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The Global Resilient Internet Datalink
A decentralized compute environmnet powered by zero-knowledge proofs and post-quantum cryptography.

Overview  ·  Run a ZODE  ·  Run a Relay  ·  Principles  ·  Protocol Spec

Overview

The GRID is a general-purpose distributed computing environment secured by zero-knowledge proofs and post-quantum cryptography.

It allows anyone to contribute unused compute capacity to a verifiable, decentralized execution layer for internet services. The network supports encrypted storage, decentralized identity, and AI workloads (including inference, agent sandboxing, and training), without requiring trust in operators.

The objective is to build a global, decentralized alternative to traditional hyperscaler cloud infrastructure that is faster, lower cost, cryptographically verifiable, and aligned with sovereignty, privacy, and long-term security.

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ZODE

The reference node implementation of The GRID:
a local node that receives, verifies, and serves data across a peer-to-peer network.

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What are the core concepts behind THE GRID?

1. Sectors: The fundamental unit of data on the network. Each Sector is encrypted client-side (Poseidon sponge + hybrid ChaCha20-Poly1305 envelope), propagated via GossipSub, and persisted locally in RocksDB. Plaintext never touches the wire.

2. Programs: Application-level namespaces that organize Sectors by purpose. Built-in programs include ZID (decentralized identity) and Interlink (encrypted messaging). Nodes subscribe to the programs they care about and data is propagated automatically.

3. Proofs: Zero-knowledge proofs that let nodes verify a Sector is correctly shaped and encrypted without ever seeing its contents. The first supported proof system is Groth16 over BN254, with the architecture designed to support additional proof systems as they mature.

ZODE is the first native reference implementation of THE GRID.

You can read the first official protocol spec here: https://github.com/cypher-asi/the-grid/blob/master/docs/grid-protocol.md

Two ZODE applications ship in this workspace:

• zode-bin — a standalone desktop GUI built with eframe / egui.
• zode-cli — a console TUI built with ratatui / crossterm.
• grid-relayd — a standalone public relay service for relay-first NAT connectivity.

Quick Start

Clone the zid repo first — it must sit next to the the-grid directory:

git clone https://github.com/cypher-asi/zid
git clone https://github.com/cypher-asi/the-grid && cd the-grid
cargo build

See Run a ZODE for full node setup and Run a Relay for relay hosting and operations.

Principles

1. Agency: Your key material is your account. Identity keys are generated on-device via Shamir secret sharing; shares never leave your machines. No server, no custodian.
2. Privacy: Data is encrypted client-side (Poseidon sponge + hybrid ChaCha20-Poly1305 envelope) before it touches the network. Zero-knowledge proofs let nodes verify sector validity without seeing plaintext.
3. Decentralization: Fully peer-to-peer over libp2p/QUIC. GossipSub propagation, request-response exchange, optional Kademlia DHT. No central server; any node can join or leave freely.
4. Post-Quantum: PQ-hybrid cryptography: Ed25519 + ML-DSA-65 signing, X25519 + ML-KEM-768 key agreement. Sector encryption uses ZK-friendly Poseidon over BN254.
5. Open Source: MIT-licensed Rust workspace. Every layer is auditable and reusable.

Architecture

Crate	Description
zid	PQ-hybrid key generation, HKDF derivation, Ed25519 + ML-DSA-65 signing, ML-KEM-768 encapsulation
grid-core	Shared types, canonical CBOR serialization, and protocol messages
grid-crypto	Client-side encryption: Poseidon sponge sector encryption and hybrid key wrapping
grid-storage	Storage abstraction over RocksDB: SectorStore trait, RocksStorage backend, sector stats
grid-proof	Pluggable Valid-Sector proof verification trait
grid-proof-groth16	Groth16 shape+encrypt circuit, prover, verifier, and trusted setup
grid-net	libp2p network abstraction: QUIC transport, GossipSub topics, request-response protocol, Kademlia DHT
grid-sdk	Client SDK: identity, encrypt, sign, upload, fetch
zode	Core node logic tying together storage, network, proof, and programs
grid-programs/zid	ZID (Zero Identity) program descriptor and messages
grid-programs/interlink	Interlink (chat) program descriptor and messages
grid-programs/zfs	ZFS file-system program (placeholder)
zode-bin	Standalone desktop GUI for the Zode
zode-cli	Console TUI for the Zode
grid-relayd	Public relay service for NAT-restricted peers

Project Structure

zfs/
  Cargo.toml              # workspace root
  crates/
    zid/                  # PQ-hybrid key generation and signing
    grid-core/            # shared types, CBOR, protocol messages
    grid-crypto/          # Poseidon encryption, hybrid key wrapping
    grid-storage/         # RocksDB storage backend
    grid-proof/           # proof verification trait
    grid-proof-groth16/   # Groth16 ZK circuit and prover
    grid-net/             # libp2p networking layer
    grid-sdk/             # client SDK
    zode/                 # core node logic
    zode-bin/             # desktop GUI (eframe/egui)
    zode-cli/             # console TUI (ratatui/crossterm)
    grid-relayd/          # standalone relay service
    grid-programs/
      zid/                # Zero Identity program
      interlink/          # chat program
      zfs/                # file-system program (placeholder)

License

MIT