# n0-computer/iroh

IP addresses break, dial keys instead. A library that adds QUIC + NAT Traversal to your apps.

Repository: https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/iroh
Homepage: https://iroh.computer
Language: Rust
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: rust, memes, realtime, tags, does-anyone-read-these, tagsoftags, p2p, holepunching, multipath, quic
Last push: 2026-08-26T13:39:00+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 99, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1633, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 8, "gap_med": 17.5, "n_releases_24m": 39}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 12305, forks 740 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:52.233602+00:00)

## What it is
Iroh is a Rust networking library that establishes direct peer-to-peer QUIC connections between endpoints dialed by public key, with NAT hole-punching and relay fallback. It is modular and composable, with ecosystem protocols for blob transfer, gossip, and CRDT-style document sync.

## Use cases
- connect two devices directly without a central server
- add peer-to-peer encrypted connections to my app
- transfer files between machines behind NATs
- build a real-time sync or chat application
- stream video between devices peer-to-peer
- tunnel remote access without a VPN
- connect distributed GPU compute across clouds

## When to choose
- you need direct, encrypted device-to-device connections that work across NATs and firewalls
- you want public-key-based dialing instead of managing IP addresses and ports
- you're building local-first, offline-first, or P2P applications
- you need cross-platform networking including mobile and embedded targets

## When to avoid
- you only need simple client-server HTTP communication
- you require a mature battle-tested VPN or mesh solution like WireGuard or Tailscale with enterprise support
- your stack cannot use Rust or the available FFI bindings
- you need TCP-only environments where UDP/QUIC is blocked and relays are unacceptable

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: networking, p2p, rpc, websocket, cryptography, sdk
- domain: networking, microservices, developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: rust, cross-platform, windows, embedded, python, go, cpp
- tags: quic, nat-traversal, hole-punching, peer-to-peer, relay-servers, encrypted-connections, public-key-dialing, local-first, real-time, linux, macos, android, ios, swift

## Member repositories
- n0-computer/iroh (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:52.233602+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:14:10.427371+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:52.233602+00:00, sha c952a9f9c202)
  - homepage: https://iroh.computer (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:37.547636+00:00, sha 69fec576982b)
  - site_page: https://docs.iroh.computer/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:37.556806+00:00, sha 748bf93ebd3d)
  - site_page: https://docs.iroh.computer/quickstart (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:37.560973+00:00, sha 9cf3561e5235)
  - site_page: https://docs.iroh.computer/iroh-services/net-diagnostics/quickstart (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:37.562779+00:00, sha 8ad109d0a4fc)
  - site_page: https://docs.iroh.computer/about/release-policy (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:37.564557+00:00, sha b09079632de5)
  - site_page: https://docs.iroh.computer/what-is-iroh (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:37.566312+00:00, sha ad181134d875)
  - site_page: https://www.iroh.computer/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:37.568244+00:00, sha baae6803d6a3)
  - site_page: https://www.iroh.computer/docs/examples (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:37.570013+00:00, sha 18beb56db3f0)
  - registry_crates: https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/iroh (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:37.571544+00:00, sha d09a38338ba4)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.