---
title: "Discussion on \"Intro to Gun - A P2P Decentralized Database\" | Hashnode"
description: "Discussion on \"Intro to Gun - A P2P Decentralized Database\". With all the attention and hype that web3 technology gets, it’s easy to forget that it’s not the only (or even the best) way to build all decentralized software. The core benefit that we get from blockchains is an immutable, historical ledger of ever..."
url: "https://hashnode.com/posts/intro-to-gun-a-p2p-decentralized-database/634188a5250857e669efc4f1"
---

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Discussion

# [Intro to Gun - A P2P Decentralized Database](https://blog.developerdao.com/intro-to-gun-a-p2p-decentralized-database?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

With all the attention and hype that web3 technology gets, it’s easy to forget that it’s not the only (or even the best) way to build all decentralized software. The core benefit that we get from blockchains is an immutable, historical ledger of ever...

Oct 8, 2022 · 10 min read · blog.developerdao.com  
Updated Jun 23, 2023  
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-   [#decentralization](https://hashnode.com/tag/decentralization)
-   [#web3](https://hashnode.com/tag/web3)
-   [#databases](https://hashnode.com/tag/databases)
-   [#p2p](https://hashnode.com/tag/p2p)
-   [#gun](https://hashnode.com/tag/gun)

## Written by

[Kenny Rogers](https://hashnode.com/@kenrogers)

@kenrogers · Fort Collins, CO

  
[View profile](https://hashnode.com/@kenrogers)

Teaching developers how to build tools that will revolutionize the economy and world of work using Bitcoin and AI

I'm a developer of 9+ years obsessed with how to use technology to build a better world. Currently focused on teaching other developers how to build tools that will revolutionize the economy and world of work using Bitcoin and AI.

## Responses 1

Markdown supported · ⌘↵ to post

[Esteban Fuster Pozzi (estebanrfp)](https://hashnode.com/@estebanrfp)

[Nov 24, 2025](https://hashnode.com/posts/intro-to-gun-a-p2p-decentralized-database/634188a5250857e669efc4f1/comment/69248551526c58980a05f668)

I’ve worked quite a bit with GunDB over the years (including building its documentation platform and several P2P projects on top of it), so it’s always nice to see breakdowns like this one.

At some point I ended up building my own alternative, GenosDB, mostly because I needed a few things that differed from the traditional Gun model:

1.  A more explicit API with stronger querying GenosDB keeps the distributed graph idea but uses a minimal API (put/get/map/link/remove) plus native Mongo-style queries, sorting, pagination, and recursive traversal with $edge for exploring full descendant trees in a graph .
2.  Integrated RTC without running custom servers Gun uses DAM, but I needed real-time P2P with both data channels and AV streams directly from the DB layer. GenosDB includes GenosRTC: WebRTC + decentralized signaling over Nostr, dynamic relay fallback, PoW detection, and automatic mesh connectivity between peers .
3.  A distributed security model with cryptographic verification Every operation is signed, and each node runs a local Security Manager that validates identities, roles, and permissions based on a shared constitution. No implicit trust between peers, even if a client tampers with its local UI. Superadmins are defined statically to ensure a secure trust root in the RBAC model .

The bundle is free for personal and commercial use, so if you already understand the GunDB approach and feel like comparing design choices or testing another P2P/RTC architecture, it might be interesting to try. If you’re curious about how these design choices look in practice, the implementation and specs are openly available on my GitHub profile estebanrfp/gdb.