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1. Getting Started
What is nekotopis.ioWho would be interested in this platform?How do I request an account?How would you access the system?
Joining the community
Nekotopia is a private network for people who want to share servers, services, and old machines without exposing them to the open internet. Access options depend on what you need and what you expect. Access to WireGuard is available via the WireGuard client o...
Apply for an account
The application process should be fairly pedestrian. On the homepage, click on the 'Join the Torus' link. You will be requested to provide some simple details. Please note that the username must be unique, and you will be prompted if it conflicts with an exis...
What is nekotopia.io?
neko (猫) is Japanese for cat. However, the real meaning of nekotopia is not some deep reasoning or life-defining moment. In fact, nekotopia is taken from the old Silicon Graphics nekonomicon, which was itself derived from H.P. Lovecraft's fictional Necronomico...
What is the Torus?
In the mid-90s, searching for web content was often a bit of a chore and was driven primarily by shared links from friends or groups, or by long lists of hyperlinks on home pages. Then we got webrings. A webring was beautifully simple: a circle of websites, li...
Supported Hosting Equipment
Anyone with a WireGuard client can connect to the Torus. However, if you want to share your services or host websites, you'll need to install a router. We don't sell the devices you need to connect to the torus, but we can point you to a few options.
Mikrotik
Nekotopia works with affordable MikroTik routers running RouterOS v7. These compact devices support WireGuard natively and provide a dedicated WAN and LAN port configuration for connecting your home server or vintage machine to the torus. Here are some widely ...
Others (Not Tested Yet)
ASUS - Higher-end models (RT-AX86U, RT-AX88U, etc.) with firmware 388.x+ support WireGuard client and server. Their gaming routers are particularly good at it, getting 400-800 Mbps throughput. TP-Link - Some Archer models (AX55, AX73, and newer) have added Wir...
Support Operating Systems
Desktop/Laptop: Windows (official client) macOS (official client, App Store) Linux (kernel-native since 5.6, also wireguard-tools) FreeBSD (kernel module) OpenBSD (kernel-native) Mobile: iOS (official app) Android (official app) Routers/Embedded: RouterOS (Mik...
How does it work?
The torus is nekotopia's private network layer. It's a mesh of WireGuard tunnels connecting members through our AWS infrastructure. Traffic between members is encrypted end-to-end; we route it, but we can't read it. When you join, you get a private IP address...
Who is this for?
Retro enthusiasts dusting off old hardware - that 90s web server, the BBS you ran in college, the Doom WAD archive you and your friends built. Connect it to the torus and share it again, with people who appreciate it. Self-hosters running services they don't ...
IRIXNet
We welcome the IRIXNet community to Nekotopia. Your patronage of and dedication to the place "where IRIX lives again" are well noted! Members of IRIXNet will be granted immediate access to the Torus Internet Tier class account. This level provides access to t...
2. Functional Requirements
The Nekotopia Torus is based on the WireGuard VPN released under open source (GPLv2 for the kernel code). The protocol is fully documented in a whitepaper, but it's not a formal "standard" in the IETF/RFC sense.
Torus Topology
Here we share some high-level technical information on the operation and design of the Torus. TLDR: The torus is not a complicated piece of engineering. The platform was built this for fun, not to obtain "military-grade" security standard accreditation. WireG...
High Level Drawing
This is a logical drawing, don't imagine for one second you're going to be seeing IP addresses, protocols and firewall access lists here.
User Experience
Protocol VPN Protocol WireGuard (primary) Config Delivery Download .conf file from dashboard, import into any WireGuard client Endpoint MikroTik CHR router in AWS Encryption Curve25519 (key exchange), ChaCha20 (symmetric), Poly1305 (authenticati...
Virtual Colocation
Engineers and developers will use the Torus Pro accounts to allow 1:1 NAT or Full Cone NAT, assigning inbound and outbound access to your homelab equipment. Obviously, this introduces a significant risk for legacy equipment. Allowing inbound access to any of...
Supported NAT Types
Feature 1:1 NAT Many:1 PAT (Masquerade) External IP per client ✅ Dedicated ❌ Shared Maps all ports ✅ ❌ Inbound without outbound ✅ ❌ Outbound ✅ ✅ Port filtering ✅ Optional ACL N/A Use case Servers, hosting, full access Outbound-only clients
Security Considerations for Torus Pro (1:1 NAT)
Torus Pro provides a dedicated public IP address mapped directly to your device via 1:1 NAT. This means your equipment is reachable from anywhere on the internet — exactly as if it were plugged directly into a public network. Retro and legacy systems are typic...
3. Non-Functional Requirements
Using the Torus, engaging with the community, and supporting the platform. Some things are common sense, others take time to learn. The monitoring, security framework, usability and platform etiquette are described here.