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<div class="section" id="getting-started-fast">
<h1>Getting Started Fast<a class="headerlink" href="#getting-started-fast" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h1>
<p>The best way to get started with the Reticulum Network Stack depends on what
you want to do. This guide will outline sensible starting paths for different
scenarios.</p>
<div class="section" id="try-using-a-reticulum-based-program">
<h2>Try Using a Reticulum-based Program<a class="headerlink" href="#try-using-a-reticulum-based-program" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>If you simply want to try using a program built with Reticulum, you can take
a look at <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/nomadnet">Nomad Network</a>, which
provides a complete encrypted communications suite built with Reticulum.</p>
<a class="reference external image-reference" href="_images/nomadnet_3.png"><img alt="_images/nomadnet_3.png" src="_images/nomadnet_3.png" /></a>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/nomadnet">Nomad Network</a> is a user-facing client
for the messaging and information-sharing protocol
<a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/lxmf">LXMF</a>, another project built with Reticulum.</p>
<p>You can install Nomad Network via pip:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install ...</span>
<span class="n">pip3</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">nomadnet</span>
<span class="c1"># ... and run</span>
<span class="n">nomadnet</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p><strong>Please Note</strong>: If this is the very first time you use pip to install a program
on your system, you might need to reboot your system for your program to become
available. If you get a “command not found” error or similar when running the
program, reboot your system and try again.</p>
<p>If you would rather use a program with a graphical user interface, you can take
a look at <a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/sideband">Sideband</a>, which is available for Android,
Linux and macOS.</p>
<a class="reference external image-reference" href="_images/sideband_1.png"><img alt="_images/sideband_1.png" class="align-center" src="_images/sideband_1.png" style="width: 400px;" /></a>
</div>
<div class="section" id="using-the-included-utilities">
<h2>Using the Included Utilities<a class="headerlink" href="#using-the-included-utilities" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>Reticulum comes with a range of included utilities that make it easier to
manage your network, check connectivity and make Reticulum available to other
programs on your system.</p>
<p>You can use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnsd</span></code> to run Reticulum as a background or foreground service,
and the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnstatus</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnpath</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnprobe</span></code> utilities to view and query
network status and connectivity.</p>
<p>To learn more about these utility programs, have a look at the
<a class="reference internal" href="using.html#using-main"><span class="std std-ref">Using Reticulum on Your System</span></a> chapter of this manual.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="creating-a-network-with-reticulum">
<h2>Creating a Network With Reticulum<a class="headerlink" href="#creating-a-network-with-reticulum" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>To create a network, you will need to specify one or more <em>interfaces</em> for
Reticulum to use. This is done in the Reticulum configuration file, which by
default is located at <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">~/.reticulum/config</span></code>. You can edit this file by hand,
or use the interactive <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnsconfig</span></code> utility.</p>
<p>When Reticulum is started for the first time, it will create a default
configuration file, with one active interface. This default interface uses
your existing ethernet and WiFi networks (if any), and only allows you to
communicate with other Reticulum peers within your local broadcast domains.</p>
<p>To communicate further, you will have to add one or more interfaces. The default
configuration includes a number of examples, ranging from using TCP over the
internet, to LoRa and Packet Radio interfaces.</p>
<p>With Reticulum, you only need to configure what interfaces you want to communicate
over. There is no need to configure address spaces, subnets, routing tables,
or other things you might be used to from other network types.</p>
<p>Once Reticulums knows which interfaces it should use, it will automatically
discover topography and configure transport of data to any destinations it
knows about.</p>
<p>Possibly, the examples in the config file are enough to get you started. If
you want more information, you can read the <a class="reference internal" href="networks.html#networks-main"><span class="std std-ref">Building Networks</span></a>
and <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-main"><span class="std std-ref">Interfaces</span></a> chapters of this manual.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="connecting-reticulum-instances-over-the-internet">
<h2>Connecting Reticulum Instances Over the Internet<a class="headerlink" href="#connecting-reticulum-instances-over-the-internet" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>Reticulum currently offers two interfaces for connecting instances over the Internet: <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-tcps"><span class="std std-ref">TCP</span></a>
and <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-i2p"><span class="std std-ref">I2P</span></a>. Each interface offers a different set of features, and Reticulum
users should carefully choose the interface which best suites their needs.</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPServerInterface</span></code> allows users to host an instance accessible over TCP/IP. This
method is generally faster, lower latency, and more energy efficient than using <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">I2PInterface</span></code>,
however it also leaks considerable metadata about the server host.</p>
<p>Direct TCP client connections are able to see the IP address of your instance and may be able
to use this information to determine your location or identity. Adversaries
inspecting your packets may be able to record packet metadata like time of transmission and packet size.
Even though Reticulum encrypts traffic, TCP does not, so an adversary may be able to use
packet inspection to learn that a system is running Reticulum, and what other IP adresses connect to it.
