The protocol splits files into fixed-size segments called ants, 512KB by default. Each ant is individually hashed. A manifest file with the .antor extension records the complete structure: total size, overall digest, protocol version, and an ordered list of each ant with its position and hash. This manifest serves as the authoritative reference for both distribution and reassembly.
When a node requests a file, it first contacts known custodians to obtain the manifest. Once the manifest is verified, parallel retrieval begins across multiple sources, up to four concurrent transfers by default. Each arriving ant is validated against its recorded hash before acceptance. If validation fails, the ant is discarded and requested from a different source. Failed transfers retry after a timeout interval.
The protocol includes several protective layers. All message exchanges use authenticated encryption based on a shared secret derived from the sender's private key and the recipient's public key via elliptic-curve Diffie-Hellman. Access control operates at the file level. Content can be marked as local only, meaning it will only be shared with peers explicitly approved by the node operator. For local only files, even the manifest is withheld unless the requester appears in this approval list.
Files integrate with the broader knowledge graph through metadata relons stored in the hypergraph. Content hashes and manifest references become discoverable via hypergraph queries, so searching for documents related to a topic returns both references and the means to retrieve the actual files from peers who hold them.
Storage is organized into segregated directories on each annode: `a2a_neurons` for shared content, `a2a_cache` for temporary data, and `a2a_localonly` for private files.
Some things worth discussing:
- How ant splitting and reassembly works
- The manifest structure and what it contains
- Encryption and authentication between peers
- Access control and the local only designation
- How files become discoverable through the hypergraph
- Performance considerations for different file sizes
- How Antor interacts with the Alt Data Network
- The relationship between Antor and the peer messaging layer
- Use cases for private file sharing among authorized participants
- How the protocol handles failed transfers and retries
Take a look at the paper titled "ANTOR: A Secure Peer-to-Peer File Transfer Protocol for the ANNE Network" available at https://anne.media/antor-peer-to-peer-f ... r-protocol for further insights and share your findings.