About NCN Network

Decentralized AI Inference Network

A decentralized network for distributed AI model inference with blockchain-based payments, validator consensus, and sandboxed execution.

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What is NCN Network?

NCN Network v2 is a decentralized infrastructure for running AI model inference at scale. It connects clients who need AI inference with compute providers who have GPU resources, coordinated through gateway operators and secured by validator consensus.

Key Features

• Decentralized Inference: Run AI models across a distributed network of compute providers

• Blockchain Payments: Pay-per-inference with transparent fee distribution

• Validator Consensus: M-of-N validator signatures ensure fair computation

• Sandboxed Execution: Secure model execution with OS-level isolation

• Subnet Model Distribution: Gateway operators create subnets with curated models

• Multi-Protocol Support: gRPC, HTTP REST, and WebSocket interfaces

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Quick Start

Get up and running in 5 minutes:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/neurochainai/ncn-network-v2-rs.git
cd ncn-network-v2-rs

# Build all components
cargo build --release

# Start the P2P Registry
cargo run --bin p2p_registry_node

# Start the Gateway (new terminal)
cd gateway_node && cp env.example .env
cargo run --bin gateway_node

# Start a Compute Node (new terminal)
cargo run --bin compute_node -- \
  --gateway-addr http://127.0.0.1:50051 \
  --model-path ./models

# Run the test client (new terminal)
cargo run --bin test_client

For detailed setup instructions, see the Getting Started Guide.

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Architecture Overview

┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌───────────────┐
│   Clients   │────▶│  Gateway Nodes  │────▶│ Compute Nodes │
└─────────────┘     └────────┬────────┘     └───────────────┘
                             │
                    ┌────────▼────────┐
                    │   P2P Registry  │
                    │   (Validators)  │
                    └────────┬────────┘
                             │
                    ┌────────▼────────┐
                    │   Blockchain    │
                    │   (Arbitrum)    │
                    └─────────────────┘

Components

Component	Role	Documentation
Gateway Node	Routes requests, manages payments	Gateway Docs
Compute Node	Executes AI models in sandboxes	Compute Docs
P2P Registry	Validator network for consensus	Registry Docs
Smart Contracts	On-chain payment coordination	Contract Docs

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Documentation Sections

Getting Started

• Quick Start Guide - Get running in 5 minutes

• Key Concepts - Core terminology and concepts

• Use Cases - Real-world applications

Architecture

• System Overview - High-level design

• Payment Flow - Blockchain integration

• Validation & Consensus - Validator mechanism

• Security Model - Security architecture

Component Deep Dives

• Gateway Node - Request routing and payments

• Compute Node - Model execution

• P2P Registry - Service discovery

• Smart Contracts - On-chain logic

Guides

• Development Setup - Local development

• Docker Deployment - Container deployment

• Running a Gateway - Gateway operation

• Running a Compute Node - Compute operation

Reference

• API Reference - Complete API documentation

• Configuration - All configuration options

• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

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System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Component	CPU	RAM	Storage	Network
Gateway Node	2 cores	4 GB	50 GB	100 Mbps
Compute Node	4 cores	8 GB	100 GB	100 Mbps
P2P Registry	2 cores	4 GB	50 GB	100 Mbps

Software Requirements

• Rust: 1.70+

• Python: 3.8+ (for model execution)

• Git: 2.0+

• Docker: 20.10+ (optional)

Supported Platforms

• Linux (recommended for production)

• macOS (development)

• Windows (experimental)

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Network Configurations

Testnet (Forknet)

Setting	Value
RPC URL	https://testnet-rpc-1.forknet.io
Chain ID	828
Contract	0x4361115359E5C0a25c9b2f8Bb71184F010b768ea
Token	0x38E2565e8905BeAf83C34b266592465C22A2f108

Local Development

Service	Default Port
Gateway gRPC	50051
Gateway HTTP	8080
Gateway WebSocket	9000
P2P Registry gRPC	50050
P2P Registry P2P	8828

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Project Status

Metric	Value
Completion	85%
Lines of Code	18,000+
Test Coverage	78%
Components	4 services + CLI

Completed Features ✅

• Blockchain-based payment system

• Validator consensus mechanism

• Sandboxed model execution (seccomp, namespaces, Landlock)

• Subnet-based model distribution

• Gateway CLI for subnet management

• gRPC/HTTP/WebSocket support

• Prometheus metrics

In Progress 🚧

• Model auto-downloader (Phase 11)

• Integration testing (Phase 12)

• Production deployment (Phase 13)

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Getting Help

• Troubleshooting Guide - Common issues and solutions

• FAQ - Frequently asked questions

• GitHub Issues - Bug reports and feature requests

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Contributing

We welcome contributions! See our Contributing Guide for:

• Code Style Guidelines

• Pull Request Process

• Documentation Guidelines

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License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

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Built with Rust, Solidity, and Python