VX6VX6
DocsSDKContributeConduct
GitHub

Beginner guide

Description

VX6 in one minute

Think of VX6 as a network layer for real local services. A service can keep running on 127.0.0.1. VX6 publishes it by name or alias, moves the traffic across peers, and makes it appear locally again on the client side.

That is why VX6 feels different from most networking tools. It is not only about connecting machines. It is about connecting the services on those machines in a way that still feels local and readable.

Network view
DHTDistributed Hash TablepeerpeerpeerpeerpeerpeerNew peer joinsUses a friend as first contact.Any live peer is enough.Learns the meshPulls node and service records.Caches peers for later sync.Shares a servicePublishes a localhost appthat peers resolve by name.One node brings you in. The rest of the network keeps itself moving.
DHT means Distributed Hash Table. In VX6, any known live peer can onboard a new node. Discovery then expands via signed records and DHT lookups for node and service keys.

Why IPv6 matters here

IPv6 makes direct addressing easier and gives peer-to-peer networking a cleaner base than old IPv4-only assumptions. VX6 uses that to support direct node reachability, named service access, and a simpler way to connect one real machine to another.

Important: In VX6, a bootstrap is just the first live node you know. It is not the permanent center of the network.

What localhost to localhost means

Many useful services already live on localhost: SSH, dashboards, databases, admin tools, API backends, and development panels. VX6 keeps that model intact.

bob shares: 127.0.0.1:22 as bob.ssh
alice connects: vx6 connect --service bob.ssh --listen 127.0.0.1:2222
alice uses it: ssh -p 2222 user@127.0.0.1

The real service never had to stop being local. The user on the other side still gets a local port. VX6 carries the service in between.

How a node enters the network

  1. Start from any known live node

    This can be a public mirror, a teammate's node, a relay, or any reachable peer that already knows part of the network.

  2. Learn peers and service records

    The new node syncs signed node records, service names, and hidden aliases from peers and DHT-backed lookups.

  3. Keep operating peer to peer

    After first contact, the node can continue through the peers it has already learned. That is what makes the network feel distributed in practice.

Why people actually use this

ProblemVX6 answer
Too many services on localhostPublish them by name and connect from another local port.
Need direct access between real peersUse IPv6 directly when peers already know each other.
Need private routingUse relay paths or hidden aliases instead of normal public endpoints.
Need a network without one fixed centerEnter from any live peer and keep learning the mesh through other peers.

The result is simple to explain: localhost stays local, services stay named, and the network stays peer based.