DevOps Paradox DOP 322: How to Build Apps That Never Go Down Even When Servers Die
Oct 29, 2025
Mathias Buus Madsen, co-founder of Holepunch and creator of the Pear runtime, dives into the world of peer-to-peer applications. He discusses the shift from server reliance to end-user devices, enhancing data sovereignty and reducing infrastructure costs. Mathias reveals how these apps maintain resilience even if services disappear, and explains cryptographic verification over traditional models. He also highlights deployment challenges, debugging techniques, and offers a simple way for developers to get started with P2P. Tune in for a glimpse into the future of decentralized tech!
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Data Sovereignty Beats Endpoint Trust
- Peer-to-peer treats data sovereignty as paramount: data authenticity matters more than which endpoint served it.
- Verifying data locally lets any peer host or serve content while remaining cryptographically trustworthy.
BitTorrent Sparked A Career
- Mathias began by building BitTorrent tooling and modules in his early career because his small-country market lacked content.
- That experience shaped his mission to apply unstoppable file-distribution ideas across apps like chat and social networks.
Shift From Point‑to‑Point To Verifiable Data
- P2P flips point-to-point data flows: the source location stops mattering if you can verify provenance.
- This enables distribution resilience, self-healing, and new security models compared with endpoint-based designs.