note-251112-v0.0.0-release-summary

V0.0.0 Pre-Release Summary: P2P Development Foundation

Date: 2025-11-12
Status: ✅ Ready for Testing
Type: Alpha Release - P2P Learning & Exploration Build

What This Release Delivers

This is the final exploratory build before you shift to taking over feature development. It establishes the complete P2P development foundation with maximum visibility into the networking layer.

Core Features Implemented

  1. Comprehensive P2P Development Interface

    • Full node status visibility (peer ID, multiaddrs, protocols)
    • Discovered peers with detailed information
    • Active connection tracking
    • Per-peer detail views with connection metadata
    • Real-time debug logging (50-line rolling buffer)
    • Collapsible sections for organized information density

  2. Robust Connection Flow

    • mDNS auto-discovery on local network
    • Manual connection via whtnxt:// protocol URLs
    • Connection URL generation with copy-to-clipboard
    • Connect/disconnect controls per peer
    • Connection state tracking across all layers

  3. Developer-First Observability

    • Pull-based status polling (reliable across process lifecycles)
    • Event-based real-time updates (when available)
    • Timestamped logging with color-coded severity
    • Full multiaddr and protocol exposure
    • Placeholder sections for future data transfer testing

Architecture Highlights

Multi-Process Design

Main Process (main.ts)
├─> Manages window lifecycle
├─> Tracks P2P state (discoveredPeers, connectedPeers)
├─> Routes IPC between renderer and utility process
└─> Handles whtnxt:// protocol URLs

Utility Process (p2p-service.ts)
├─> Runs libp2p node
├─> Handles peer discovery (mDNS)
├─> Manages connections (dial, hangup)
└─> Emits events to main process

Renderer Process (P2PStatus.tsx)
├─> Polls main process every 1s for status
├─> Listens for real-time events (best-effort)
├─> Displays comprehensive peer information
└─> Provides connection controls

Key Technical Decisions

Why Pull-Based Status?

  • Utility process spawns asynchronously after renderer mounts
  • Push-based events sent before listeners are ready are lost
  • Polling ensures renderer always gets current truth
  • Event listeners remain for low-latency updates (optional enhancement)

Why Developer-First UI?

  • Maximum visibility for learning P2P patterns
  • Exposes internals needed for protocol design decisions
  • Easy to add protocol testing features later
  • User-friendly UI comes after patterns are understood

What's NOT In This Release

  • No custom protocols yet: Handshake, data transfer, file transfer all pending
  • No RxDB integration: Database replication comes after protocol foundations
  • No user-friendly UX: This is intentionally technical for learning
  • No persistence: Peer lists, connection history cleared on restart
  • No statistics: Byte counts, message counts are placeholders
  • No latency measurement: Ping/pong protocol not implemented

How to Use This Build

Testing Connection Flow

  1. Start the app: ./scripts/start-dev.sh
  2. Observe node startup: Watch debug logs for peer ID and listening addresses
  3. Start test-peer: In another terminal, cd test-peer && npm start
  4. Watch discovery: Peer should appear in "Discovered Peers" within 1-2 seconds
  5. Copy connection URL: Click "Copy URL" button in Node Status section
  6. Test manual connection: Paste URL into test-peer CLI or another WhatNext instance
  7. Explore peer details: Click "Details" on any discovered peer
  8. Watch debug logs: Observe event timeline in real-time

Expected Behavior

  • Node startup: 500ms after window loads, node starts automatically
  • Discovery: Local peers appear within 1-2 seconds via mDNS
  • Connection: Clicking "Connect" dials all known multiaddrs, first success wins
  • Disconnect: Removes peer from "Active Connections" list
  • URL connection: Pasting whtnxt://connect/<peerId> connects if peer is discovered

Next Steps for Development

  1. Custom Handshake Protocol (First Priority)

    • Goal: Understand libp2p stream-based communication
    • Implement /whatnext/handshake/1.0.0 protocol handler
    • Exchange peer metadata (displayName, appVersion, capabilities)
    • See: docs/notes/note-251112-p2p-development-interface-complete.md Phase 1

