+
+

Using Git Over Reticulum

+

A set of utilities for distributed collaborative software development and publishing is included in RNS.

+

The system consists of two parts: The rngit node that hosts repositories, and the git-remote-rns helper that enables Git to communicate with rngit nodes. As soon as you have RNS installed on your system, you can transparently use Git with Reticulum-hosted repositories just like any other type of remote. Git over Reticulum uses URLs in the following format: rns://DESTINATION_HASH/group/repo.

+

If you set a branch to track a Reticulum remote as the default upstream, you can simply use git as you normally would; all commands work transparently and as expected.

+
+

Warning

+

The rngit program is a new addition to RNS! This functionality was introduced in RNS 1.2.0. While great care has been taken to design a secure, but highly configurable and flexible permission system for allowing many users to interact with many different repositories on a single node, rngit has not been tested extensively in the wild! Be careful when hosting repositories, especially if they are public or semi-public.

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+
+

The rngit Utility

+

The rngit utility provides full Git repository hosting and interaction over Reticulum. It allows you to host and manage Git repositories and releases on Reticulum nodes, and to interact with remote repositories using standard Git commands through the rns:// URL scheme.

+

Usage Examples

+

Run rngit to start a repository node:

+
$ rngit
+
+[Notice] Starting Reticulum Git Node...
+[Notice] Reticulum Git Node listening on <0d7334d411d00120cbad24edf355fdd2>
+
+
+

On the first run, rngit will create a default configuration file. You will then need to edit this, to point to your repository locations, configure access permissions, and perform any other necessary configuration.

+

View your identity and destination hashes:

+
$ rngit --print-identity
+
+Git Peer Identity         : <959e10e5efc1bd9d97a4083babe51dea>
+Repository Node Identity  : <153cb870b4665b8c1c348896292b0bad>
+Repositories Destination  : <0d7334d411d00120cbad24edf355fdd2>
+
+
+

If the page server is enabled, the output will also include the Nomad Network destination hash.

+

You can run rngit in service mode with logging to file:

+
$ rngit -s
+
+
+

Clone a repository from a remote rngit node:

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$ git clone rns://50824b711717f97c2fb1166ceddd5ea9/public/myrepo
+
+
+

Add a Reticulum remote to an existing repository:

+
$ git remote add some_remote rns://50824b711717f97c2fb1166ceddd5ea9/public/myrepo
+
+
+

Push changes to the Reticulum remote:

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$ git push some_remote master
+
+
+

Get changes from a remote repository:

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$ git pull rns_remote master
+
+
+

All Command-Line Options (rngit)

+
usage: rngit.py [-h] [--config CONFIG] [--rnsconfig RNSCONFIG] [-s] [-i] [-v]
+                [-q] [--version]
+
+Reticulum Git Repository Node
+
+options:
+  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
+  --config CONFIG       path to alternative config directory
+  --rnsconfig RNSCONFIG
+                        path to alternative Reticulum config directory
+  -p, --print-identity  print identity and destination info and exit
+  -s, --service         rngit is running as a service and should log to file
+  -i, --interactive     drop into interactive shell after initialisation
+  -v, --verbose         increase verbosity
+  -q, --quiet           decrease verbosity
+  --version             show program's version number and exit
+
+
+

All Command-Line Options (git-remote-rns)

+

The git-remote-rns helper is automatically invoked by Git when interacting with rns:// URLs. It is not typically run directly by users, but accepts the following environment variables for configuration:

+
    +

  • RNGIT_CONFIG - Path to alternative client configuration directory

    • +

  • RNS_CONFIG - Path to alternative Reticulum configuration directory

    • +
+

The client configuration file is located at ~/.rngit/client_config and allows adjusting parameters such as the reference batch size for transfers.

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+
+

Repository Structure

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The rngit node organizes repositories into groups. Each group is a directory containing bare Git repositories. The repository path format is group_name/repo_name. For example, a repository at /var/git/public/myrepo would be accessible as public/myrepo via the URL rns://DESTINATION_HASH/public/myrepo.

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Configuration

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The rngit node configuration file is located at ~/.rngit/config (or /etc/rngit/config for system-wide installations). The default configuration includes:

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    +

  • Repository group paths defining where to find bare repositories

    • +

  • Access permissions for groups and individual repositories

    • +

  • Announce intervals for network visibility

    • +

  • Optional statistics recording for repository activity

    • +
+

Access permissions can be configured at the group level in the config file, or per-repository using .allowed files. Permissions use the format permission:target where permission is r (read), w (write), rw (read/write), c (create) or s (stats) and target is all, none, or a specific identity hash.

+

The s (stats) permission allows viewing repository activity statistics, including views, fetches and pushes over time. To enable statistics recording, set record_stats = yes in the [rngit] section of the configuration file. You can also exclude specific identities from statistics by adding their hashes to stats_ignore_identities.

