[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/gun)
[](https://travis-ci.org/amark/gun)
[](https://app.fossa.io/projects/git%2Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Famark%2Fgun?ref=badge_shield)
[](https://gitter.im/amark/gun)
[](https://www.jsdelivr.com/package/npm/gun)
**GUN** is an _ecosystem_ of tools that let you build tomorrow's dApps, today.
Decentralized alternatives to [Reddit](https://notabug.io/t/whatever/comments/36588a16b9008da4e3f15663c2225e949eca4a15/gpu-bot-test), [YouTube](https://d.tube/), [Wikipedia](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17685682), etc. are already pushing terabytes of daily P2P traffic on GUN. We are a [friendly community](https://gitter.im/amark/gun) creating a free fun future for freedom:
The ecosystem is one nice stack of technologies that looks like this:
For now, it is best to start with GUN and _just use it_ to learn the basics, since it is _**so easy**_: (**or** want to read more? Skip ahead to the "[What is GUN?](#what-is-gun)" section.)
## Quickstart
- Try the [interactive tutorial](https://gun.eco/docs/Todo-Dapp) in the browser (**5min** ~ average developer).
- Or `npm install gun` and run the examples with `cd node_modules/gun && npm start` (**5min** ~ average developer).
> **Note:** If you don't have [node](http://nodejs.org/) or [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/), read [this](https://github.com/amark/gun/blob/master/examples/install.sh) first.
> If the `npm` command line didn't work, you may need to `mkdir node_modules` first or use `sudo`.
- An online demo of the examples are available here: http://gunjs.herokuapp.com/
- Or write a quick app: ([try now in jsbin](http://jsbin.com/sovihaveso/edit?js,console))
```html
```
- Or try something **mind blowing**, like saving circular references to a table of documents! ([play](http://jsbin.com/wefozepume/edit?js,console))
```javascript
var cat = {name: "Fluffy", species: "kitty"};
var mark = {boss: cat};
cat.slave = mark;
// partial updates merge with existing data!
gun.get('mark').put(mark);
// access the data as if it is a document.
gun.get('mark').get('boss').get('name').once(function(data, key){
// `val` grabs the data once, no subscriptions.
console.log("Mark's boss is", data);
});
// traverse a graph of circular references!
gun.get('mark').get('boss').get('slave').once(function(data, key){
console.log("Mark is the slave!", data);
});
// add both of them to a table!
gun.get('list').set(gun.get('mark').get('boss'));
gun.get('list').set(gun.get('mark'));
// grab each item once from the table, continuously:
gun.get('list').map().once(function(data, key){
console.log("Item:", data);
});
// live update the table!
gun.get('list').set({type: "cucumber", goal: "scare cat"});
```
Want to keep building more? **Jump to [THE DOCUMENTATION](#documentation)!**
# What is GUN?
First & foremost, GUN is **a community of the nicest and most helpful people** out there. So [I want to invite you](https://gitter.im/amark/gun) to come tell us about what **you** are working on & wanting to build (new or old school alike! Just be nice as well.) and ask us your questions directly. :)
On that note, let's get some official shout outs covered first:
### Support
Thanks to:
Robert Heessels,
Lorenzo Mangani,
NLnet Foundation,
Sam Liu,
Daniel Dombrowsky,
Vincent Woo,
AJ ONeal,
Bill Ottman,
Mike Lange,
Sean Matheson,
Alan Mimms,
Dário Freire,
John Williamson,
Robin Bron
- Join others in sponsoring code: https://www.patreon.com/gunDB !
- Ask questions: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/gun ?
- Found a bug? Report at: https://github.com/amark/gun/issues ;
- **Need help**? Chat with us: https://gitter.im/amark/gun .
### History
[GUN](https://gun.eco) was created by [Mark Nadal](https://twitter.com/marknadal) in 2014 after he had spent 4 years trying to get his collaborative web app to scale up with traditional databases.
After he realized [Master-Slave database architecture causes one big bottleneck](https://gun.eco/distributed/matters.html), he (as a complete newbie outsider) naively decided **to question the status quo** and shake things up with controversial, heretical, and contrarian experiments:
**The NoDB** - no master, no servers, no "single source of truth", not built with a real programming language or real hardware, no DevOps, no locking, not *just* SQL or NoSQL but both (**all** - graphs, documents, tables, key/value).
The goal was to build a P2P database that could survive living inside **any** browser, and could correctly sync data between **any** device after assuming **any** offline-first activity.
Technically, **GUN is a graph synchronization protocol** with a *lightweight embedded engine*, capable of doing *[20M+ API ops/sec](https://gun.eco/docs/Performance)* in **just ~9KB gzipped size**.
