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Francesco Bruno
Francesco Bruno

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Reclaim the Web: Introducing Shogun, a Toolkit for True Decentralization

#web3 #decentralization #javascript #opensource

The internet started with a beautiful promise: connect everyone, democratize information, and give every single person a voice. For a while, it felt like we were getting there.

But somewhere along the way, we traded convenience for control. A handful of massive platforms became the gatekeepers of our digital lives, and our data became their most valuable product. What was meant to be a decentralized web of peers became more centralized than ever.

We think it's time to get back to that original vision. That's why we're building Shogun.

The Problem with the Modern Web

Let's be honest about the current state of things:

  • 📱 Your devices collect thousands of data points about you every single day, often without your clear consent or any real understanding of how it's being used.
  • 🏢 Major platforms have become our digital town squares, but they're privately owned spaces where the rules can change overnight, content can be censored, and you can be de-platformed without warning.
  • 🔄 Your content and social connections are locked into proprietary silos. It's incredibly difficult to move your digital identity and history from one platform to another. You don't truly own your online presence.

Our Approach: The Shogun Philosophy

We're not just building another "decentralized" app that secretly runs on AWS. Our principles are the foundation of everything we do.

  • 🔍 Radical Transparency: Every line of code is open source. Every design decision is documented and public. No hidden algorithms, no secret data collection.
  • 🤝 Community-Driven: This isn't a venture-funded startup racing towards an exit. Shogun is a collaborative, open-source effort to build tools that serve users, not shareholders.
  • ⚡ Practical Solutions: We focus on building tools that solve real problems for developers and users today. Our goal is to make decentralization accessible without requiring a PhD in cryptography.

The Engine: Built on GunDB

At the heart of Shogun is GunDB, the decentralized database that makes our vision possible. While other platforms still rely on central servers for coordination, GunDB is truly peer-to-peer.

  • 🔗 Why GunDB? Your data synchronizes directly between users without any middleman. There is no single point of failure and no corporation controlling the flow of information.
  • ⚡ Real-time Everything: Changes propagate instantly across all connected peers. Perfect for chat apps, collaborative editors, or social networks where users expect instant updates.
  • 🛡️ Security by Design: Every piece of data is cryptographically signed and can be end-to-end encrypted. Users control their own keys, and the network verifies authenticity without trusting a central authority. Your data is yours. Period.

This architecture gives us incredible benefits:

Feature Detail
Peer-to-Peer 100% - No central servers required.
Scalability ∞ - The network grows stronger with more users.
Latency ~0ms - A local-first architecture means no waiting on servers.

The Shogun Ecosystem

Shogun isn't a single product; it's a comprehensive toolkit. Here’s a look at the components you can start using today.

Core Components

  • 📦 core: The heart of the ecosystem. Handles decentralized authentication, distributed storage via GunDB, wallet management, and core security features.
  • 📡 relay: A simple relay server to help facilitate peer discovery and communication between nodes on the Shogun network.
  • 📝 contracts: Ethereum smart contracts used within the Shogun ecosystem for on-chain functionalities.

Plugins

  • 🥷 stealth-address: A plugin to create and manage stealth addresses for enhanced privacy.
  • 📒 bip44: A plugin to create and manage hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets using the BIP44 standard.

Applications

  • 🔒 auth: A standalone decentralized authentication application.
  • 🗨️ d2: A secure, decentralized networking layer built on Bugout with enhanced E2EE.
  • 💬 d3: Decentralized messaging for Ethereum. ⏳
  • ✅ tasks: A simple task management app built on Shogun to demonstrate the ecosystem's capabilities.
  • 💰 wallet: A wallet application for managing crypto assets, fully integrated with the Shogun ecosystem.
  • 📨 linda: A decentralized chat protocol from Shogun.
  • 💨 eph: Ephemeral (disappearing) messaging built on GunDB.
  • 🖋️ wall: A proof-of-concept decentralized social media platform.

Utility and UI

  • 🏓 ipfs: A lightweight wrapper for IPFS, providing a simplified interface for decentralized file storage.
  • 🔢 derive: A lightweight library for deterministic cryptographic key derivation from passwords or seed phrases.
  • 🔘 button-react: Simple React components to easily integrate Shogun authentication into your apps.

Ready to Reclaim the Web? Join Us!

We're building the internet we actually want—one that serves people, not profits. If this mission resonates with you, there are many ways to get involved.

Star our repos, try building something with our tools, report issues, and contribute code. This is an open, collaborative effort, and we welcome your help.

Support the Project

If you find Shogun useful and want to support its continued development, please consider a donation.

  • ☕ Buy Me a Coffee: Support with a one-time donation.
  • 💎 Cryptocurrency:
    • ETH: 0xA6591dCDff5C7616110b4f84207184aef7835048
    • BTC: bc1q47j2va60zk3fsmp5wwagdj36qqkja5epv8v2tz

Built with ❤️ by scobru and released under the MIT License.

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