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Repository-specific .allowed files can be static text files or executable scripts that output permission rules to stdout. A group.allowed file in a repository group directory applies to all repositories within that group.

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+
+

Serving Pages Over Nomad Network

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In addition to providing Git repository access via the Git remote helper protocol, rngit can also run a Nomad Network compatible page node. This allows users to browse repository information, view file contents, inspect commit history and access repository statistics through any Nomad Network client.

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When enabled, the page node provides a complete interface to your repositories, with automatic Markdown to Micron conversion, syntax-highlighted code browsing, and detailed commit, diff and statistics views.

+

Enabling the Git Page Node

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To enable the page node, add the following to your ~/.rngit/config file:

+
[pages]
+serve_nomadnet = yes
+
+
+

When the page node is enabled, rngit will listen on a Nomad Network node destination in addition to the Git repository destination. You can view the destination hash by running:

+
$ rngit --print-identity
+
+Git Peer Identity         : <959e10e5efc1bd9d97a4083babe51dea>
+Repository Node Identity  : <153cb870b4665b8c1c348896292b0bad>
+Repositories Destination  : <0d7334d411d00120cbad24edf355fdd2>
+Nomad Network Destination : <50824b711717f97c2fb1166ceddd5ea9>
+
+
+

Accessing Repository Pages

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Once the page server is running, you can access it from any Nomad Network client by connecting to the Nomad Network destination. The page node provides the following views:

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    +

  • Front Page - Lists all repository groups accessible to your identity

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  • Group Page - Shows all repositories within a group

    • +

  • Repository Page - Displays repository overview, description and README

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  • Releases - List of releases for the repository, with information and downloads

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  • File Browser - Browse directory trees and view and download file contents

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  • Commits View - View commit history with pagination

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  • Commit Details - Detailed commit information with file changes and diffs

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  • Refs View - List branches and tags

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  • Statistics - Activity charts showing views, fetches and pushes over time

    • +
+

All pages respect the same permission system used for Git access. If an identity does not have read access to a repository, they will not be able to view its pages.

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+
+

Formatting & Syntax Highlighting

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If the pygments Python module is installed on your system, the page server will automatically apply syntax highlighting to code files. The highlighting supports a wide range of programming languages and uses a color theme optimized for terminal display.

+

To enable syntax highlighting, install pygments:

+
pip install pygments
+
+
+

Markdown & Micron Support

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README files and other Markdown documents are automatically converted to Micron markup for display in Nomad Network clients. You can also write your README files directly in Micron, in which case they will display and render as such in any Nomad Network client. The file browser also supports viewing both rendered and raw Markdown and Micron documents.

