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README.md

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+# Dendrite
+
+Dendrite will be a matrix homeserver written in go.
+
+# Design
+
+ * 
+
+
+## Log Based Architecture
+
+### Decomposition and Decoupling
+
+A matrix homeserver can be built around append-only event logs built from the
+messages, receipts, presence, typing notifications, device messages and other
+events sent by users on the homeservers or by other homeservers.
+
+The server would then decompose into two categories: writers that add new
+entries to the logs and readers that read those entries.
+
+The event logs then serve to decouple the two components, the writers and
+readers need only agree on the format of the entries in the event log.
+This format could be largely dervived from the wire format of the events used
+in the client and federation protocols:
+
+
+     C-S API   +---------+    Event Log    +---------+   C-S API
+    ---------> |         |+  (e.g. kafka)  |         |+ --------->
+               | Writers || =============> | Readers ||
+    ---------> |         ||                |         || --------->
+     S-S API   +---------+|                +---------+|   S-S API
+                +---------+                 +---------+
+
+However the way matrix handles state events in a room creates a few
+complications for this model.
+
+ 1) Writers require the room state at an event to check if it is allowed.
+ 2) Readers require the room state at an event to determine the users and
+    servers that are allowed to see the event.
+ 3) A client can query the current state of the room from a reader.
+
+The writers and readers cannot extract the necessary information directly from
+the event logs because it would take to long to extract the information as the
+state is built up by collecting individual state events from the event history.
+
+The writers and readers therefore need access to something that stores copies
+of the event state in a form that can be efficiently queried. One possibility
+would be for the readers and writers to maintain copies of the current state
+in local databases. A second possibility would be to add a dedicated component
+that maintained the state of the room and exposed an API that the readers and
+writers could query to get the state. The second has the advantage that the
+state is calculated and stored in a single location.
+
+
+     C-S API   +---------+    Log   +--------+   Log   +---------+   C-S API
+    ---------> |         |+ ======> |        | ======> |         |+ --------->
+               | Writers ||         |  Room  |         | Readers ||
+    ---------> |         || <------ | Server | ------> |         || --------->
+     S-S API   +---------+|  Query  |        |  Query  +---------+|  S-S API
+                +---------+         +--------+          +---------+
+
+
+The room server can annotate the events it logs to the readers with room state
+so that the readers can avoid querying the room server unnecessarily.
+
+[This architecture can be extended to cover most of the APIs.](WIRING.md)
+
+# TODO
+
+ - [ ] gomatrixlib
+   - [x] Canonical JSON.
+   - [x] Signed JSON.
+   - [ ] Event hashing.
+   - [ ] Event signing.
+   - [x] Federation server discovery.
+   - [x] Federation key lookup.
+   - [ ] Federation request signing.
+   - [x] Event authentication.
+   - [ ] Event visibility.
+   - [ ] State resolution.
+   - [ ] Third party invites authentication.
+ - [ ] Room Server
+   - [ ] Inputing new events from logs.
+   - [ ] Inputing backfilled events from logs.
+   - [ ] Outputing events and current state to logs.
+   - [ ] Querying state at an event.
+   - [ ] Querying current forward extremities and state.
+   - [ ] Querying message history.
+   - [ ] Exporting/importing messages from other servers.
+   - [ ] Other Room Server stuff.
+ - [ ] Client Room Send
+   - [ ] Handling /client/r0/room/... HTTP PUTs
+   - [ ] Talk to remote servers for joins to remote servers.
+   - [ ] Outputting new events to logs.
+   - [ ] Updating the last active time in presence.
+   - [ ] Other Client Room Send stuff.
+ - [ ] Client Sync
+   - [ ] Inputing new room events and state from the logs.
+   - [ ] Handling /client/r0/sync HTTP GETs
+   - [ ] Outputing whether the client is syncing to the logs.
+   - [ ] Other Client Sync Stuff.
+ - [ ] Other Components.