Gather's nodes are peers: there is no central database and no account server. Every node is a full node that relays messages and temporarily stores offline ciphertext for the network.
Three keys. Two must agree before the door will open.
Every node has all capabilities. Whether it acts as a server in the DHT is decided automatically by whether it can be reached from outside: if reachable it takes the role, and if not it acts only as a client so it does not slow down other people's queries.
A node must hold a certificate issued by an approved operator to join the network, and every node verifies its peers locally. An admission certificate is valid for no more than 90 days, and is enforced in production.
The app ships with several signed entry points and checks the node's identity when it connects; when the current node is unavailable it switches to the next one automatically.
G-Box is Gather’s node hardware: a small RK3588-based box. With the node software installed it is a full node, with the same capabilities as a server in the data center, and it can sit in a data center, an office or a home. Like every other node, it needs an operator certificate to join the network.
Node versions are constrained by the release manifest: it is valid only with signatures from any 2 of the 3 release keys, and carries rollback protection and an expiry time; nodes never download updates on their own. Nodes can run on the following hardware:
Production nodes are being deployed here. Footage from the facility’s opening, with the sound removed.
