Hypercore

Decentralized Data Protocol

Append-only, signed, sparsely-replicated log structure that forms the foundational data primitive of the Holepunch (formerly Hypercore Protocol / dat) ecosystem. Each Hypercore is a single-writer log identified by a public key, with cryptographic verification via Merkle trees enabling secure partial replication between peers. Designed for genuinely peer-to-peer operation with relays used only for hole-punching peer discovery; once peers find each other, all data flows directly between them.

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Details

License Open source — MIT (github.com/holepunchto/hypercore)
Dev Status 🟢 Active
Dev Status Detail Released / Mature (production-deployed in Beaker Browser, Pear runtime, Holepunch Keet app)
Owner Holepunch (formerly Hypercore Protocol / dat); core development by Mathias Buus and team; supported by Tether (commercial relationship since 2023 rebrand)
Owner - List
  • Holepunch
  • Tether Holdings
Governing Body Company-controlled (Holepunch; commercial relationship with Tether since the 2023 rebrand)
Governing Body - List
  • Holepunch
Country International (distributed team; Holepunch entity incorporated in connection with Tether)
Start Year 2013
Stack JavaScript / Node.js (primary reference implementation); also Rust bindings (hypercore-protocol-rs); WebAssembly builds for browser use; modular component architecture
Funding Tether Holdings (commercial backing since 2022–2023 rebrand to Holepunch); prior funding via dat project grants and various foundation support
Funding - List
  • Tether Holdings
Last Investigated Jul 1, 2026

Topology view

This tool in the centre and the things it is directly related to. Each line names the kind of relationship.

Topology view: HypercoreThis tool in the centre and the things it is directly related to. Each line names the kind of relationship.HypercoreAutobase (Basis for, Hosts, Storage for)AutobaseHyperbee (Basis for, Hosts, Storage for)HyperbeeHyperdrive (Basis for, Composes with, Storage for)HyperdriveHyperswarm (Basis for, Composes with)HyperswarmSwarm (Based on)SwarmSeed Hypermedia (Hosts)SeedHypermediaHolepunch (Developed by, Stewarded by)HolepunchTether Holdings (Developed by, Funded by)TetherHoldingsHolepunch Suite (Member of suite)HolepunchSuite
  • Autobase (Tool): Basis for, Hosts, Storage for
  • Hyperbee (Tool): Basis for, Hosts, Storage for
  • Hyperdrive (Tool): Basis for, Composes with, Storage for
  • Hyperswarm (Tool): Basis for, Composes with
  • Swarm (Tool): Based on
  • Seed Hypermedia (Tool): Hosts
  • Holepunch (Organization): Developed by, Stewarded by
  • Tether Holdings (Organization): Developed by, Funded by
  • Holepunch Suite (Suite): Member of suite

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Use Case Domains

Platform Evolution & Sovereignty

Affordances

Local-first storage Data portability

Decentralized Data Protocol Attributes

Owner - List
  • Holepunch
  • Tether Holdings
Origins Distributed data / Peer-to-peer file sharing (evolved from dat project for scientific dataset sharing; designed to enable verifiable partial replication without centralized servers)
Database Append-only log (each Hypercore is itself the data structure; persistence via underlying storage adapter — typically random-access-file on disk, random-access-memory in tests, or random-access-idb in browsers)
Query Language N/A (Hypercore is a log structure with sequence-number access; higher-level structures like Hyperbee provide query semantics)
Data Formats Arbitrary binary blocks (Hypercore stores opaque blocks; higher-level structures impose schemas); blocks indexed by sequence number; Merkle tree of block hashes for verification
Collaborative Live Editing Single-writer per Hypercore (collaborative editing requires Autobase or application-level CRDT layered on multiple Hypercores)
Rich Text Editing N/A (application-layer concern)
Mobile Support Yes (Holepunch ecosystem deploys to iOS and Android via Pear runtime; Keet messaging app published for both platforms)
Web Support Yes (browser builds via WebAssembly; historically deployed in Beaker Browser; WebRTC-based transport via Hyperswarm for browser peers)
Native Apps Yes (Keet messaging app for desktop, iOS, Android; Pear runtime for building native P2P applications)
Terms Open Source / Free — MIT License; ecosystem includes commercial Tether-funded development
Funding - List
  • Tether Holdings
Funds Tether investment amount not publicly disclosed; Holepunch operates as Tether-affiliated entity since 2022
Based On Merkle DAG concepts (cryptographic verification of partial replication); BitTorrent-style swarm replication; dat protocol predecessor (Hypercore is the successor specification)
Governing Body - List
  • Holepunch
P2P Architecture True P2P with hole-punching: peers connect directly after Hyperswarm DHT-based discovery; relays only used for NAT traversal hole-punching, not for data transit; no centralized infrastructure required for data movement
Overlay Network Hyperswarm (DHT-based peer discovery and connection management; built atop UDP with TCP fallback)
Content Addressing Public-key addressing per Hypercore (each Hypercore identified by Ed25519 public key); blocks within a Hypercore addressed by sequence number; integrity via Merkle tree of block hashes
Local-First Yes — Hypercores can be created, written to, and read entirely offline; peer replication is opportunistic; data persists locally regardless of network state
E2EE Transport encryption via Noise Protocol Framework (all peer-to-peer connections encrypted by default); content-layer encryption is application-level concern (Hypercore data is technically public to anyone who knows the public key)
CRDTs Lib Autobase (Holepunch's CRDT-like primitive for multi-writer scenarios built atop multiple Hypercores); external CRDT libraries can also be layered on top
Byzantine Fault Tolerance Single-writer model (no consensus required within a Hypercore; signatures prevent tampering); multi-writer via Autobase uses convergent eventual consistency rather than Byzantine consensus
Signature Ed25519 signatures (each block signed by the Hypercore's owning key; Merkle tree provides incremental verifiability for partial replication)
Permissions Public-key gated (whoever holds the Hypercore public key can read; whoever holds the secret key can write); no native ACL; access control layered at application level
Semantic Web Compatibility N/A — Hypercore is content-agnostic at the protocol level; semantic-web-compatible data can be stored as block payloads but is not a protocol concern
Smart Contract N/A (no smart contract capability)
Protocol Stack Position L3.2 Data & Semantic (data primitive); often composed with L3.1 (Hyperswarm) for transport
Asset / Value Embedding None — Hypercore is a content-addressed data protocol with no native token or economic incentive layer. Tether's commercial backing of Holepunch is organizational, not protocol-level
Protocol Maturity / Standardization Released / Production-deployed; not submitted to formal standards body; specification maintained at github.com/holepunchto; community-driven evolution

Relationships

How this tool connects to other tools and organizations, from relationships reviewed by the OpenHaven data steward. They describe how projects connect, not how good they are.

Based on
Developed by
  • Holepunch
  • Tether Holdings
Funded by
  • Tether Holdings
Member of suite
  • Holepunch Suite
Stewarded by
  • Holepunch
Composes with
Basis for
Hosts
Storage for