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https://github.com/cloudhead/nakamoto

Privacy-preserving Bitcoin light-client implementation in Rust
https://github.com/cloudhead/nakamoto

bitcoin blockchain client light-client

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Privacy-preserving Bitcoin light-client implementation in Rust

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README 

        
nakamoto

========



Nakamoto is a privacy-preserving Bitcoin light-client implementation in Rust,

with a focus on low resource utilization, modularity and security.



The vision for the project is to build a set of libraries targeting light

client functionality, that are easy to embed in any program and on any

platform, be it mobile or desktop. The project's small cpu, memory and code

footprint is made possible by its efficient runtime and minimal set of

dependencies. The implementation language, Rust, opens up the possibility for

programs written in other languages (eg. Swift, Python, Java), to bind directly

to it via a foreign function interface (FFI).



---



    [dependencies]

    nakamoto = "0.4.0"



## Design



Nakamoto is split into several crates, each handling a different aspect of the

light-client protocol. Although these crates are designed to be used in tandem,

swapping implementations is trivial, due to the explicit boundaries between

them, and the use of traits. From a high-level, we have:



* `nakamoto-client`: the core light-client library

* `nakamoto-p2p`: the protocol state-machine implementation

* `nakamoto-chain`: the block store and fork selection logic

* `nakamoto-net`: networking primitives used by the reactor implementations

* `nakamoto-net-poll`: the default *poll*-based networking backend

* `nakamoto-common`: common functionality used by all crates

* `nakamoto-node`: a standalone light-client daemon

* `nakamoto-wallet`: a very basic watch-only wallet built on the above crates



For an overview of the above, see the [architecture diagram](docs/architecture.svg)

in the `docs` folder.



## Status



While the project is still in its infancy, the base functionality has been

implemented. Nakamoto is able to discover peers, download and verify the

longest chain and handle forks, while implementing the full header verification

protocol.



Client side block filtering (BIP 157/158) is implemented and working. See

`nakamoto-wallet` for an example of how to use it.



Peer-to-peer layer encryption (BIP 324), available in Bitcoin Core since v26.0,

will also be implemented in Nakamoto soon.



Finally, a C FFI will be implemented, to make it easy to embed the client

in mobile applications.



Though wallet functionality will slowly be added, it isn't the primary focus

of this project, which sits one level below wallets.



## Projects goals



* __High assurance__: the library should be thoroughly tested using modern

  techniques such as *property* and *model-based testing* as well as *discrete

  event simulation* and *fuzzing*. These approaches benefit from a clean

  separation between I/O and protocol logic and have been shown to catch more

  bugs than unit testing.



* __Security__: as a library that may find its way into wallet implementations,

  a primary goal is security and auditability. For this reason, we try to

  minimize the total dependency footprint, keep the code easy to read and

  forbid any unsafe code.



* __Efficiency__: blockchain synchronization should be done as efficiently as

  possible, with low memory, disk and bandwidth overhead. We target

  resource-constrained environments, such as mobile.



* __Privacy__: when possible, privacy-preserving techniques should be employed.

  *Client Side Block Filtering* (BIP 157/158) should be used over bloom

  filters (BIP 37) to ensure user privacy and provide censorship resistance.



## Running the tests



    cargo test --all



## Running the daemon



    cargo run --release -p nakamoto-node -- --testnet



## Contributing



If you'd like to contribute to the development of Nakamoto, please get in touch!

Otherwise, do read the contribution [guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md).



## Donations



To help fund the project and ensure its ongoing development and maintenance, your

support in Bitcoin is appreciated at the following address:



    bc1qa47tl4vmz8j82wdsdkmxex30r23c9ljs84fxah



## Motivation



Looking at ecosystems that aren't light-client friendly—Ethereum for example—we

see that the vast majority of users are forced into trusting third parties when

transacting on the network.  This is completely counter to the idea and *raison

d'être* of blockchains, and poses a giant security and privacy risk.

Unfortunately, this is due to the lackluster support for light-clients, both at

the protocol level, and in terms of the available implementations. Light-clients

are necessary for the average user to be able to securely interface with a

network like Ethereum or Bitcoin.



For this purpose, Nakamoto was conceived as a client that can efficiently run

on any mobile device, with the highest standards of privacy and security

achievable given the constraints.



## License



Licensed under the MIT license.

© 2020 Alexis Sellier ()