[*] The open source universal app backend
Originless
The universal backend for building apps. Collapse sprawling cloud microservices into two primitives — Signed Events and IPFS content. Build full-featured real-time apps in pure vanilla HTML and JavaScript with zero backend boilerplate.
Repository size
— · Limit: —
IPFS objects
Local UnixFS blocks
Live events
— · — stored
Unique signers
Ed25519 client identities
Stream subscribers
— SSE sockets
Expired events
— evicted by cap
[*] Primitives
What is Originless?
Two universal primitives replace sprawling cloud microservices. No auth service, no database, no object store to operate.
Signed Events
Immutable Ed25519-signed JSON documents with TTL eviction, keyset pagination, and native SSE streaming. The key is the identity — zero server auth state.
IPFS-Native Content
Upload files through /up, address them by CID, inspect them with /cid/{cid}. Open any CID anywhere at inbrowser.link/ipfs/<cid>.
Ephemeral by design
No volumes, no migrations, no state to back up. The container holds its data in its own filesystem; --rm wipes it clean.
[*] Collections
[*] Labels
[*] Diagnostics
- Status
- Checking…
- Storage
- Ephemeral · in-container
- Engine
- Kubo IPFS
- Events
- —
- Event range
- —
- Health
- /healthz
[*] Why Originless?
The Traditional SaaS Stack vs. The Originless Way.
Collapse sprawling cloud microservices into two universal primitives — Signed Events and IPFS content.
Fragile & Expensive
The traditional SaaS stack
- ✕5+ Fragmented Services: Juggling Auth0, PostgreSQL, AWS S3, Redis, and Pusher just to build a simple collaborative tool.
- ✕Credential & Secret Leaks: Rotating API keys, JWT expiration races, and central user database breach liabilities.
- ✕Database Migrations: Schema alterations, ORM overhead, connection pool limits, and downtime risk.
- ✕Escalating Cloud Bills: Per-MAU authentication fees, egress penalties, and monthly SaaS subscriptions that punish growth.
The Best Option
The Originless way
- ✓One Single Binary: Zero-dependency Go container running on a $4/mo VPS, Raspberry Pi, Umbrel, Docker, or laptop.
- ✓Client-Side Cryptography: Ed25519 keypairs generated on-device in 2 lines of code. The key is the identity; zero server auth state.
- ✓Native Real-Time (SSE): Instant Server-Sent Events (
/events/stream) supported natively in every browser without socket libraries. - ✓Autonomous Self-Cleaning & P2P: Automatic TTL record pruning, unpinned IPFS content reclaimed by garbage collection, and Kademlia DHT swarm sync.
[*] Open protocols
Protocols & Cloud Services Replaced.
Standard open protocols replace proprietary cloud APIs with zero vendor lock-in.
Zero Auth
Ed25519 Cryptographic Signatures
Identity lives strictly on client devices. Every event is mathematically signed. Zero passwords to store, zero user databases to breach, and zero token expiration bugs.
Replaces: Auth0, Clerk, Firebase Auth, AWS Cognito
Native HTTP
Native Server-Sent Events (SSE)
Stream live events to browsers with native EventSource and terminals with curl -N. Filterable by collection and label with automatic client reconnection.
Replaces: Redis Pub/Sub, Pusher, Ably, Socket.io
Content-Addressed
IPFS CIDs, Metadata Locally
Upload files up to 1 GiB through /up and /upf. Every file is addressed by its IPFS CID and viewable anywhere via public gateways.
Replaces: AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, MinIO, 0x0.st
ACID WAL
Indexed SQLite Event Store
Microsecond queries, full-text search, label indexing, keyset cursor pagination, and built-in TTL eviction. Zero database migrations or ORM schemas required.
Replaces: Firebase Firestore, Supabase, PocketBase
libp2p Mesh
Autonomous P2P Swarm
Single-port HTTP/WS multiplexing, AutoNAT hole punching, Kademlia DHT discovery, and O(1) commutative XOR state root fast-path sync across nodes worldwide.
Replaces: Nostr Relays, Matrix Homeservers, BitTorrent
[*] Live · real-time
Chat & Canvas, powered by signed events.
Two collaborative demos running entirely on events, streamed live to every connected browser.
Shared Canvas
Connecting…A 256 × 256 collaborative pixel board on originless/canvas. Pick a color, click or drag to paint — history replays the last 30 days.
Signed Chat
Live SSEZero-server-auth messages on originless/chat, signed on-device with Web Crypto Ed25519.
Signer key: Generating…
Loading messages…
No messages yet. Send the first message.
[*] Possibilities
Possibility Is What You Can Imagine.
What can you build with Originless? Everything you can imagine, in a fraction of the time.
Real-Time Collaborative Apps
Shared whiteboards, code pads, live voting, and infinite collaborative canvases. Every pixel or stroke is a signed event pushed instantly to all peers over SSE. (Try the live pixel canvas below!)
Encrypted Chat & Social Feeds
Public room messaging, decentralized comments for static blogs, and end-to-end encrypted private chats without a central database operator. (Try the live chatbox below!)
Autonomous AI Agent Swarms
Multi-agent blackboard architectures where LLMs coordinate workflows, claim task events, tail live SSE streams, and exchange binary model weights or artifacts without API tokens.
Local-First & Multi-Device Sync
Personal notes, todo managers, and password vaults that store data locally and sync silently across phones, laptops, and home servers when online.
Turn-Based Multiplayer Games
Chess, checkers, card games, and turn-based strategy where each move is a cryptographically signed event, guaranteeing cheat-proof move history and player provenance.
IoT & Edge Sensor Fleets
Environmental monitors, home automation hubs, and edge cameras logging time-series events and IPFS snapshots with automatic 7-day or 30-day lifecycle retention.
[*] Storage
Drop files. Get CIDs.
Files and folders go straight into the local Kubo node via /up — up to 1 GiB per upload.
Uploaded this session
$ curl -F "[email protected]" http://localhost:3232/up
[*] Reference
One container, seven routes.
Everything is exposed on port 3232. No volumes, no databases, no sidecars.
| Method | Route | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /stats |
IPFS repo and signed event metrics | Open |
| GET | /healthz |
Container health status | Open |
| POST | /up |
Upload a file or folder to local IPFS | Multipart |
| GET | /cid/{cid} |
JSON metadata and availability for a CID | JSON |
| POST | /events |
Publish an Ed25519-signed event | JSON |
| GET | /events |
Query events with pagination and filters | Open |
| GET | /events/stream |
Live Server-Sent Events stream | Stream |
[*] Zero-auth backend
The Universal Zero-Auth Backend for Modern Apps.
No accounts. No API keys. No database migrations. Signed events, IPFS content-addressing, native real-time streams, and autonomous P2P replication in a single binary.