INTERCOOPERATIVE NETWORK

Architecture

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ICN System Architecture Overview

Introduction

The InterCooperative Network (ICN) is a federated compute, resource, and governance protocol designed to provide a programmable, governable, and resilient digital commons. This document provides a comprehensive overview of the system architecture, component interactions, and key design principles.

Core Architectural Principles

1. Federated Design

ICN is built as a federation of autonomous nodes that can form cooperatives, communities, and larger federations. Each node maintains sovereignty while participating in the larger network.

2. Deterministic Execution

All core runtime, economic, and governance logic is designed to be deterministic, enabling verifiable computation and consistent state across the network.

3. Scoped Trust

All actions and resources are contextualized by Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) representing individuals, communities, cooperatives, or federations.

4. Explicit Governance

Network operations, resource access, and protocol evolution are controlled by explicit, versioned policies defined in the Cooperative Contract Language (CCL) and compiled to WASM.

5. Dual Economic Model

  • Mana: Regenerating capacity credits for compute metering and Sybil resistance
  • Tokenized Assets: Support for fungible and non-fungible tokens representing goods and services

System Components

Core Runtime Layer

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 ICN Node                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  HTTP API Server (icn-node)                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Host Runtime (icn-runtime)                        │
│  ┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│  │ Host ABI    │ │ Job Manager  │ │ WASM Runtime │ │
│  └─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Service Layer                                      │
│  ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │
│  │ Mesh    │ │ Economy │ │ Govern  │ │ Identity  │ │
│  └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └───────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Storage & Networking                               │
│  ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │ DAG Store   │ │ P2P Network (libp2p)           │ │
│  └─────────────┘ └─────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Service Architecture

Identity Service (icn-identity)

  • Purpose: DID management, credential verification, execution receipts
  • Key Functions:
    • DID generation and resolution
    • Cryptographic key management
    • Verifiable credential handling
    • Execution receipt creation and validation

Governance Service (icn-governance)

  • Purpose: Proposal management, voting, parameter governance
  • Key Functions:
    • Proposal lifecycle management
    • Vote collection and tallying
    • Governance parameter updates
    • Quorum and consensus enforcement

Economic Service (icn-economics)

  • Purpose: Mana management, token accounting, resource enforcement
  • Key Functions:
    • Mana regeneration and spending
    • Token transfers and accounting
    • Resource policy enforcement
    • Economic parameter management

Mesh Service (icn-mesh)

  • Purpose: Distributed job execution, executor selection, scheduling
  • Key Functions:
    • Job submission and queuing
    • Executor bidding and selection
    • Job lifecycle management
    • Fault tolerance and recovery

DAG Service (icn-dag)

  • Purpose: Content-addressed storage, receipt anchoring
  • Key Functions:
    • Block storage and retrieval
    • Content addressing via CIDs
    • DAG traversal and queries
    • Multi-backend support (memory, file, distributed)

Network Service (icn-network)

  • Purpose: P2P communication, peer discovery, message routing
  • Key Functions:
    • Peer discovery via Kademlia DHT
    • Message broadcasting via Gossipsub
    • Direct peer messaging
    • Network topology management

Data Flow Architecture

Mesh Job Execution Pipeline

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant Runtime as ICN Runtime
    participant Mesh as Mesh Service
    participant Economy as Economic Service
    participant Network as Network Service
    participant Executor as Remote Executor
    participant DAG as DAG Service

    Client->>Runtime: Submit Job via Host ABI
    Runtime->>Economy: Check Mana Balance
    Economy-->>Runtime: Mana Verified
    Runtime->>Mesh: Add Job to Queue
    Mesh->>Network: Announce Job
    Network->>Executor: Job Announcement
    Executor->>Mesh: Submit Bid
    Mesh->>Economy: Verify Executor Mana
    Economy-->>Mesh: Executor Verified
    Mesh->>Runtime: Select Executor
    Runtime->>Network: Assign Job to Executor
    Network->>Executor: Job Assignment
    Executor->>Executor: Execute Job
    Executor->>Runtime: Submit Results + Receipt
    Runtime->>DAG: Anchor Receipt
    Runtime->>Economy: Update Mana Balances
    Runtime-->>Client: Job Complete

Governance Proposal Workflow

sequenceDiagram
    participant Proposer
    participant Gov as Governance Service
    participant Network as Network Service
    participant Voter as Network Participants
    participant Economy as Economic Service

    Proposer->>Gov: Submit Proposal
    Gov->>Economy: Verify Proposer Stake
    Economy-->>Gov: Stake Verified
    Gov->>Network: Broadcast Proposal
    Network->>Voter: Proposal Notification
    Voter->>Gov: Submit Vote
    Gov->>Economy: Verify Voter Eligibility
    Economy-->>Gov: Voter Verified
    Gov->>Gov: Tally Votes
    Gov->>Gov: Apply Proposal (if passed)
    Gov->>Network: Broadcast Result