## Documentation
This would not be possible without **community contributors**, big shout out to:
**[ajmeyghani](https://github.com/ajmeyghani) ([Learn GUN Basics with Diagrams](https://medium.com/@ajmeyghani/gundb-a-graph-database-in-javascript-3860a08d873c))**; **[anywhichway](https://github.com/anywhichway) ([Block Storage](https://github.com/anywhichway/gun-block))**; **[beebase](https://github.com/beebase) ([Quasar](https://github.com/beebase/gun-vuex-quasar))**; **[BrockAtkinson](https://github.com/BrockAtkinson) ([brunch config](https://github.com/BrockAtkinson/brunch-gun))**; **[Brysgo](https://github.com/brysgo) ([GraphQL](https://github.com/brysgo/graphql-gun))**; **[d3x0r](https://github.com/d3x0r) ([SQLite](https://github.com/d3x0r/gun-db))**; **[forrestjt](https://github.com/forrestjt) ([file.js](https://github.com/amark/gun/blob/master/lib/file.js))**; **[hillct](https://github.com/hillct) (Docker)**; **[JosePedroDias](https://github.com/josepedrodias) ([graph visualizer](http://acor.sl.pt:9966))**; **[JuniperChicago](https://github.com/JuniperChicago) ([cycle.js bindings](https://github.com/JuniperChicago/cycle-gun))**; **[jveres](https://github.com/jveres) ([todoMVC](https://github.com/jveres/todomvc))**; **[kristianmandrup](https://github.com/kristianmandrup) ([edge](https://github.com/kristianmandrup/gun-edge))**; **[Lightnet](https://github.com/Lightnet)** ([Awesome Vue User Examples](https://glitch.com/edit/#!/jsvuegunui?path=README.md:1:0) & [User Kitchen Sink Playground](https://gdb-auth-vue-node.glitch.me/)); **[lmangani](https://github.com/lmangani) ([Cytoscape Visualizer](https://github.com/lmangani/gun-scape), [Cassandra](https://github.com/lmangani/gun-cassandra), [Fastify](https://github.com/lmangani/fastify-gundb), [LetsEncrypt](https://github.com/lmangani/polyGun-letsencrypt))**; **[mhelander](https://github.com/mhelander) ([SEA](https://github.com/amark/gun/blob/master/sea.js))**; [omarzion](https://github.com/omarzion) ([Sticky Note App](https://github.com/omarzion/stickies)); [PsychoLlama](https://github.com/PsychoLlama) ([LevelDB](https://github.com/PsychoLlama/gun-level)); **[RangerMauve](https://github.com/RangerMauve) ([schema](https://github.com/gundb/gun-schema))**; **[robertheessels](https://github.com/swifty) ([gun-p2p-auth](https://github.com/swifty/gun-p2p-auth))**; **[rogowski](https://github.com/rogowski) (AXE)**; [sbeleidy](https://github.com/sbeleidy); **[sbiaudet](https://github.com/sbiaudet) ([C# Port](https://github.com/sbiaudet/cs-gun))**; **[Sean Matheson](https://github.com/ctrlplusb) ([Observable/RxJS/Most.js bindings](https://github.com/ctrlplusb/gun-most))**; **[Shadyzpop](https://github.com/Shadyzpop) ([React Native example](https://github.com/amark/gun/tree/master/examples/react-native))**; **[sjones6](https://github.com/sjones6) ([Flint](https://github.com/sjones6/gun-flint))**; **[Stefdv](https://github.com/stefdv) (Polymer/web components)**; **[zrrrzzt](https://github.com/zrrrzzt) ([JWT Auth](https://gist.github.com/zrrrzzt/6f88dc3cedee4ee18588236756d2cfce))**; **[xmonader](https://github.com/xmonader) ([Python Port](https://github.com/xmonader/pygundb))**; **[88dev](https://github.com/88dev) ([Database Viewer](https://github.com/88dev/gun-show))**;
I am missing many others, apologies, will be adding them soon!
## Testing
Tests may be run with `npm test`. Tests will trigger persistent writes to the DB, so subsequent runs of the test will fail. You must clear the DB before running the tests again. This can be done by running the following command in the project directory.
```bash
rm -rf *data*
```
### Additional Cryptography Libraries
To install with npm, first install `npm install gun -S`.
For just the networking layer, import Gun:
```javascript
var Gun = require('gun/gun');
```
If you also need to install SEA for user auth and crypto, also install some of its dependencies like this:
`npm install @trust/crypto text-encoding node-webcrypto-ossl --save`
You will need to require it too (it will be automatically added to the Gun object):
```javascript
var Gun = require('gun/gun');
var Sea = require('gun/sea');
```
## Deploy
To quickly spin up a Gun test server for your development team, utilize either [Heroku](http://heroku.com) or [Docker](http://docker.com) or any variant thereof [Dokku](http://dokku.viewdocs.io/dokku/), [Flynn.io](http://flynn.io), [now.sh](https://zeit.co/now), etc. !
### [Heroku](https://www.heroku.com/)
[](https://heroku.com/deploy?template=https://github.com/amark/gun)
Or:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/amark/gun.git
cd gun
heroku create
git push -f heroku HEAD:master
```
Then visit the URL in the output of the 'heroku create' step, in a browser.
### [Now.sh](https://zeit.co/now/)
```bash
npm install -g now
now --npm amark/gun
```
Then visit the URL in the output of the 'now --npm' step, in your browser.
### [Docker](https://www.docker.com/)
[](https://hub.docker.com/r/gundb/gun/) [](https://microbadger.com/images/gundb/gun "Get your own image badge on microbadger.com") [](https://hub.docker.com/r/gundb/gun/) [](https://hub.docker.com/r/gundb/gun/)
Pull from the [Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/r/gundb/gun/) [](https://microbadger.com/images/gundb/gun). Or:
```bash
docker run -p 8765:8765 gundb/gun
```
Or build the [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/installation/) image locally:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/amark/gun.git
cd gun
docker build -t myrepo/gundb:v1 .
docker run -p 8765:8765 myrepo/gundb:v1
```
Or, if you prefer your Docker image with metadata labels (Linux/Mac only):
```bash
npm run docker
docker run -p 8765:8765 username/gun:git
```
Then visit [http://localhost:8765](http://localhost:8765) in your browser.
## License
Designed with ♥ by Mark Nadal, the GUN team, and many amazing contributors.
Openly licensed under [Zlib / MIT / Apache 2.0](https://github.com/amark/gun/blob/master/LICENSE.md).
[](https://app.fossa.io/projects/git%2Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Famark%2Fgun?ref=badge_large)
[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQAtpf-zi9Pp4__2nToOM8g) . [Twitter](https://twitter.com/marknadal)
