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Overview
Start with 00-status.md for what is implemented in v0.1.x vs what is only specified.
What is VNOX
VNOX is a self-hosted, federated, encrypted, plugin-first realtime communication platform for communities and gamers. It handles voice, text chat, and presence — without requiring any central infrastructure.
Every VNOX deployment is a node. Nodes can federate with each other. You own your data, your identity, your infrastructure.
What is LNEx
LNEx (Loki Network Exchange) is the protocol layer VNOX runs on.
It sits above TCP and UDP and handles:
- packet structure and framing
- encryption
- routing between nodes
- federation identity
LNEx is versioned independently from VNOX clients and server implementations.
Current version: LNEx v1.
What VNOX is not
VNOX is not a Discord clone. It does not have a central server, centralized accounts, or a cloud dashboard. There is no VNOX Inc. managing your community.
VNOX is not a TeamSpeak clone. The architecture is different: federated, modular, and built for modern async networking.
VNOX is not SaaS. There is no subscription. There is no hosted version. You run it, you own it.
What does VNOX mean
Self-hosted — you run it, you own it. No cloud, no vendor lock-in, no subscription.
Federated — nodes can talk to each other. Your community isn't an island (Phase 3).
Encrypted — all traffic is encrypted with ChaCha20-Poly1305 AEAD + X25519 ECDH key exchange. Forward secrecy by default.
Plugin-first — extend the platform with plugins via WebSocket RPC. Bots, moderation, automations. Sandboxed by design.
Core Philosophy
1. Self-hosted first
Users host their own nodes. There is no required central infrastructure. A VNOX network can exist entirely between privately operated machines.
Typical deployment:
- community server (gateway + voice node)
- private relay node
- federation gateway (Phase 3)
2. Realtime first
Voice latency is the primary performance target. Everything else is secondary.
Targets:
- end-to-end voice latency < 50ms on local network
- jitter buffer adaptive, default 40ms
- packet loss concealment via Opus
3. Modular architecture
Every function is a separate module:
gateway — auth, channels, sessions, permissions, federation routing
voice-node — Opus encoding, UDP relay, jitter buffer, packet sequencing
overlay — in-game HUD, speaking indicators
plugins — bots, automations, moderation
Modules can be deployed together or separately.
4. Developer-first
VNOX ships with:
- protocol specification (LNEx)
- plugin API (WebSocket RPC)
- SDK
- full configuration reference
Third-party clients and server implementations are explicitly supported.
Branding
Product names
VNOX — the platform
VNOX Client — desktop application
VNOX Node — server / gateway instance
VNOX Overlay — in-game HUD
LNEx — the protocol layer
LNEx v1 — current protocol version
LNEx Relay — relay node
LNEx Federation — cross-node federation
URL scheme
vnox://server/channel — connect to channel
lnex://node — raw node address
Identity format
user@node — federated identity
4f3a8b2c… — local pubkey short form
Comparison
| VNOX | Discord | TeamSpeak | Mumble | Matrix | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | required | no | yes | yes | yes |
| Federated | Phase 3 | no | no | no | yes |
| No central accounts | yes | no | no | yes | no |
| Native client | yes | custom desktop stack | yes | yes | Electron |
| Plugin API | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Voice codec | Opus | Opus | Opus | Opus | Opus |
| Protocol | LNEx (custom) | proprietary | proprietary | MUMBLE | Matrix |
| Open source | yes | no | no | yes | yes |
Use cases
Gaming clan / CS2 / shooter community Low latency voice, push-to-talk, overlay, private node. Phase 1 covers this fully.
OSS project community Self-hosted, no vendor dependency, plugin API for bots and CI integrations.
Private team / corp On-premise deployment, no data leaving your infrastructure, identity without email.