A new service for always-on, hosted Radicle nodes.
In Radicle, any repository stays online and accessible for as long as there is at least one Radicle
node seeding it.
The more nodes seeding a repository, the more resilient it becomes: with N seeders, it can
survive N-1 individual node failures. With nodes distributed across the world, this offers a
level of resilience unlike any other forge can provide.
Where, on traditional code forges, starring a repository is just a passive nod of approval, in Radicle, seeding is an active contribution to a project’s survival. This makes seeding a much stronger, more meaningful sign of support than any shiny, five-pointed endorsement symbol.
Keeping your Code Online, 24/7
Seeding is, therefore, core to the discoverability and availability of your repositories. But relying on seeding your code just from your personal laptop can only take you so far. An always-on node stays reachable even when your computer is asleep, offline, or currently digesting a spilled cup of coffee.
This is where radicle.garden comes in. We now offer always-on nodes that you don’t have to self-host!
To be clear, an always-on node is not a replacement for your local node, which you still use to sign all your work. Rather, it is an additional node that replicates the repositories you care about. Even if other community-run nodes drop offline, your projects are guaranteed to stay accessible.
And not just your own projects! If you are not ready to migrate to Radicle just yet, you can seed existing Radicle repositories. Seeding is a great way to support maintainers whose work you care about.
Convenience Without Compromise
A radicle.garden node is an extra layer of guaranteed availability that the general community cannot always provide. Importantly, it offers this resilience without the inconvenience of managing 24/7 server infrastructure yourself.
Of course, you are still very welcome to self-host your own nodes. Everything we ship is 100% open source, including the source code for radicle.garden! In fact, we encourage you to self-host as much as you can: it makes the entire network healthier and more decentralized.
Non-Profit, Not a VC-backed Startup
The core goal of the Radicle protocol remains unchanged: we are building a peer-to-peer network to host the world’s software. radicle.garden is a sustainability path to ensure we can keep evolving the protocol in the long term. It is an attempt to follow the example of other successful open source projects that have introduced optional hosted services to sustainably fund their core development.
For individuals and private projects, subscribing for a hosted node is a great way to support Radicle. The service is operated and fully owned by The Better Internet Foundation, the Swiss non-profit that oversees the development of the Radicle Protocol. Every bit of profit goes directly back into the non-profit entity to fund protocol development. This is a non-profit initiative, as open source hosting should be – not a venture capital-backed effort.
And just like our European entity, all radicle.garden nodes are also hosted in Europe. That means the service is operated end-to-end within Europe — for those who care where their code physically lives.
So, forget stars! Plant a seed, support the network, and consider radicle.garden for keeping your code always online.