Developer Documentation

Welcome to the Autonomi documentation… these guides will help you get started building with the Autonomi Network.

What is Autonomi?

Autonomi is a decentralised data and communications platform designed to provide complete privacy, security, and freedom by distributing data across a peer-to-peer network, rather than relying on centralised servers. Through end-to-end encryption, self-authentication, and the allocation of storage and bandwidth from users’ own devices, it seeks to create an autonomous, self-sustaining system where data ownership remains firmly in the hands of individuals rather than corporations.

Quick Links

• Quick Start Guides

  • Installation Guide

  • Quick Start Guide

  • Local Network Setup

  • Build Apps with Python

  • Build Apps with Rust

• Core Concepts:

  • Data Types - Understanding the fundamental data structures

  • Data Storage - How data is stored and retrieved

  • Local Network Setup - Setting up a local development environment

API References

• Autonomi Client - Core client library for network operations
• Ant Node - Node implementation for network participation
• BLS Threshold Crypto - Threshold cryptography implementation
• Self Encryption - Content-based encryption library
• Low-level Rust Crate API Reference

Language Support

Autonomi provides client libraries for multiple languages:

Rust

use autonomi::Client;

let client = Client::init()?;

Python

from autonomi-client import Client

client = Client()
await client.init()

Node.js

import { Client } from '@withautonomi/autonomi'

const client = await Client.init()

Building from Source

Rust

# Clone the repository
git clone <https://github.com/maidsafe/autonomi.git>
cd autonomi

# Build the project
cargo build --release

# Run tests
cargo test --all-features

# Install locally
cargo install --path .

Python

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/maidsafe/autonomi.git
cd autonomi

# Create and activate virtual environment
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # Unix
# or
.venv\Scripts\activate     # Windows

# Installs `maturin`
uv sync

# Build and install the package
maturin develop --uv

Node.js

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/maidsafe/autonomi.git
cd autonomi/nodejs

# Install NAPI RS command-line tool
yarn global add @napi-rs/cli
# Install NPM dependencies
yarn install
# Build the node addon
yarn build

# Run tests
yarn test

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch

3. Make your changes

4. Submit a pull request

Getting Help

• GitHub Issues