Distributed Package Manager (DPM) is an innovative technology solution designed to leverage existing pull-through package caching registries, such as dev-pi and Docker's distribution, and supercharge their efficiency by introducing localized caching.
This project aims to significantly speed up the development process, reduce latency, and improve the overall accessibility of packages for developers worldwide. DPM achieves these objectives by caching all packages locally, thereby reducing the need to continuously fetch commonly used packages from global registries.
But DPM is not just a local package caching service. The real novelty of DPM lies in its unique integration with Matrix, a decentralized communication protocol. Each DPM instance can join a Matrix room, which acts as a mirror for a specific project's dependencies. In these rooms, participants broadcast their presence, the packages they possess, and updates to those packages.
Furthermore, each advertisement includes an IPFS compatible libp2p peer identifier. This means an IPFS node can directly connect with the advertising participant to request specific CIDs (Content Identifiers). The use of IPFS compatible libp2p peer identifiers helps ensure efficient and secure content distribution without relying on a central server.
Through the strategic use of caching, distributed communication, and peer-to-peer content sharing protocols, DPM presents a unique solution to speed up and streamline the process of package management and distribution in the era of distributed systems. This project represents a significant stride toward creating more efficient, reliable, and accessible package distribution channels, fostering greater cooperation and productivity among developers worldwide.