Easy Secure Scuttlebutt Pub

easy-ssb-pub is an easy-to-host server that runs an SSB "Pub".

Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB) is an impressive peer-to-peer network that can be used for metadata, identity, and particularly, messaging. SSB is an ideal protocol for a social network. There is already a social network on SSB, called Patchwork.

However, to join the wider SSB network, you must get a dedicated invitation from a "Pub" server. Also, hosting a Pub server is not the easiest task. In order to improve adoption of SSB, this project makes it easy to deploy an SSB Pub. Once the Pub is running, it has a light frontend page where anyone can get freely request a fresh invitation.

Visit one of these

If you want to visit an Easy SSB Pub, here are a few known links (potentially ephemeral or broken):

• http://82.196.3.140/
• http://pub.locksmithdon.net/
• (add yours here)

How to deploy

You will need a server that supports a TCP socket over port 80. This means Heroku or Zeit Now will not work. Recommended services for servers-on-demand: Digital Ocean Docker Droplet, UpCloud, Amazon LightSail, Vultr, Linode, etc.

1. Access your server via shell (e.g. SSH)
2. docker pull staltz/easy-ssb-pub
3. docker run -e "PUB_URL=publicurltoyourserv.er" -p 80:80 -m 450M --memory-swap 1G --restart=unless-stopped --name ssb-pub -d staltz/easy-ssb-pub

After the container has been created, stop/start/restart the server using:

• docker stop ssb-pub
• docker start ssb-pub
• docker restart ssb-pub

docker run creates a new container (and server key) each time. This prevents existing contacts from successfully completing the handshake.

Deploy without Docker

1. Access your server via shell (e.g. SSH)
2. Install nvm: curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.0/install.sh | bash
3. Restart the shell
4. nvm install v6.9.1
5. git clone https://github.com/staltz/easy-ssb-pub.git
6. npm install
7. PORT=80 PUB_URL="publicurltoyourserv.er" npm start