Aster

Aster is a peer-to-peer SDK for typed RPC, streaming, and shared data. It connects
services by peer identity and uses Iroh for QUIC
connections, NAT traversal, and relay fallback. Applications can define who may
connect and which methods a caller may use.

It is useful when services run on devices or networks where maintaining a public
address for every service is impractical. A connection can cross network
boundaries while the application keeps its service contracts and authorization
rules. Direct connections depend on network conditions; relays provide a fallback.

The current public preview is 0.3.893. APIs may change before general
availability. See known limitations before adopting it.

Documentation: concepts, tutorials, and API reference.
First service: Python and TypeScript setup.
Rust guide: the native Rust API.
Public packages: versioned preview downloads.

Language support

Rust, Python, TypeScript, Java, .NET, and Go use the shared Rust engine. RPC
payloads use Apache Fory; matching service contracts
allow callers and servers to use different languages.

Language	Preview distribution
Rust	Source crates in the public Aster Cargo registry
Python	Platform wheels and a source archive on Forgejo
TypeScript	Packages in the Forgejo npm registry
Java	Packages in the Forgejo Maven registry
.NET	Packages in the Forgejo NuGet registry
Go	Binding tested from source; a standalone public Go module is not yet available

The current tutorials focus on Python and TypeScript. More language examples
will be added separately. Kotlin is not a separately qualified binding in this preview.

Install the preview

Version 0.3.893 is available from Forgejo without a token. This version was not
published to PyPI or npmjs.org; an unqualified install from those registries may
select an older release.

Python

Download a wheel for your platform from the
0.3.893 Python package.
Wheels are available for Linux x86-64 and ARM64, macOS Apple Silicon, and Windows x64.

For example, on macOS Apple Silicon, create a virtual environment with
uv and install the wheel directly:

uv venv
uv pip install https://forge.emrul.dev/api/packages/Aster/generic/aster-python/0.3.893/aster_rpc-0.3.893-cp39-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
uv run python -c 'import aster; print(aster.__version__)'

For another platform, use its wheel from the package page. The package also
provides SHA256SUMS for checking downloaded files.

TypeScript

Add the Aster registry to your project's .npmrc:

@aster-rpc:registry=https://forge.emrul.dev/api/packages/Aster/npm/

Then install the preview:

npm install @aster-rpc/[email protected]

The scoped registry setting leaves other npm dependencies on your existing
registry. Follow the TypeScript build setup
for decorators and generated type metadata.

Rust

Add the registry to .cargo/config.toml:

[registries.aster]
index = "sparse+https://forge.emrul.dev/api/packages/Aster/cargo/"

Then add Aster to Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
aster = { version = "=0.3.893", registry = "aster", features = ["rpc"] }

Commit your application's Cargo.lock. The
Rust consumer guide covers Fory payload derives,
optional features, and direct access to the native dependencies.

Java and .NET

The public package catalogue
provides Maven and NuGet packages for 0.3.893. Use the registry configuration
shown with the package. The .NET binding also depends on
Apache.Fory version 1.7.6-aster.1 from the same Forgejo NuGet feed.

Try a service

Start with the first-service tutorial.
For streaming, sessions, authorization, and cross-language clients, continue to
Mission Control.

The repository includes examples under examples/python/,
examples/typescript/, and examples/rust/. The tutorials explain the setup and
credentials each example needs.

Architecture

Application APIs call the shared Rust engine. Rust applications use the aster
crate; foreign-language bindings bridge into Rust through PyO3, NAPI-RS, or the
C ABI. The engine manages transport, RPC dispatch, and shared services.

Layer	Responsibility
Language APIs	Typed services, clients, and language-specific async interfaces
RPC	Contract identity, payload framing, deadlines, and streaming
Authorization	Peer admission and permissions for service calls
Iroh transport	Peer connections, NAT traversal, and relay fallback

The architecture reference
and trust model describe the
configuration and boundaries of these layers.

Working on the SDK

The workspace contains the aster Rust facade, shared code in core/,
foreign-language APIs in bindings/, the C ABI in ffi/, and tests in tests/.
Some binding sources are not yet included in the public source mirror; use the
published packages when evaluating the preview.

For a complete development checkout, use the Rust toolchain pinned by
rust-toolchain.toml and follow CONTRIBUTING.md. Released Rust
applications use the registry configuration above; they do not need the
workspace's fork patches.

License

Apache License 2.0.