Protocol Stack Overview
Libertaria Protocol Stack
Section titled “Libertaria Protocol Stack”The Libertaria protocol is a six-layer architecture called The Sovereign Shell. Each layer builds on the one below. A Chapter is fully sovereign at L3 – it does not need Federation (L4) or Applications (L5) to exist.
Architecture
Section titled “Architecture”┌─────────────────────────────────────┐│ L5: THE APPLICATIONS │ LatticePost, Markets, Media│ Civilization — Life without ││ censors │├─────────────────────────────────────┤│ L4: THE FLEET │ Inter-Chapter governance│ Federation — Scale without state │├─────────────────────────────────────┤│ L3: THE ENGINE │ Production & value│ Economics — Value without banks │├─────────────────────────────────────┤│ L2: THE CAPTAIN │ Chapter law & governance│ Governance — Rules without rulers │├─────────────────────────────────────┤│ L1: THE HULL │ Identity, trust, crypto│ Identity — Trust without tokens │├─────────────────────────────────────┤│ L0: THE WIRE │ Encrypted transport│ Transport — Packets without ││ permission │└─────────────────────────────────────┘The Sovereign Unit Test
Section titled “The Sovereign Unit Test”A single Chapter is fully functional from L0 to L3:
- It can talk (L0 Transport)
- It knows who it is (L1 Identity)
- It has rules (L2 Governance)
- It produces value (L3 Economics)
It does not need L4 (Federation) to exist. It acts like an independent City-State – a self-sufficient submarine.
Design Principles
Section titled “Design Principles”- Exit over Voice – Users can always leave, fork, or self-host
- Consent over Coercion – Every action requires explicit opt-in
- Sovereignty over Convenience – Users own their data, keys, and identity
Layers
Section titled “Layers”L0: The Wire (Transport)
Section titled “L0: The Wire (Transport)”Mission: Move bits from A to B censorship-free.
88-byte LWF frames, micro-LCC keepalives (8 bytes – 97% reduction vs MQTT), sovereign time protocol. No coins. No identity. Pure physics.
Components: LWF (RFC-0000), UTCP (RFC-0010), OPQ (RFC-0020)
L1: The Hull (Identity & Trust)
Section titled “L1: The Hull (Identity & Trust)”Mission: Filter noise; establish identity; route trust.
Sovereign Key Helix (SKH) – post-quantum identity from a single 24-word seed. ML-DSA-65 lattice root, deterministic Persona derivation, STARK zero-knowledge proofs. QVL trust graph with temporal decay and betrayal detection.
Components: SKH (SPEC-040), Entropy Stamps (RFC-0100), Membrane Agent (RFC-0110), QVL Trust Graph (RFC-0120)
L2: The Captain (Governance)
Section titled “L2: The Captain (Governance)”Mission: Define the social contract and dispute resolution.
Chapter-level governance. Democratic decision-making, solidarity economics, restorative justice. A Chapter can be communist (L2 only) or capitalist (L2+L3).
Components: Chapter Genesis (RFC-0200), Larval Identity (RFC-0250), Bridge Protocol (RFC-0260), Solidarity Protocol (RFC-0270), Justice Primitives (RFC-0280), Information Primitives (RFC-0290), Commons Primitives (RFC-0295)
L3: The Engine (Economics)
Section titled “L3: The Engine (Economics)”Mission: Incentivize work; allocate resources; anchor history.
Production and value within a Chapter. Three-pillar economy, Bitcoin anchoring for objective history, chapter-scoped tokens. No global token mandates.
Components: Bitcoin Anchor (RFC-0400), Golden Ticket (RFC-0600), $SCRAP (RFC-0610), $STASIS (RFC-0620), $TBT (RFC-0630), Three-Pillar Economy Ontology (RFC-0640)
L4: The Fleet (Federation)
Section titled “L4: The Fleet (Federation)”Mission: Coordinate multiple Chapters without central authority.
Voluntary inter-Chapter coordination. Governance Without Governors – emergent polity from local consensus. Treaties and alliances, no mandates.
Components: Governance Without Governors (RFC-0650), Emergent Polity Protocol (RFC-0700)
L5: The Applications (Civilization)
Section titled “L5: The Applications (Civilization)”Mission: User-facing tools built on the sovereign stack.
Decentralized social feeds (LatticePost), encrypted direct messaging (PQXDH), content archives, markets, media. Optional overlays – the stack survives without them.
Components: LatticePost Transport (RFC-0800), Inbox Filter Rules (RFC-0810), SMTP Bridge (RFC-0820)
::: info Layer Mandate L0-L1 are mandatory for all nodes. L2 is mandatory for Chapter creation. L3-L5 are optional – a Chapter chooses what it needs. :::