Building PeerSuite: WebRTC Mesh Networks and Zero-Trust Architecture
Jerry Howell

Jerry Howell @j3rryh0well

About: Old guy who likes to code. Privacy advocate. I make Peersuite, a decentralized discord alternative.

Location:
Martinsville, VA, USA
Joined:
May 13, 2025

Building PeerSuite: WebRTC Mesh Networks and Zero-Trust Architecture

Publish Date: May 24
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True Mesh Networking with Smart Coordination
The Superpeer Pattern:
Instead of traditional client-server, PeerSuite uses a "host peer" model. The room creator becomes the authoritative peer for initial state, but everyone else operates as equals. When the host leaves, we automatically elect a new one based on connection stability.
This isn't a server - it's just one peer with extra responsibilities. The host peer:

Sends initial state to joining peers (whiteboard history, kanban boards, documents)
Resolves conflicts when simultaneous edits happen
But can't see or control other peers' data

Mesh Resilience:
Every peer connects directly to every other peer. If someone drops, the mesh heals automatically. We track connection quality and can promote any peer to host status mid-session.

Zero-Knowledge Encryption
Room-level Security:
Your room password isn't just authentication - it's the encryption key. We use PBKDF2 with 100,000 iterations to derive AES-256-GCM keys. The password never leaves your browser.
Workspace Export Encryption:
When you export your workspace, it's encrypted client-side with a separate password you choose. Even if someone intercepts the file, they can't decrypt it without that password. No cloud provider can read your data.
P2P Message Security:
All peer-to-peer messages go through WebRTC's built-in DTLS encryption. But we add another layer - room-specific keys ensure even WebRTC vulnerabilities can't expose your content.

The BitTorrent DHT Advantage
No Signaling Servers:
Most WebRTC apps need servers for peer discovery. We use the same distributed hash table that powers BitTorrent. Your room code maps to a DHT key, and peers find each other without any central coordination.

The result? A collaboration platform that works entirely in-browser, needs no servers after initial connection, and can't be monitored or shut down by third parties.

Peersuite is a decentralized workspace for teams available on the web at https://peersuite.space or for download at dockerhub(run your own instance) or github ( executables for windows, mac, and linux).

https://hub.docker.com/repository/docker/openconstruct/peersuite
https://github.com/openconstruct/Peersuite

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