ANts P2P
Encyclopedia
ANts P2P is an anonymous peer-to-peer
open source
file sharing
software written in Java
. The software was initially conceived in 2003 to explore the potentials offered by a number of novel routing protocols (ARA, ants-based routing, MANET routing protocols) based on swarm intelligence. A report (in Italian) about the initial phases of the project can be downloaded from the software website. A short summary in English is available on the ANts P2P website.
The software developed was subsequently made available on Sourceforge
in 2004. The code is licensed under the GPL
. As of the 7th of November 2010, this software has been downloaded by over 500.000 users.
128 - DH 512). Furthermore, it dynamically establishes on demand "virtual encrypted tunnels" (AES
128 - DH 512) among nodes that are willing to exchange a file. Encrypted packets are then exchanged via intermediate nodes in the network; these intermediate nodes have no systematic way available for intercepting keys and packets. Therefore it is difficult to perform man-in-the-middle attack
s in this network. This second layer of encryption is called endpoint encryption. Theoretically, endpoint encryption means proxy nodes cannot identify the data they proxy. So this can make it harder to determine the originating IP address
es of a given packet transmitted through the network.
Some of its features include:
The traffic between nodes is encrypted with AES
, which prevents sniffing both from outsiders and from transit nodes. The encryption key exchange uses Diffie-Hellman algorithm.
ANts P2P also allows users to offer web server
s anonymously; these servers are only reachable from within the ANts P2P network. ANts P2P is however not an outproxy network which lets users reach services on the conventional internet; for this, an outproxy service such as Tor
can be used separately.
Anonymous P2P
An anonymous P2P communication system is a peer-to-peer distributed application in which the nodes or participants are anonymous or pseudonymous...
open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
software written in Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
. The software was initially conceived in 2003 to explore the potentials offered by a number of novel routing protocols (ARA, ants-based routing, MANET routing protocols) based on swarm intelligence. A report (in Italian) about the initial phases of the project can be downloaded from the software website. A short summary in English is available on the ANts P2P website.
The software developed was subsequently made available on Sourceforge
SourceForge
SourceForge Enterprise Edition is a collaborative revision control and software development management system. It provides a front-end to a range of software development lifecycle services and integrates with a number of free software / open source software applications .While originally itself...
in 2004. The code is licensed under the GPL
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
. As of the 7th of November 2010, this software has been downloaded by over 500.000 users.
Features
ANts P2P encrypts all data sent or received from peer nodes (AESAES
AES may refer to:Standards, systems, and methods* Application Environment Services, a component of Digital Research's GEM windowing system* The Advanced Encryption Standard...
128 - DH 512). Furthermore, it dynamically establishes on demand "virtual encrypted tunnels" (AES
AES
AES may refer to:Standards, systems, and methods* Application Environment Services, a component of Digital Research's GEM windowing system* The Advanced Encryption Standard...
128 - DH 512) among nodes that are willing to exchange a file. Encrypted packets are then exchanged via intermediate nodes in the network; these intermediate nodes have no systematic way available for intercepting keys and packets. Therefore it is difficult to perform man-in-the-middle attack
Man-in-the-middle attack
In cryptography, the man-in-the-middle attack , bucket-brigade attack, or sometimes Janus attack, is a form of active eavesdropping in which the attacker makes independent connections with the victims and relays messages between them, making them believe that they are talking directly to each other...
s in this network. This second layer of encryption is called endpoint encryption. Theoretically, endpoint encryption means proxy nodes cannot identify the data they proxy. So this can make it harder to determine the originating IP address
IP address
An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing...
es of a given packet transmitted through the network.
Some of its features include:
- Open Source JavaJavaJava is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
implementation (GNU-GPL license). - Portable "all-in-one-folder" release that does not require setup.
- Multipath routingMultipath routingMultipath routing is the routing technique of using multiple alternative paths through a network, which can yield a variety of benefits such as fault tolerance, increased bandwidth, or improved security. The multiple paths computed might be overlapped, edge-disjointed or node-disjointed with each...
for packets. - Preferential connections to give the network a fast backboneBackbone networkA backbone network or network backbone is a part of computer network infrastructure that interconnects various pieces of network, providing a path for the exchange of information between different LANs or subnetworks. A backbone can tie together diverse networks in the same building, in different...
. - Support for partial downloads with automatic resume.
- Multiple sources download.
- Swarming (aka segmented downloadingSegmented downloadingSegmented downloading can be a more efficient way of downloading files from many peers at once. The one single file is downloaded, in parallel, from several distinct sources or uploaders of the file...
) from partial files. - Autosearch sources for active and interrupted downloads.
