Anirudh and Akshay from Tangled.sh and the Future of Decentralized Coding
May 5, 2025
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Anirudh and Akshay dive into the revolutionary world of decentralized coding. They tackle the unique challenges faced while building Tangled.sh, a platform enhancing collaboration through social coding. The conversation highlights the integration of decentralized technologies with enterprise solutions and the balancing act of privacy versus publicity for developers. They also discuss innovative approaches to pull requests and commit management, envisioning a user-friendly decentralized coding ecosystem that enhances collaboration and developer engagement.
Tangled.sh aims to enhance social coding through a decentralized platform, promoting better data ownership and collaboration opportunities for developers.
The founders, Anirudh and Akshay, leverage their backgrounds in infrastructure to address traditional modeling issues and friction in code contribution workflows.
Tangled introduces an immutable round-based pull request model, simplifying the review process and encouraging smaller contributions for efficient software development.
Deep dives
Introduction to Tangled and its Founders
Tangled is a decentralized coding platform developed by brothers Anirudh and Akshay, who both have backgrounds in infrastructure and distributed systems. Anirudh, originally from Bangalore and now residing in Finland, has prior experience building managed Kubernetes platforms, while Akshay works as a compiler engineer in London, focusing on projects such as translating COBOL to Java. Their collective expertise has culminated in the creation of Tangled, a technology built on AD Protocol, aimed at enhancing the social aspects of code collaboration. The vision for Tangled stems from the desire to create a more user-friendly platform that offers better data ownership and collaboration opportunities for developers.
Decentralization and Data Ownership
The founders emphasize the importance of data ownership within Tangled, aiming to create a more personalized system for developers. Both Anirudh and Akshay have experience with self-hosting repositories and recognize the downsides of traditional models that centralize control, leading to barriers in project visibility and interaction. Tangled seeks to provide a decentralized solution where developers can host their own repositories while still benefiting from broader social coding opportunities without needing to create separate accounts. The idea of combining decentralization with a user-friendly interface is central to their mission and addresses existing friction in contribution workflows.
The Role of Identity in Collaboration
A significant aspect of Tangled is the use of decentralized identities (DIDs) to simplify collaboration among developers. Traditional platforms often require users to create accounts to contribute to projects, introducing friction that can deter participation. By implementing a system that allows users to maintain a single identity across different repositories, Tangled streamlines the process for contributors to engage without being hindered by account creation or project visibility issues. This not only enhances collaboration but also fosters a more cohesive community among developers across various platforms, encouraging contributions and discussions to flow more freely.
Innovative Pull Request Management
Tangled introduces a unique pull request model that addresses common challenges faced by developers on traditional platforms. Instead of the mutable pull request model seen on platforms like GitHub, Tangled employs an immutable round-based system where changes are submitted as distinct rounds. Each pull request reflects a specific state, allowing reviewers to easily track how a contribution evolves over time without confusion from force pushes or merged commits. This approach not only simplifies the review process but also encourages smaller, more manageable pull requests, which are essential for efficient collaboration in software development.
Future Aspirations for Tangled
Looking ahead, the Tangled team envisions a decentralized coding ecosystem that seamlessly integrates social aspects with code collaboration without overt indicators of its decentralized nature. The goal is to create an environment where users can easily navigate repositories, search across various nodes, and engage with projects as if they were part of a centralized platform. This ideal setup would allow for greater collaboration opportunities while also ensuring that the underlying data ownership and decentralized principles remain intact. Achieving this vision will require innovation and adaptation as the landscape of decentralized technologies continues to evolve.
This week we're joined by Anirudh and Akshay from Tangled.sh. Tangle.sh is a social coding platform built on the AT Protocol. We discuss the future of decentralized coding, the challenges of building a new platform, and how developers can leverage Tangled.sh's tools.
