt
$ gnunet-publish ILoveGNUnet.txt
Publishing `/tmp/ILoveGNUnet.txt` done.
URI is `gnunet://fs/chk/SXA4RGZWDHE4PDWD2F4XG778J4SZY3E3SNDZ9AWFRZYYBV52W1T2WQNZCF1NYAT842800SSBQ8F247TG6MX7H4S1RWZZSC8ZXGQ4YPR.AZ3B5WR1XCWCWR6W30S2365KFY7A3R5AMF5SRN3Z11R72SMVQDX3F6GXQSZMWZGM5BSYVDQEJ93CR024QAAE65CKHM52GH8MZK1BM90.14`.
The URI you get is what you can use to retrieve the file with gnunet-download.
GNS
coming soon
VPN
"Half-hidden" services
You can tunnel IP traffic through GNUnet allowing you to offer web, rsh, messaging or other servers without revealing your IP address.
This is similar to Tor's Hidden (aka Onion) services, but currently does not provide as much privacy as onion routing isn't yet implemented; on the other hand, you can tunnel UDP, unlike Tor.
Configuring server
First, set up access from GNUnet to IP with exit:
gnunet.conf:
[exit]
FORCESTART = YES
EXIT_IPV4 = YES
EXIT_RANGE_IPV4_POLICY = 169.254.86.1;
Exit, by the way can also be used as a general-purpose IP proxy i.e. exit relay but here we restrict IPs to be accessed to those we'll be serving stuff on only.
Then, start up a server to be shared. For the sake of example,
python3 -m http.server 8080
Now to configure the actual "half-hidden service". The config syntax is as follows:
[<shared secret>.gnunet.]
TCP_REDIRECTS = <exposed port>:<local IP>:<local port>
...which for our example would be
[myhttptest.gnunet.]
TCP_REDIRECTS = 80:169.254.86.1:8080
Local IP can be anything (if allowed by other configuration) but a localhost address (in other words, you can't bind a hidden service to the loopback interface and say 127.0.0.1 in TCP_REDIRECTS). The packets will appear as coming from the exit TUN interface to whatever address is configured in TCP_REDIRECTS (unlike SSH local forwarding, where the packets appear as coming from the loopback interface) and so they will not be forwarded to 127.0.0.1.
You can share access to this service with a peer id, shared secret and IP port numbler: here gnunet-peerinfo -s, myhttptest and 80 respectively.
Connecting
gnunet-vpn gives you ephemeral IPs to connect to if you tell it a peer id and a shared secret, like so:
$ gnunet-vpn -p N7R25J8ADR553EPW0NFWNCXK9V80RVCP69QJ47XMT82VKAR7Y300 -t -s myhttptest
10.11.139.20
# And just connect to the given IP
$ wget 10.11.139.20
Connecting to 10.11.139.20:80... connected.
(You can try it out with your browser too.)
Running a Hostlist Server
coming soon
GNUnet Configuration
Examples
[transport]
OPTIONS = -L DEBUG
PLUGINS = tcp
#PLUGINS = udp
[transport-tcp]
OPTIONS = -L DEBUG
BINDTO = 192.168.0.2
TODO: explain what this does and add more
Philosophy
GNUnet is made for an open society: It's a self-organizing network and it's (free software)[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html] as in freedom. GNUnet puts you in control of your data. You determine which data to share with whom, and you're not pressured to accept compromises.
Related Projects
