I2P

What is I2P?

I2P, a network layer dedicated to facilitating anonymous peer-to-peer communications, originated as a derivative of Freenet but has since distinguished itself as a unique project with its own objectives. Recent years have seen I2P achieve stable versions and widespread deployment, with its contributors keen on further broadening its adoption and enhancing network density.

At the heart of I2P’s design is end-to-end encryption through garlic routing, incorporating four layers of encryption for message transmission. Even the communication endpoints are cryptographic identifiers, eliminating the need for either sender or receiver to disclose their IP addresses, thereby ensuring the privacy and security of the exchange.

I2P supports a variety of traditional internet services, including email, IRC, file sharing, web hosting, and HTTP. It has attracted privacy-conscious developers interested in leveraging I2P for traditional distributed applications by cloaking web traffic using proxy networks or DNS, building on I2P’s foundation for creating censorship-resistant and anonymous communication layers.

The network employs 2048-bit ElGamal/AES256/SHA256+Session Tags encryption and Ed25519 EdDSA/ECDSA signatures for security. I2P’s development team operates under pseudonyms, with the project’s funding coming solely from donations. Initial support from entities like the Open Technology Fund played a significant role in enhancing I2P’s usability and recognition. However, compared to the Tor Project, I2P has attracted a relatively smaller circle of financial backers.