Hosting a publicly reachable instance over TCP also requires a publicly reachable IP address,
which most Internet connections dont offer anymore.</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">I2PInterface</span></code> routes messages through the <a class="reference external" href="https://geti2p.net/en/">Invisible Internet Protocol
(I2P)</a>. To properly use this interface, users must also run an I2P daemon in
parallel to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnsd</span></code>. For always-on I2P nodes it is recommended to use <a class="reference external" href="https://i2pd.website/">i2pd</a> because it
generally runs more efficiently.</p>
<p>By default, I2P will encrypt all traffic sent over the Internet, and
hide both the sender and receiver Reticulum instance IP addresses. Running an I2P node
will also relay other I2P users encrypted packets, which will use extra
bandwidth and compute power, but also makes timing attacks and other forms of
deep-packet-inspection much more difficult.</p>
<p>I2P also allows users to host globally available Reticulum instances from non-public IPs and behind firewalls.</p>
<p>In general it is recommended to use an I2P node if you want to host a publically accessible
instance, while preserving anonymity. If you care more about performance, and a slightly
easier setup, use TCP.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="connect-to-the-public-testnet">
<h2>Connect to the Public Testnet<a class="headerlink" href="#connect-to-the-public-testnet" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>An experimental public testnet has been made accessible over both I2P and TCP. You can join it
by adding one of the following interfaces to your <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.reticulum/config</span></code> file:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># For connecting over TCP/IP:</span>
<span class="p">[[</span><span class="n">RNS</span> <span class="n">Testnet</span> <span class="n">Frankfurt</span><span class="p">]]</span>
<span class="nb">type</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">TCPClientInterface</span>
<span class="n">interface_enabled</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">yes</span>
<span class="n">outgoing</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="kc">True</span>
<span class="n">target_host</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">frankfurt</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">rns</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">unsigned</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">io</span>
<span class="n">target_port</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mi">4965</span>
<span class="c1"># For connecting over I2P:</span>
<span class="p">[[</span><span class="n">RNS</span> <span class="n">Testnet</span> <span class="n">I2P</span> <span class="n">Node</span> <span class="n">A</span><span class="p">]]</span>
<span class="nb">type</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">I2PInterface</span>
<span class="n">interface_enabled</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">yes</span>
<span class="n">peers</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">ykzlw5ujbaqc2xkec4cpvgyxj257wcrmmgkuxqmqcur7cq3w3lha</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">b32</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">i2p</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Many other Reticulum instances are connecting to this testnet, and you can also join it
via other entry points if you know them. There is absolutely no control over the network
topography, usage or what types of instances connect. It will also occasionally be used
to test various failure scenarios, and there are no availability or service guarantees.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="develop-a-program-with-reticulum">
<h2>Develop a Program with Reticulum<a class="headerlink" href="#develop-a-program-with-reticulum" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>If you want to develop programs that use Reticulum, the easiest way to get
started is to install the latest release of Reticulum via pip:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">pip3</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">rns</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>The above command will install Reticulum and dependencies, and you will be
ready to import and use RNS in your own programs. The next step will most
likely be to look at some <a class="reference internal" href="examples.html#examples-main"><span class="std std-ref">Example Programs</span></a>.</p>
<p>For extended functionality, you can install optional dependencies:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">pip3</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">pyserial</span> <span class="n">netifaces</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Further information can be found in the <a class="reference internal" href="reference.html#api-main"><span class="std std-ref">API Reference</span></a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="participate-in-reticulum-development">
<h2>Participate in Reticulum Development<a class="headerlink" href="#participate-in-reticulum-development" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>If you want to participate in the development of Reticulum and associated
utilities, youll want to get the latest source from GitHub. In that case,
dont use pip, but try this recipe:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install dependencies</span>
<span class="n">pip3</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">cryptography</span> <span class="n">pyserial</span> <span class="n">netifaces</span>
<span class="c1"># Clone repository</span>
<span class="n">git</span> <span class="n">clone</span> <span class="n">https</span><span class="p">:</span><span class="o">//</span><span class="n">github</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">com</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">markqvist</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">Reticulum</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">git</span>
<span class="c1"># Move into Reticulum folder and symlink library to examples folder</span>
<span class="n">cd</span> <span class="n">Reticulum</span>
<span class="n">ln</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">s</span> <span class="o">../</span><span class="n">RNS</span> <span class="o">./</span><span class="n">Examples</span><span class="o">/</span>
<span class="c1"># Run an example</span>
<span class="n">python3</span> <span class="n">Examples</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">Echo</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">py</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="c1"># Unless you&#39;ve manually created a config file, Reticulum will do so now,</span>
<span class="c1"># and immediately exit. Make any necessary changes to the file:</span>
<span class="n">nano</span> <span class="o">~/.</span><span class="n">reticulum</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">config</span>
<span class="c1"># ... and launch the example again.</span>
<span class="n">python3</span> <span class="n">Examples</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">Echo</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">py</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="c1"># You can now repeat the process on another computer,</span>
<span class="c1"># and run the same example with -h to get command line options.</span>
<span class="n">python3</span> <span class="n">Examples</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">Echo</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">py</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">h</span>
<span class="c1"># Run the example in client mode to &quot;ping&quot; the server.</span>