+

Code blocks in Markdown can include language hints for syntax highlighting:

+
```python
+def hello_world():
+    print("Hello, Reticulum!")
+```
+
+
+
+
+

Customizing Templates

+

The page server uses a template system that allows complete customization of the generated pages. Templates are stored in the ~/.rngit/templates/ directory as Micron files.

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The following template files are supported:

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    +

  • base.mu - Base template wrapping all pages

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  • front.mu - Front page listing all groups

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  • group.mu - Group page listing repositories

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  • repo.mu - Repository overview page

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  • releases.mu - Release list page

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  • release.mu - Release details page

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  • tree.mu - File browser pages

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  • blob.mu - File content display

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  • commits.mu - Commit history listing

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  • commit.mu - Individual commit detail page

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  • refs.mu - Branches and tags listing

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  • stats.mu - Statistics page

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+

Templates can include the following variables:

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    +

  • {PAGE_CONTENT} - The main content of the page (required)

    • +

  • {NODE_NAME} - The configured node name

    • +

  • {NAVIGATION} - Breadcrumb navigation links

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  • {VERSION} - The rngit version number

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  • {GEN_TIME} - Page generation time

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+

Dynamic Templates

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Templates can be made executable to generate dynamic content. If a template file has the executable bit set, it will be executed and its stdout used as the template content.

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Icon Sets

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By default, the page server uses Nerd Font icons. If you prefer simpler icons or your terminal does not support Nerd Fonts, you can enable Unicode icons instead:

+
[pages]
+serve_nomadnet = yes
+unicode_icons = yes
+
+
+

Repository Statistics

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When statistics recording is enabled (see the record_stats configuration option), the page server can display activity charts for each repository. The statistics page shows:

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    +

  • Total and peak views, fetches and pushes

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  • Daily activity charts over a 90-day period

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  • Combined activity visualization

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+

To view statistics, a user must have the s (stats) permission for the repository. See the Access Configuration section for details on setting permissions.

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Repository Thanks

+

The page server includes a “Thanks” feature that allows users to express appreciation for a repository. On each repository page, a “Thanks” link is displayed showing the current thanks count. Clicking this link registers a thank you for the repository.

+

Configuration Example

+

A complete page server configuration might look like this:

+
[rngit]
+node_name = My Git Server
+announce_interval = 360
+record_stats = yes
+
+[repositories]
+public = /var/git/public
+internal = /var/git/internal
+
+[access]
+public = r:all
+internal = rw:9710b86ba12c42d1d8f30f74fe509286
+
+[pages]
+serve_nomadnet = yes
+unicode_icons = no
+
+
+
+
+

Release Management

+

In addition to hosting Git repositories, rngit provides a complete release management system. This allows you to publish versioned releases with associated artifacts, release notes and metadata. Releases are managed through the rngit release subcommand, and are also viewable through the Nomad Network page interface.

+

The Release Workflow

+

Creating a release involves specifying a Git tag and a directory containing build artifacts or other files to distribute. The rngit client will open your configured $EDITOR to compose release notes, then upload all artifacts to the remote repository node.

+

To create a release, specify the tag name and path to artifacts:

+
$ rngit release create rns://50824b711717f97c2fb1166ceddd5ea9/public/myrepo v1.2.0:./dist
+
+
+

This will:

+
    +

  1. Verify that the tag v1.2.0 exists in the repository

    2. +

  2. Open your editor to write release notes

    3. +

  3. Upload all files from the ./dist directory

    4. +

  4. Publish the release

    5. +
+

If no $EDITOR environment variable is set, rngit will try to use nano, vim or vi. The editor will show a template with instructions. Lines starting with # will be ignored, and if the remaining content is empty after stripping comments, the release creation will be cancelled.

+

Release Storage & Structure

+

Releases are stored on the server in a directory named repo_name.releases next to the bare repository. Each release is a subdirectory containing:

+
    +

  • META - Release metadata in ConfigObj format

    • +

  • RELEASE.md or RELEASE.mu - Release notes

    • +

  • artifacts/ - All uploaded files

    • +

  • THANKS - Appreciation count from users

    • +
+

Listing Releases

+

To view all releases for a repository:

+
$ rngit release list rns://50824b711717f97c2fb1166ceddd5ea9/public/myrepo
+
+Tag          Status     Created              Objs  Notes
+------------------------------------------------------------------
+v1.2.0       published  2025-01-15 14:32     3     Another release
+v1.1.0       published  2024-12-03 09:15     2     Bug fix release
+v1.0.0       published  2024-10-20 16:45     2     Initial release
+
+
+

Viewing Release Details

+

To see full information about a specific release:

+
$ rngit release view rns://50824b711717f97c2fb1166ceddd5ea9/public/myrepo v1.2.0
+
+Release : 0.9.2
+Status  : published
+Created : 2026-05-04 23:53:09
+Thanks  : 5
+
+Release Notes
+=============
+
+Version 1.2.0 release notes...
+
+Artifacts (4)
+=============
+  - myapp-1.2.0.tar.gz (1.5 MB)
+  - myapp-1.2.0.zip (1.6 MB)
+  - checksums.txt (256 B)
+
+
+

Deleting Releases

+

To remove a release:

+
$ rngit release delete rns://50824b711717f97c2fb1166ceddd5ea9/public/myrepo v1.2.0
+
+Are you sure you want to delete release 'v1.2.0'? [y/N]: y
+Release v1.2.0 deleted
+
+
+

Requirements & Validation

+
    +

  • The specified tag must exist in the remote repository

    • +

  • You must have release permission for the repository

    • +

  • The target artifacts directory must exist and contain at least one file

    • +

  • Release notes cannot be empty

    • +
+

Permissions

+

Release management requires the release permission, configured the same way as other repository permissions. In the config file or .allowed files, use rel:target to grant release management rights:

+
# In .allowed file or config
+rel:all          # Allow everyone
+rel:9710b86...   # Allow specific identity
+rel:none         # Deny everyone
+
+
+

Nomad Network Interface

+

When the Nomad Network page server is enabled, releases are displayed on a dedicated releases page for each repository. Each release is listed with its tag, creation date, artifact count and a preview of the release notes. Clicking a release shows the full details including formatted release notes and a listing of all artifacts with their sizes.

+

Only releases with published status are visible through the Nomad Network interface. Draft releases (if supported in future implementations) would only be visible through the command-line interface.

+

All Command-Line Options (rngit release)

+
usage: rngit release [-h] [--config CONFIG] [--rnsconfig RNSCONFIG]
+                     [-i IDENTITY] [-v] [-q] [--version]
+                     operation repository [target]
+
+Reticulum Git Release Manager
+
+positional arguments:
+  operation             list, view, create or delete
+  repository            URL of remote repository (rns://hash/group/repo)
+  target                tag or tag:path for create, tag for view/delete
+
+options:
+  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
+  --config CONFIG       path to alternative config directory
+  --rnsconfig RNSCONFIG
+                        path to alternative Reticulum config directory
+  -i IDENTITY, --identity IDENTITY
+                        path to release identity
+  -v, --verbose         increase verbosity
+  -q, --quiet           decrease verbosity
+  --version             show program's version number and exit
+
+
+
+
+ +