- Distributed/Decentralized Search engine by MD5MD5The MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm is a widely used cryptographic hash function that produces a 128-bit hash value. Specified in RFC 1321, MD5 has been employed in a wide variety of security applications, and is also commonly used to check data integrity...
hash, string and structured query. - Full text search of indexed documents (pdf, html, txt, doc etc.) powered by Apache LuceneLuceneApache Lucene is a free/open source information retrieval software library, originally created in Java by Doug Cutting. It is supported by the Apache Software Foundation and is released under the Apache Software License....
. - Support for the eDonkey2k link format.
- IRC based peer discovery system.
- IRC embeded chatOnline chatOnline chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet, that offers an instantaneous transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver, hence the delay for visual access to the sent message shall not hamper the flow of communications in any of the directions...
system. - Completely Object-Oriented routing protocolRouting protocolA routing protocol is a protocol that specifies how routers communicate with each other, disseminating information that enables them to select routes between any two nodes on a computer network, the choice of the route being done by routing algorithms. Each router has a priori knowledge only of...
. - Serverless GWebCache-based peer discovery procedure.
- HTTP server tunneling.
- ANts allow P2P communications through any kind of HTTP Proxy.
- ANts allow P2P communications through any kind of NATNatNat or NAT may refer to:* Nat., an abbreviation for Natural* Nat , a Burmese spirit worshipped in Myanmar in conjunction with Buddhism...
or traffic filtering system. - Point-to-point encryptionEncryptionIn cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
(AESAdvanced Encryption StandardAdvanced Encryption Standard is a specification for the encryption of electronic data. It has been adopted by the U.S. government and is now used worldwide. It supersedes DES...
128 - DH 512). - End to end encryption (AESAdvanced Encryption StandardAdvanced Encryption Standard is a specification for the encryption of electronic data. It has been adopted by the U.S. government and is now used worldwide. It supersedes DES...
128 - DH 512). - Queries are encrypted asymmetrically. This means that only the originator can read the query results. Everyone can read the query string but this asymmetric approach reduces the potential of a node to do transit query analysis.
Security
The data transfers run over indirect connections: Senders and receivers of a file do not hold a direct connection with each other, but the connection cascades over several nodes, so that neither party can trivially determine the other's identity.The traffic between nodes is encrypted with AES
Advanced Encryption Standard
Advanced Encryption Standard is a specification for the encryption of electronic data. It has been adopted by the U.S. government and is now used worldwide. It supersedes DES...
, which prevents sniffing both from outsiders and from transit nodes. The encryption key exchange uses Diffie-Hellman algorithm.
ANts P2P also allows users to offer web server
Web server
Web server can refer to either the hardware or the software that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet....
s anonymously; these servers are only reachable from within the ANts P2P network. ANts P2P is however not an outproxy network which lets users reach services on the conventional internet; for this, an outproxy service such as Tor
Tor (anonymity network)
Tor is a system intended to enable online anonymity. Tor client software routes Internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer network of servers in order to conceal a user's location or usage from someone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis...
can be used separately.
See also
- Anonymous P2PAnonymous P2PAn anonymous P2P communication system is a peer-to-peer distributed application in which the nodes or participants are anonymous or pseudonymous...
- Comparison of file sharing applicationsComparison of file sharing applicationsFile sharing is a method of distributing electronically stored information such as computer programs and digital media. Below is a list of file sharing applications....
- MUTEMUTEThe MUTE Network is an unmaintained peer-to-peer file sharing network developed with anonymity in mind. The MUTE client is open source software released under the Public domain and includes support for the Linux, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows computer operating systems.-History of MUTE:MUTE was...
(similar P2P project) - I2Phex (similar P2P project)
- RShareRShareRShare is an anonymising peer-to-peer file sharing system. It offers resistance to the analysis of who downloads or shares files, with strong encryption to resist traffic sniffing...
(similar P2P project) - OneSwarmOneSwarmOneSwarm is a privacy-preserving P2P client developed at the University of Washington. Although backward compatible with traditional BitTorrent clients, OneSwarm also includes new features designed to protect user privacy when sharing data among friends through creating a distributed darknet,...
(similar P2P project)
External links
- Sourceforge ANts P2P website
- ANts P2P project summary on SourceForge.netSourceForge.netSourceForge is a web-based source code repository. It acts as a centralized location for software developers to control and manage open source software development. The website runs a version of SourceForge Enterprise Edition, forked from the last open-source version available...
- v1.5.7/0.9.4 English ANts Guide
- ANts P2P: A new approach to file sharing - Slyck news, Septembers 13, 2004. Detailed view of some technical and legal aspects of ANts P2P.