prayer0 / biitstrap

Proof of concept for bootstrapping ip-to-ip communications via on-chain handshaking where peers don't know each other's connection details.

Biitstrap

This is a submission for Bitcoin Association Hackathon.

Biitstrap is a technique for bootstrapping a communication channel via a blockchain which is explained here: https://github.com/prayer0/biitstrap/blob/master/doc/README.md. It's useful for every scenario where peers don't know each other's connection details.

Biitstrap Messenger is a little PoC messenger that employs this technique. Peers exchanges their public keys by broadcasting their connection details to the blockchain encryptedly to find each other's location. Then they start communicating off-chain.

This is a PoC for demonstraing the technique which may be useful and applicable for many areas such as EE2E messaging, SSH, IoT, remote control, IP-transactions, metanet-internet interactions etc.

Devices can communicate with each other by using only public keys thanks to this technique.

Video Preview: https://youtu.be/Ygv1BCiWdGA

Important note: This is incomplete version. For better understanding and instructions, please refer this bugfixed version (https://github.com/prayer0/biitstrap-messenger) which has been slightly changed after the hackathon.

Requirements

• Requirements: PHP, Composer, MySQL
• Open Ports: 80, 8080

Setup

You need to install the application to 2 separate machines. Then, we'll try to let machines find each other even though they don't know each others ip address.

Clone repository:

git clone https://github.com/prayer0/biitstrap.git

Install dependencies:

cd /path_to_project
composer install

Edit DB config:

cd /path_to_project
sudo nano .env 

Initial settings:

cd /path_to_project
php biitstrap setup

It's a webpage so you need to run a HTTP server. You can use your favorite one or use the built-in server:

cd /path_to_project
php bin/console server:run <ip>:80

Run WebSocket server for live communication:

cd /path_to_project
php biitstrap server

Usage

1. Visit first machine's ip with your browser.
2. Visit second machine's ip with another browser.
3. Copy second machine's public key.
4. On first machine's webpage, paste it and invite him to off-chain communication.
5. On second machine's webpage, there should be and invite alert, confirm it.
6. After this point, two machines should be able to communicate through websockets if port configurations are ok.

Notes

• Sorry for shitcoding.
• Some features like challenge signatures that is defined in the technical draft are avoided for gaining speed for this implementation.
• App doesn't work if funding wallet goes out of balance. It can be found in config/services.yaml and can be refunded.
• Port 80 and 8080 should be accessible.
• Machines find each other but I couldn't find time to test off-chain messaging on live server. And it may not work on local machine properly (see https://github.com/prayer0/biitstrap-messenger for working one).
• Please use two different (non-local) machines.
• Wait all js files (there are too many) to be loaded before interaction.