computer science

ZeroNet

ZeroNet is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand ZeroNet rather than just read about it. In short: ZeroNet is a decentralized web-like network of peer-to-peer users, created by Tamas Kocsis in 2015. The programming for the network was based in Budapest, Hungary.

Key takeaways

ZeroNet belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect ZeroNet to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of ZeroNet from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

ZeroNet is a decentralized web-like network of peer-to-peer users, created by Tamas Kocsis in 2015. The programming for the network was based in Budapest, Hungary. It is built in Python and fully open source. Instead of having an IP address, sites are identified by a public key (specifically a bitcoin address). The private key allows the owner of a site to sign and publish changes, which propagate through the network. Sites can be accessed through an ordinary web browser when using the ZeroNet application, which acts as a local webhost for such pages. In addition to using bitcoin cryptography, ZeroNet uses trackers from the BitTorrent network to negotiate connections between peers. ZeroNet is not anonymous by default, but it supports routing traffic through the Tor network. The ZeroNet website and bittorrent tracker are blocked in mainland China. Despite the censorship, however, it is still possible to access ZeroNet from behind the Great Firewall of China, even over Tor, by bootstrapping over Meek, and connecting to peers directly. There is no way to take down a ZeroNet page which still has seeders, thus making such pages immune to most third-party methods of taking them down, including DMCA takedown notices.

Hiatus and forks

Development has stopped for several months after stable release of v0.7.1 on GitHub. The zeronet-conservancy fork maintains existing codebase and adds features aimed at gradually migrating to a new p2p network designed from scratch

Development of the network

The feasibility of peer-to-peer online web-sites had been hypothesised for some time, with The Pirate Bay suggesting they would build a network, as well as BitTorrent Inc. which created the closed-source Project Maelstrom. Sites on ZeroNet are known as "zites" by its users. ZeroNet supports HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Server-side languages like PHP are not supported, although ZeroNet creates and gives API to interact with SQLite databases, their data also distributed (as JSON files) via P2P. By default, sites have a size limit of 10 megabytes, but users may grant a site permission to use more storage space if they wish. With plugins and the ZeroFrame API, sites can communicate with ZeroNet calling Python by JavaScript.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with ZeroNet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what ZeroNet claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to ZeroNet before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about ZeroNet ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of ZeroNet

In research: ZeroNet appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses ZeroNet in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: ZeroNet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Anonymity networks, Anonymous file sharing networks, Application layer protocols, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for ZeroNet outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study ZeroNet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what ZeroNet means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain ZeroNet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is ZeroNet in simple terms?

ZeroNet is a decentralized web-like network of peer-to-peer users, created by Tamas Kocsis in 2015. The programming for the network was based in Budapest, Hungary.

Why does ZeroNet matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study ZeroNet?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on ZeroNet.