  2. Data Transfer Testing (Second Priority)

    • Goal: Send arbitrary data between peers
    • Implement /whatnext/data-test/1.0.0 protocol
    • Add UI controls for sending test messages
    • Display transfer statistics (bytes, time, rate)

  3. File Transfer Exploration (Third Priority)

    • Goal: Transfer binary files
    • Implement /whatnext/file-transfer/1.0.0 protocol
    • Add file picker UI, progress bars
    • Handle chunking, errors, completion

  4. RxDB Playlist Replication (Fourth Priority)

    • Goal: Real-time playlist sync
    • Integrate RxDB replication protocol
    • Test CRDT conflict resolution
    • Build on all previous protocol learnings

  5. Production UX Refinement (Final Phase)

    • Goal: User-friendly connection experience
    • Simplify UI, hide technical details
    • Add "Advanced/Debug Mode" toggle
    • Design friend persistence

Files Modified in This Release

New Files

  • docs/notes/note-251112-p2p-development-interface-complete.md
  • docs/notes/note-251112-v0.0.0-release-summary.md (this file)

Modified Files

  • app/src/shared/core/types.ts - Added DetailedPeerInfo, DataTestPayload, FileTransferMetadata
  • app/src/renderer/components/P2P/P2PStatus.tsx - Complete rewrite as developer interface
  • app/src/utility/p2p-service.ts - Enhanced peer discovery with full details
  • app/src/main/main.ts - Connection tracking, protocols array in state

Known Issues & Limitations

  1. Type errors in typecheck: Some non-critical errors from library typings and vite config

    • Does NOT affect runtime
    • Build succeeds via tsup/vite which use different validation
    • Can be addressed in future refactoring

  2. Connection metadata placeholders: Direction, transport, latency not yet populated

    • Requires deeper libp2p Connection API usage
    • Easy to add once protocol handlers exist

  3. No statistics tracking: Byte/message counters are interface-only

    • Need custom stream wrappers for accurate tracking
    • Consider adding once data transfer protocols exist

  4. Test-peer compatibility: Test peer uses same mDNS service name

    • Should discover immediately on same network
    • If not, check firewall/network isolation

How to Run

# Full development environment (app + test-peer)
./scripts/start-dev.sh

# App only
./scripts/start-dev.sh --app-only

# Test peer only (for second instance)
./scripts/start-dev.sh --test-peer-only

# Or traditional
cd app && npm run dev
cd test-peer && npm start  # (in separate terminal)

Success Criteria for This Release

  • Node starts and displays peer ID
  • Listening addresses shown (TCP + WebSocket)
  • Test-peer discovered automatically via mDNS
  • Manual connection via URL works
  • Connection shows in "Active Connections"
  • Peer details view shows all metadata
  • Debug logs show event timeline
  • Disconnect removes peer from active list
  • Build succeeds
  • Documentation complete

What Comes After V0.0.0

This build establishes the exploration foundation. The next phase is yours to drive:

  1. Implement custom protocols: Start with handshake, build toward data transfer
  2. Learn by doing: Use the developer UI to observe protocol behavior
  3. Iterate rapidly: The comprehensive logging lets you debug without guessing
  4. Document learnings: Continue the notes pattern established in /docs/notes/
  5. Build toward MVP: Each protocol brings you closer to Phase 1 (Collaborative Playlist Accessory)

Final Notes

This is intentionally over-instrumented for learning. The production UI will be simpler, friendlier, and hide the internals. But first, you need to understand what libp2p is doing under the hood, how protocols work, how streams behave, and where things can fail.

The developer interface gives you that understanding. Use it to explore, experiment, and build confidence in the P2P layer before committing to production UX decisions.

Ready for liftoff. 🚀

Related Documentation:

  • docs/whtnxt-nextspec.md - Original specification
  • CLAUDE.md - Working guidelines
  • docs/notes/note-251110-libp2p-first-implementation-learnings.md - Initial P2P learnings
  • docs/notes/note-251112-p2p-development-interface-complete.md - This release's technical details