Fabric

Notice: use of Fabric in production is not recommended in its current state. Please wait for an official release before deploying.

Fabric is a research project intent on discovering the best means for developing secure, decentralized applications that benefit humanity in its relentless pursuit of truth.

We're designing next-generation technologies that solve the most fundamental challenges in society, ranging from economic oppression and institutional violence to the efficient distribution of cat photos and dank memes.

Getting Started

To install Fabric, ensure node -v >= 8.0.0 and npm i FabricLabs/fabric into whichever repository you intend to publish.

Available Commands

npm run cli provides a direct command-line interface to the Fabric network.
npm run docs creates a local HTTP server for browsing documentation.
npm run examples creates a local HTTP server for interacting with examples.
npm start creates a local Fabric node.

Using as a Library

Fabric exposes a constructor with several components which are convenient for including in your existing applications. Convenient functions exist for common frameworks such as React and Angular.

Simple Example

const Fabric = require('fabric');
const service = new Fabric();

service now contains a full instance of Fabric, including GET and SET methods for storing and retrieving documents. Use npm run examples to see more.

Why?

Legacy systems are constantly failing, resulting in the loss of some really cool things! Some are rushing to save the good stuff, from content (see the great folks at Archive.org) to infrastructure and even the applications themselves. When systems fail, they often take value with them as collateral damage. Fabric is an attempt at solving this problem.

It's more than content — it's how we approach it, too. Society has a complex relationship with technology, and a good technology is an extension of our humanity. A great technology is one that improves our humanity. If we're designing systems that must be saved, how can we change our approach so that they survive on their own?

It turns out our technology has been designed around old paradigms, and in some cases it wasn't the best idea or design that "won". Some parts of the world's most important infrastructure (the Internet) are incredibly vulnerable, and in some cases even directly endanger people's lives.

It's time we started building software that is secure by default, made widely available (especially to those in need), and empowering in a deeply personal way.

Who are we?

We're the people behind projects like the Maki application framework, the DECENTRALIZE podcast, and the Bitcoin Strategy Group. Our community comes from all around the globe, but we've all been connected by a powerful technology like none before: the Internet. We want to protect the value that the Internet offers society.

Our Approach

We believe that secure decentralized systems play an essential role in creating the trust necessary for a future society to rely on infrastructure that operates outside of their direct control. We believe that for such a society to exist, the default mode should be local, wherein the user is most empowered to effect change.

We believe in the power of the people to create better things in collaboration, and have ideas about general improvements to quality of life that derive from the mathematical quality of superadditivity. "A sum greater than its parts" is the famous anecdote, a feeling often evoked upon observing the beauty in coordination.

We believe that collaboration begins with the author, who has the power to publish their own content and right to benefit from its use. Intermediaries offering little or no value should be removed, and efficiencies gained.

Other Fabrics

Several other projects have used the name Fabric, as it's a great way to describe a network of things, conjuring feelings of nets and webs. Here are some links to them, as they offer some interesting things completely unrelated to our goals.

Fabric python project (#fabric on Freenode)
Fabric application framework by Twitter (ours is called Maki)

Learning More

The best place to get started is in the #learning community, a collection of empassioned educators eager to help you.

Getting Involved

Fabric is an open-source project, meaning we rely on volunteer time to develop and maintain our initiative. We collect donations through a publicly-auditable system (hint, it's Bitcoin!), but the most valuable thing you can do right now is to participate in the conversation, and if you're so inclined — consider contributing some code!

Developers, head on over to #development to dive straight in. We've got a lot of cool things to build, so please come help. :)

Donations

Bitcoin donations may be sent to 3Nc9HqZdfQR7W6c1JN926Rc7vU6eT1wxxn, or perhaps even set up a recurring donation through Gratipay.

Elsewhere

We love social media. Connect and chat with us.

melnx/fabric