Roselite - P2P Static Site Hosting via Veilid DHT

Deploy static content like JAMStack sites to the Veilid DHT with instant web access through gateway servers. Zero censorship, zero single points of failure - your content lives forever in the decentralized network.

🚀 Features

• 📦 Simple Packaging: Bundle static sites into .veilidpkg format
• 🌐 Instant Deployment: Publish to Veilid DHT with one command
• 🌍 Gateway Server: Full HTTP server for web browser access via subdomains
• 🔗 Universal Access: Automatic gateway URLs with SSL termination
• 🔐 Decentralized: Content stored in Veilid DHT, served through gateways
• 🚫 Zero Censorship: No central authority can remove your content
• 🌍 Unstoppable: Multiple gateway redundancy prevents takedowns
• 🎯 Developer Friendly: Four commands: bundle, publish, gateway, access

🏗️ How It Works

Static Site → Bundle → Veilid DHT → Gateway Server → Web Browser
(HTML/CSS/JS) (.veilidpkg) (Distributed) (subdomain.domain.com) (HTTPS)
                            ↑
                    CENSORSHIP-RESISTANT
                    No single point of control

1. Bundle your static site files into a package
2. Publish the package to Veilid's distributed hash table
3. Gateway serves content via subdomain routing (e.g., my-site.localhost:8080)
4. Share the gateway URL - fully accessible in any web browser
5. Survive - Content remains accessible even if gateways are blocked

🛠️ Installation & Usage

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.70+ (install via rustup.rs)
• Static Website (HTML/CSS/JS files ready to deploy)

Quick Start

# 1. Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/jdbohrman/roselite
cd roselite
cargo build --release

# 2. Bundle your static site
./target/release/roselite-cli bundle ./my-website

# 3. Publish to Veilid DHT
./target/release/roselite-cli publish my-website.veilidpkg

# 4. Run gateway server
./target/release/roselite-gateway --domain mydomain.com --port 8080

# 5. Access via browser
# http://localhost:8080 (with Host: your-site-key.mydomain.com)

Detailed Commands

Bundle Static Sites

# Bundle a directory into .veilidpkg
roselite-cli bundle ./dist

# Specify custom output name
roselite-cli bundle ./dist --output my-site.veilidpkg

Publish to DHT

# Publish package to Veilid network
roselite-cli publish my-site.veilidpkg

# Returns: VLD0:ABCDEFxxxxxx (your DHT key)

Run Gateway Server

# Basic gateway
roselite-gateway --domain example.com --port 8080

# With custom cache directory
roselite-gateway --domain example.com --port 8080 --cache ./custom-cache

# Production mode with SSL proxy (coming soon)
roselite-gateway --domain example.com --proxy --ssl

DNS Configuration

For public access, configure DNS records:

# TXT record for DHT resolution
your-site.example.com TXT "veilid-app=VLD0:YOUR_DHT_KEY_HERE"

# A record pointing to your gateway server
your-site.example.com A 123.456.789.10

🏛️ Architecture

Veilid DHT Storage

• Content stored as compressed tar archives in Veilid DHT
• Cryptographically signed and immutable once published
• Distributed across multiple nodes for redundancy
• No central server can delete or modify content

Multi-Record Content Handling

For large websites exceeding DHT record size limits, Roselite automatically splits content across multiple records:

Chunking Strategy

• Automatic Splitting: Large packages split into sequential chunks (0, 1, 2, ...)
• Optimal Size: Each chunk targets ~30KB to stay under DHT limits
• Compression: Content is gzip-compressed before chunking for efficiency

Lookup Record Structure

The main DHT key contains a lookup record with complete package metadata:

{
  "manifest": { /* Package manifest */ },
  "chunk_count": 5,
  "total_size": 150000,
  "chunk_keys": [
    "VLD0:ABC123...000",  // Chunk 0
    "VLD0:ABC123...001",  // Chunk 1
    "VLD0:ABC123...002",  // Chunk 2
    "VLD0:ABC123...003",  // Chunk 3
    "VLD0:ABC123...004"   // Chunk 4
  ]
}

Gateway Assembly Process

1. Resolve DNS: your-site.domain.com → VLD0:MainKey
2. Fetch Lookup: Download lookup record from main DHT key
3. Parallel Download: Fetch all chunks simultaneously for speed
4. Reassemble: Concatenate chunks in correct order
5. Decompress: Extract tar.gz to serve individual files
6. Cache: Store assembled content locally for subsequent requests

Benefits

• Parallel Loading: Multiple chunks download simultaneously
• Efficient Updates: Only changed chunks need republishing
• DHT Compliance: Each record stays within Veilid's size constraints

Gateway Servers

• Local Development: Run roselite-gateway on localhost
• Self-Hosted: Deploy on your VPS/cloud instance
• Public Gateways: Universal access points (coming soon)

DNS Integration

• TXT Records: Map domains to DHT keys
• Subdomain Routing: site-key.gateway-domain.com
• SSL Support: Automatic HTTPS via Let's Encrypt (planned)

🌍 Universal Gateway Network (Coming Soon)

We're launching a network of public gateway servers for universal access:

Planned Features

• Public Gateway Nodes: Multiple geographic locations
• Automatic HTTPS: SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt
• CDN Integration: Edge caching for faster content delivery
• Custom Domains: Point your domain to any gateway
• Load Balancing: Automatic failover between gateways
• Zero Configuration: Publish once, access anywhere

Gateway Locations (Planned)

• 🇺🇸 US East (Virginia)
• 🇺🇸 US West (California)
• 🇪🇺 EU (Frankfurt)
• 🇦🇺 Asia-Pacific (Singapore)

Usage

# Publish once
roselite-cli publish my-site.veilidpkg --gateway-url http://localhost:8080
# → Returns: VLD0:ABCDEFxxxxxx

# Access from anywhere
https://VLD0-ABCDEFxxxxxx.roselite.network
https://VLD0-ABCDEFxxxxxx.gateway.veilid.com

🔧 Development

Project Structure

roselite/
├── roselite-cli/     # Command-line bundling & publishing tools
├── roselite-gateway/ # HTTP gateway server
├── roselite-core/    # Shared Veilid integration logic
└── examples/         # Example sites and configurations

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/jdbohrman/roselite
cd roselite
cargo build --release

Running Tests

cargo test --all

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Veilid network not ready"

• Wait 30-60 seconds for initial DHT connection
• Check internet connectivity
• Ensure no firewall blocking UDP traffic

"File not found" on gateway

• Verify DNS TXT record is correct
• Check DHT key format: VLD0:...
• Clear gateway cache: rm -rf .cache/

Gateway not starting

• Check port availability: netstat -an | grep :8080
• Verify domain ownership for SSL mode
• Review logs for Veilid connection errors

📝 License

Apache 2.0 License - see LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

💖 Sponsor This Project

Roselite is developed by @jdbohrman with the goal of creating truly decentralized, censorship-resistant web hosting. If this project helps you deploy uncensorable websites, consider supporting development:

☕ Support on coff.ee/jdbohrman.tech

Goals & Vision

• 🌐 Universal Gateway Network: Public gateways worldwide for instant access
• 🔒 Enhanced Security: E2E encryption and content verification
• 🚀 Developer Tools: CLI improvements, web dashboard, API integrations
• 📱 Mobile Apps: Native iOS/Android apps for publishing and browsing
• 🌍 Community: Growing the ecosystem of decentralized web hosting

Your support helps maintain public gateways, develop new features, and keep the internet free and open for everyone.

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Built with ❤️ for a decentralized web