Acequia Electron Node

Pitch for Shape Up Cycle

The Problem

Many users don’t have their own WebDAV or P2P hosting infrastructure. Most distributed apps today still rely on centralized services for signaling, file access, and coordination. There’s a gap between browser-accessible apps and true peer-hosted systems that work offline-first and on local networks.

The Appetite

We’ll invest up to 6 weeks in building an Electron-based desktop app that installs cleanly on Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing a local Acequia node. This node acts as a background daemon with a tray icon, accessible via the browser for file management and WebDAV-based apps.

The Solution

The Electron app runs a full Acequia node, binding the local filesystem via the File System Access API and presenting it through a WebDAV façade. It:

• Registers itself on local network via mDNS/Bonjour
• Offers an HTTP/WebDAV server on localhost
• Optionally makes itself available on the public Internet using dynamic DNS or a configured public IP
• Runs in the background with minimal UI (tray or menu bar)
• Can also be used headless (no windows) or start minimized

Signals & Fog Computing

This node also acts as a signaling relay and edge cache:

• WebRTC Signaling: Used for peer discovery and negotiation across browsers or other Acequia nodes
• Fog Server: It caches and processes shared data locally, reducing load on cloud services and improving latency
• Offline-first: Nodes continue to operate and serve files on LAN even when Internet is unavailable

Risks

• Filesystem permissions and sandboxing differ across OSes
• Browser security policies may limit fetch interception on localhost
• Dynamic DNS may require third-party integration or config support

Rabbit Holes

• Running a full signaling server with TURN/STUN might be overkill—keep to lightweight relaying
• Integrating full GUI file managers could distract from WebDAV-first design

No Gos

• No full server stack like Node or Deno running separately—we stay browser-first
• No centralized account system—identity and auth is P2P via tokens or QR