DevP2P

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Pronunciation

[dev‑peer‑to‑peer]

Analogy

DevP2P is like a postal system exclusively for nodes, defining how letters (blocks, transactions) are addressed, routed, and delivered across the network.

Definition

’s native peer‑to‑peer networking that handles peer discovery, message routing, and sub‑protocol multiplexing.

Key Points Intro

DevP2P underpins networking via:

Key Points

Node discovery: Kademlia‑based DHT for finding peers.

RLPx transport: Encrypted and multiplexed channels over TCP.

Subprotocols: eth/, les/, snap/ for specific message types.

Peer scoring: Maintains connection quality and reputation.

Example

When an starts, it uses DevP2P’s discovery to find bootstrap nodes, establishes RLPx sessions, and negotiates the eth/66 subprotocol to sync blocks.

Technical Deep Dive

DevP2P uses for discovery (discv4/discv5) Kademlia DHT. Connections use RLPx: an encrypted handshake (ECDH + ), then multiplexed streams. Each subprotocol defines its own message codes and machines. Nodes maintain peer tables with buckets organized by XOR distance.

Security Warning

Malicious peers can attempt Eclipse attacks; run multiple trusted bootstrap nodes and use peer rotation.

Caveat

Discovery v4 is susceptible to ID enumeration; consider discv5 for enhanced privacy.

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