What are DHT & Bootstrap Nodes in CPUNK?
In the CPUNK protocol, DHT & bootstrap nodes form a
distributed index and rendezvous layer for
DNA-Messenger and DNA identity. Instead of depending on a single
central server, peers use the distributed hash table to:
- Discover other peers and their current reachable endpoints
- Locate outgoing message mailboxes stored in the network
- Resolve DNA identities to public keys and routing hints
Bootstrap nodes act as entry points to this
DHT network. A new client only needs a small list of bootstrap
nodes to join the distributed overlay and start participating.
How they support DNA-Messenger
DNA-Messenger is designed so that messages do not depend
on any single server.
All messages are E2E encrypted (Kyber1024 + AES-256-GCM).
Real-time messaging (both online)
When both users are online, messages are instantaneous.
Each user listens to their contacts' DHT keys, so E2E encrypted messages arrive
immediately via direct TCP connection.
Offline delivery (recipient offline)
-
The ciphertext is written into distributed mailboxes
in the DHT layer.
-
Mailboxes are replicated across the 8 closest DHT nodes.
-
When the recipient comes online, their client queries the DHT
and pulls pending messages.
No central servers – messages are delivered even when
the sender has already gone offline.
Operating a Bootstrap Node
Running a bootstrap node is primarily about providing
reliable uptime and bandwidth for the network.
The software will be packaged so that operators can:
- Deploy on Linux (bare metal or VPS)
- Use systemd service files for long-running daemons
- Expose only the required TCP ports for discovery
- Monitor resource usage and peer connectivity
The node does not need to see message contents. It stores and
forwards encrypted blobs and key-value metadata used for routing
and identity resolution.
High-level requirements
- Stable network connection with public reachability
- Consistent disk availability for DHT storage
- Basic Linux administration familiarity