Holepunch For Dummies
A beginner-friendly guide to the Holepunch P2P ecosystem.
📚 The Guide
Start here if you're new!
| Phase | Topic | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | P2P Basics | What is Peer-to-Peer? |
| 2 | Core Concepts | How it works |
| 3 | Networking | Connecting peers |
| 4 | Data Structures | Building blocks |
| 5 | Platform | Bare & Pear |
| 6 | Real Examples | Real apps |
| 7 | Building | Build your first app |
| 8 | Advanced Topics | Next level |
📖 Reference
| File | What's Inside |
|---|---|
| glossary.md | Plain English terms A-Z |
| quick-reference.md | Key commands & patterns |
| PROGRESS.md | What we've covered |
| PROGRESS.md | What we've covered |
🎯 Quick Start
Install Pear
npm install -g pear
Run a P2P Chat
const Hypercore = require('hypercore')
const Hyperswarm = require('hyperswarm')
const core = new Hypercore('./chat')
const swarm = new Hyperswarm()
swarm.join(core.discoveryKey, { server: true, client: true })
swarm.on('connection', conn => core.replicate(conn))
await core.append(Buffer.from('Hello P2P!'))
📦 Official Apps
| App | What It Is | Try It |
|---|---|---|
| Keet | P2P chat, video & audio calls - no sign-up, E2E encrypted | keet.io |
| PearPass | P2P password manager - your passwords, your devices | pass.pears.com |
| Hyperbeam | Direct file transfer between devices | npm install -g hyperbeam |