Veilid

P2P Platform

Open-source peer-to-peer application framework providing developers with a Rust core library and Flutter bindings for building privacy-preserving, end-to-end encrypted apps. Borrows architecturally from Tor (onion routing for anonymity) and IPFS (DHT-based content addressing), offering a mobile-first runtime in which every copy of a Veilid-using app acts as a network node identified only by a 256-bit public key. No special nodes, no single point of failure. Cryptography (the VLD0 suite) uses XChaCha20-Poly1305, Ed25519/X25519, BLAKE3, and Argon2; designed to be upgradable as cryptographic standards evolve. Flagship application: VeilidChat

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Details

License Open source (GitLab: veilid/veilid); Mozilla Public License 2.0
Dev Status 🟢 Active
Dev Status Detail Released — production framework; active development; multiple downstream apps (VeilidChat, vproxy, Stigmerge, vnewb)
Owner Cult of the Dead Cow (cDc) — long-running US hacktivist collective. Released by Christien "DilDog" Rioux and Katelyn "medus4" Bowden at DEF CON 31
Governing Body None (Cult of the Dead Cow hacktivist collective; no formal governing body or legal entity)
Country USA (project; cDc collective)
Start Year 2023
Stack Rust (core); Flutter/Dart (UI bindings and VeilidChat); Python bindings; WebAssembly for in-browser nodes
Funding Volunteer / cDc-supported; donations
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: VeilidThis tool in the centre and the things it is directly related to. Each line names the kind of relationship.VeilidIPFS (Inspired by, Stores in)IPFS
  • IPFS (Tool): Inspired by, Stores in

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Use Case Domains

Platform Evolution & Sovereignty

Affordances

End-to-end encrypted Data portability

P2P Platform Attributes

Origins Cult of the Dead Cow (cDc) — three-year development effort prior to 2023 release
Database Built-in shared decentralized storage layer (DHT-based, IPFS-inspired content storage) — applications using Veilid get a P2P-storage substrate without bringing their own database
Query Language N/A — Veilid exposes API access through its SDKs (Rust, Dart, Python) with DHT lookup primitives rather than a general query language
Data Formats CBOR-like internal serialization; opaque encrypted blobs over the wire
Collaborative Live Editing Application-layer concern — Veilid provides the P2P substrate; collaborative apps can be built on top using the framework's primitives
Rich Text Editing N/A — framework, not an end-user app; rich-text concerns belong to applications built on Veilid (e.g., VeilidChat)
Mobile Support Yes — Android, iOS (via Flutter); mobile-first design
Web Support Yes — WebAssembly node (vnewb) runs in browser
Native Apps Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS
Terms Open source; "no profit motive" — explicitly non-commercial framing by cDc
Funds None / Unknown — cDc volunteer-led with no central funding source by design; donation accepted via cDc channels; no token, no VC funding, explicitly anti-VC; no specific budget published
Based On Conceptually inspired by Tor (anonymizing routing) and IPFS (content-addressed DHT); QUIC-style transport over UDP and TCP
P2P Architecture Pure peer-to-peer — every node equal; 256-bit public-key node IDs; no IP addresses exposed between peers; UDP and TCP transports
Development Tools veilid-core Rust crate; Flutter bindings; Python bindings; veilid-cli; vnewb (browser WASM node)
Deployment Options Embedded as library in any app; standalone node binaries; browser WASM; vproxy (TCP service tunneling over Veilid)
Authentication & Identity 256-bit public-key node IDs; encrypted authenticated channels (Diffie-Hellman key exchange, signed/timestamped)
Storage Model Local encrypted storage (encrypted with derived keys; password-protectable); DHT-based shared storage similar to IPFS; no inherent persistence guarantees
Interoperability Provides framework primitives (DHT, app messaging, RPC) for arbitrary apps to build on; not yet widely interoperable with non-Veilid networks
Social Graph No built-in social graph layer — apps build their own (e.g. VeilidChat) atop Veilid primitives

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.

Inspired by
Stores in