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Intentional deviations from Python RNS
This page lists every place Reticulum-Go deliberately differs from the Python reference implementation, and why. Wire-visible behavior is intended to match upstream. When it does not, that is a bug: file an issue.
Three categories exist:
- Local hardening bounds: caps on memory or state that upstream leaves unbounded. They change nothing on the wire for conforming peers.
- Local-only extensions: features that never appear on a shared medium or in packets a Python peer would parse differently.
- Wire-visible extensions: additions a Python peer can observe. These are additive and ignored by upstream where noted.
Local hardening bounds
| Bound | Value | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Split-resource assemblies per link | 4 | Assemblies retain attacker data. Upstream has no cap |
| Split-resource assembly size | 1 GiB hard ceiling | Declared d is attacker-controlled until verified |
| Split-resource segments | Sequential index only, replay rejected | Upstream assumes in-order arrival. Enforcing it kills memory amplification |
| RNode packet queue | 256 packets per direction | Unbounded queue grew under sustained RX flood |
| RawChannelReader unread buffer | 8 MiB | Unreadable buffer grew without limit |
| Channel receive window | Drop sequences more than WINDOW_MAX (48) ahead | Same check upstream applies. It also bounds ring residency |
| msgpack map keys | Non-comparable keys rejected | Go panics on unhashable keys where Python tolerates them |
| Per-packet panic recovery | Worker recovers and continues | A malformed packet must not kill the process |
Local-only extensions
| Feature | Notes |
|---|---|
| Node lifecycle API (OnNetworkAvailable, ReloadInterfaces, control API) | Embedder surface. No wire change |
| QUIC, WebSocket, WebTransport, VSOCK, HTTPS long-poll, DNSRendezvous interfaces | New underlay endpoints. Packet bytes on the medium are unchanged HDLC/framing |
| Landlock + seccomp sandbox | Local hardening |
pkg/health counters, reticulum-go slow | Observe-only diagnostics |
| RHB1 hardware-bound identity descriptor | Local storage format. Python reads only the 64-byte software layout |
Wire-visible extensions
| Feature | Wire-visible? | Upstream behavior |
|---|---|---|
TRANSPORT_IMPL announces as reticulum-go + build version | Yes | Honest identification. Upstream announces rns |
| OP_PAGE 0xF1 provisional operator page field | Yes | Ignored by current Python RNS |
rngit /media blob route | Yes | Not present in Python rngit. A Reticulum-Go extension |
| SDR burst modem | Yes | Lab/testing only, not air-compatible with Modem73/RNode |
What is NOT here
No changes to packet layout, crypto primitives, signature inputs, link handshake, resource hashmap semantics, announce format, LXMF payloads, or stamp workblock construction. If a difference in those areas is found, it is a bug.