<span class="c1"># Replace the hash below with the actual destination hash of your server.</span>
<span class="n">python3</span> <span class="n">Examples</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">Echo</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">py</span> <span class="mf">3e12</span><span class="n">fc71692f8ec47bc5</span>
<span class="c1"># Have a look at another example</span>
<span class="n">python3</span> <span class="n">Examples</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">Filetransfer</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">py</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">h</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>When you have experimented with the basic examples, its time to go read the
<a class="reference internal" href="understanding.html#understanding-main"><span class="std std-ref">Understanding Reticulum</span></a> chapter.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="reticulum-on-arm64">
<h2>Reticulum on ARM64<a class="headerlink" href="#reticulum-on-arm64" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>On some architectures, including ARM64, not all dependencies have precompiled
binaries. On such systems, you will need to install <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python3-dev</span></code> before
installing Reticulum or programs that depend on Reticulum.</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Install Python and development packages</span>
<span class="n">sudo</span> <span class="n">apt</span> <span class="n">update</span>
<span class="n">sudo</span> <span class="n">apt</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">python3</span> <span class="n">python3</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="n">pip</span> <span class="n">python3</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="n">dev</span>
<span class="c1"># Install Reticulum</span>
<span class="n">python3</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">m</span> <span class="n">pip</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">rns</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" id="reticulum-on-android">
<h2>Reticulum on Android<a class="headerlink" href="#reticulum-on-android" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>Reticulum can be used on Android in different ways. The easiest way to get
started is using an app like <a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/sideband">Sideband</a>.</p>
<p>For more control and features, you can use Reticulum and related programs via
the <a class="reference external" href="https://termux.com/">Termux app</a>, at the time of writing available on
<a class="reference external" href="https://f-droid.org">F-droid</a>.</p>
<p>Termux is a terminal emulator and Linux environment for Android based devices,
which includes the ability to use many different programs and libraries,
including Reticulum.</p>
<p>Since the Python cryptography.io module does not offer pre-built wheels for
Android, the standard one-line install of Reticulum does not work on Android,
and a few extra commands are required.</p>
<p>From within Termux, execute the following:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># First, make sure indexes and packages are up to date.</span>
<span class="n">pkg</span> <span class="n">update</span>
<span class="n">pkg</span> <span class="n">upgrade</span>
<span class="c1"># Then install dependencies for the cryptography library.</span>
<span class="n">pkg</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">python</span> <span class="n">build</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="n">essential</span> <span class="n">openssl</span> <span class="n">libffi</span> <span class="n">rust</span>
<span class="c1"># Make sure pip is up to date, and install the wheel module.</span>
<span class="n">pip3</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">wheel</span> <span class="n">pip</span> <span class="o">--</span><span class="n">upgrade</span>
<span class="c1"># To allow the installer to build the cryptography module,</span>
<span class="c1"># we need to let it know what platform we are compiling for:</span>
<span class="n">export</span> <span class="n">CARGO_BUILD_TARGET</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s2">&quot;aarch64-linux-android&quot;</span>
<span class="c1"># Start the install process for the cryptography module.</span>
<span class="c1"># Depending on your device, this can take several minutes,</span>
<span class="c1"># since the module must be compiled locally on your device.</span>
<span class="n">pip3</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">cryptography</span>
<span class="c1"># If the above installation succeeds, you can now install</span>
<span class="c1"># Reticulum and any related software</span>
<span class="n">pip3</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">rns</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>It is also possible to include Reticulum in apps compiled and distributed as
Android APKs. A detailed tutorial and example source code will be included
here at a later point.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="adding-radio-interfaces">
<h2>Adding Radio Interfaces<a class="headerlink" href="#adding-radio-interfaces" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>Once you have Reticulum installed and working, you can add radio interfaces with
any compatible hardware you have available. For information on how to configure
this, see the <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-main"><span class="std std-ref">Interfaces</span></a> section of this manual.</p>
<p>A range of common LoRa development boards and transceiver modules can be used
as interfaces with Reticulum. You can refer to the following external resources
for more information:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/how-to-make-your-own-rnodes/">How To Make Your Own RNodes</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/installing-rnode-firmware-on-t-beam-and-lora32-devices/">Installing RNode Firmware on Compatible LoRa Devices</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/private-messaging-over-lora/">Private, Secure and Uncensorable Messaging Over a LoRa Mesh</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/RNode_Firmware/">RNode Firmware</a></p></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
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<h3><a href="index.html">Table of Contents</a></h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">Getting Started Fast</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#try-using-a-reticulum-based-program">Try Using a Reticulum-based Program</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#using-the-included-utilities">Using the Included Utilities</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#creating-a-network-with-reticulum">Creating a Network With Reticulum</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#connecting-reticulum-instances-over-the-internet">Connecting Reticulum Instances Over the Internet</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#connect-to-the-public-testnet">Connect to the Public Testnet</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#develop-a-program-with-reticulum">Develop a Program with Reticulum</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#participate-in-reticulum-development">Participate in Reticulum Development</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#reticulum-on-arm64">Reticulum on ARM64</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#reticulum-on-android">Reticulum on Android</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#adding-radio-interfaces">Adding Radio Interfaces</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
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