Network Architecture

Federation Topology

ICN supports a hierarchical federation model:

Federation Level 4: Global ICN
├── Federation Level 3: Regional Federations
│   ├── Federation Level 2: Cooperative Alliances  
│   │   ├── Federation Level 1: Local Cooperatives
│   │   │   ├── Community A
│   │   │   └── Community B
│   │   └── Federation Level 1: Local Cooperatives
│   │       ├── Community C
│   │       └── Community D
│   └── Federation Level 2: Cooperative Alliances
│       └── ...
└── Federation Level 3: Regional Federations
    └── ...

Node Types and Roles

Full Nodes

  • Participate in all network functions
  • Store complete DAG state
  • Provide computational resources
  • Participate in governance

Light Nodes

  • Minimal resource requirements
  • Query full nodes for data
  • Can submit jobs but cannot execute
  • Limited governance participation

Validator Nodes

  • Enhanced security and uptime requirements
  • Participate in consensus mechanisms
  • Maintain network integrity
  • Provide dispute resolution

Security Architecture

Identity and Authentication

  • DID-based Identity: Each participant has a unique DID
  • Verifiable Credentials: Capabilities and permissions via VCs
  • Cryptographic Signatures: All transactions cryptographically signed
  • Reputation System: Trust based on verifiable behavior history

Economic Security

  • Mana System: Prevents spam and resource abuse
  • Stake-based Governance: Economic incentives align with network health
  • Tokenized Assets: Enable complex economic interactions
  • Resource Metering: Accurate accounting of computational resources

Runtime Security

  • WASM Sandboxing: Isolated execution environment
  • Host ABI Controls: Limited, controlled access to node capabilities
  • Resource Limits: CPU, memory, and storage constraints
  • Code Verification: CCL policies compiled to verifiable WASM

Scalability Considerations

Horizontal Scaling

  • Mesh Distribution: Jobs distributed across available nodes
  • DAG Sharding: Large datasets split across multiple nodes
  • Federation Hierarchy: Governance distributed across federation levels

Performance Optimization

  • Async Runtime: Non-blocking I/O throughout the system
  • Efficient Serialization: Optimized data formats for network transmission
  • Local Caching: Strategic caching of frequently accessed data
  • Batch Processing: Grouping operations for efficiency

Interoperability

Protocol Standards

  • libp2p: Standard P2P networking stack
  • IPFS/IPLD: Content addressing and linking
  • W3C DIDs: Decentralized identifier standards
  • WASM: WebAssembly for portable execution

API Interfaces

  • REST API: HTTP-based node interaction
  • JSON-RPC: Structured remote procedure calls
  • WebSocket: Real-time event streaming
  • CLI Interface: Command-line tool for developers

Monitoring and Observability

Metrics Collection

  • Prometheus: Metrics aggregation and storage
  • Grafana: Visualization and alerting
  • Custom Metrics: ICN-specific performance indicators

Audit Trail

  • Execution Receipts: Verifiable proof of all operations
  • DAG Anchoring: Immutable record of network state changes
  • Event Logging: Comprehensive logging of system events

Network Health

  • Peer Connectivity: Monitor network topology health
  • Resource Utilization: Track compute and storage usage
  • Economic Metrics: Monitor mana flow and token circulation

Development and Deployment

Build System

  • Cargo Workspace: Modular Rust crate organization
  • CI/CD Pipeline: Automated testing and deployment
  • Cross-platform: Support for multiple operating systems

Configuration Management

  • Environment Variables: Runtime configuration
  • Config Files: Structured configuration management
  • Feature Flags: Gradual feature rollout

Testing Strategy

  • Unit Tests: Individual component testing
  • Integration Tests: Cross-component interaction testing
  • End-to-End Tests: Complete workflow testing
  • Property-based Testing: Automated test case generation

Future Architecture Considerations

Planned Enhancements

  • Advanced Sharding: Improved data distribution strategies
  • Cross-chain Interoperability: Bridge to other blockchain networks
  • Enhanced Privacy: Zero-knowledge proofs and privacy-preserving protocols
  • Machine Learning: Distributed ML training and inference

Research Areas

  • Consensus Mechanisms: Exploring alternatives to current approaches
  • Quantum Resistance: Preparing for quantum computing threats
  • Edge Computing: Optimizing for edge device participation
  • Environmental Impact: Reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint

This architecture provides a solid foundation for a decentralized, cooperative digital commons while maintaining flexibility for future evolution and enhancement.