Freenet Network Topology

Small-World Network

Freenet operates as a decentralized peer-to-peer network based on the principles of a small-world network. This network topology allows Freenet to be resilient against denial-of-service attacks, automatically scale to accommodate demand, and provide observable data stores. Users can subscribe to specific keys to receive notifications of updates as they occur.

Understanding Freenet Peers

A Freenet peer refers to a computer that runs the Freenet kernel software and participates in the network. The organization of peers follows a ring structure, where each position on the ring represents a numerical value ranging from 0.0 to 1.0. This value signifies the peer's location within the network.

Establishing Neighbor Connections

Each Freenet peer, or kernel, establishes bi-directional connections with a group of other peers known as its "neighbors." These connections rely on the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and may involve techniques to traverse firewalls when required.

To optimize resource utilization, peers monitor the resources they use while responding to neighbor requests, including bandwidth, memory, CPU usage, and storage. Peers also track the services offered by their neighbors, measured by the number of requests directed to those neighbors.

To ensure network efficiency, a peer may sever its connection with a neighbor that consumes excessive resources relative to the number of requests it receives.

Implementing Adaptive Routing for Efficient Data Retrieval

When a peer intends to read, create, or modify a contract, it sends a request to the peers hosting the contract. The request is directed to the neighbor most likely to retrieve the contract quickly. Ideally, this neighbor is the one closest to the contract's location, a concept known as "greedy routing." However, other factors, such as connection speed, may influence the selection.

Freenet addresses this challenge by monitoring the past performance of peers and selecting the one most likely to respond quickly and successfully. This selection considers both past performance and proximity to the desired contract. The process, known as adaptive routing, employs an algorithm called isotonic regression.