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amark/gun

A JavaScript graph-sync engine and toolkit for building decentralized, offline-first, end-to-end encrypted apps that sync peer to peer.

Open-source alternative to:Firebase

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Last commit
7 days ago

What is it?

GUN is an ecosystem of tools for building community-run, encrypted applications, positioned as an open source alternative to backends like Firebase. It stores data as a graph of key/value nodes that can represent documents, tables and other structures, and syncs changes in realtime between peers without a central master server.

Applications run in the browser or in Node.js, and the library works offline, merging updates when devices reconnect. Its ecosystem includes SEA for user authentication and encryption, a relay peer that can be deployed with Docker, Heroku or a Linux install script, and bindings and examples for frameworks such as React, Vue, Svelte and Electron.

The project is built around CRDT-based conflict resolution, and the README describes the core library as a lightweight embedded engine of about 9KB gzipped.

Key features

  • 01Realtime peer-to-peer state synchronization between clients.
  • 02Graph data model that supports key/value, tables and documents.
  • 03Offline-first operation with automatic merging when reconnecting.
  • 04End-to-end encryption and user auth through the SEA module.
  • 05Relay peer deployment via Docker, Heroku, or a Linux install script.

Use cases

  • Building collaborative or multiplayer web apps that keep working offline.
  • Prototyping a serverless or decentralized backend in JavaScript.
  • Creating encrypted, user-owned data stores for personal or community apps.
  • Running self-hosted relay peers for a development team.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install the package with npm

    npm install gun
  2. 2

    Run the bundled examples from the package folder

    cd node_modules/gun && npm start

Things to know

  • The license is listed as NOASSERTION, so check the repository's license terms before use.
  • The README does not state a stable release, so expect possible changes between versions.

Topics

#p2p#database#decentralized#crdt#offline-first#end-to-end-encryption#realtime#javascript#artificial-intelligence#big-data

FAQ

What is gun?
A JavaScript graph-sync engine and toolkit for building decentralized, offline-first, end-to-end encrypted apps that sync peer to peer. GUN is an ecosystem of tools for building community-run, encrypted applications, positioned as an open source alternative to backends like Firebase. It stores data as a graph of key/value nodes that can represent documents, tables and other structures, and syncs changes in realtime between peers without a central master server.
Is gun free to use? What license does it have?
gun is open source under the Other license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is gun still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to gun was on Oct 15, 2026.
What can I use gun for?
Building collaborative or multiplayer web apps that keep working offline. Prototyping a serverless or decentralized backend in JavaScript. Creating encrypted, user-owned data stores for personal or community apps. Running self-hosted relay peers for a development team.
How do I install gun?
Install the package with npm: npm install gun Run the bundled examples from the package folder: cd node_modules/gun && npm start
Where can I get gun?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/amark/gun

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

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