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--- | ||
title: "Identify" | ||
description: "A way for nodes in libp2p to query and inform other nodes about their metadata." | ||
description: "A way for nodes in libp2p to query and inform remote nodes about their metadata." | ||
weight: 23 | ||
--- | ||
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Coming soon! | ||
The libp2p Identify protocol allows nodes in the libp2p network to share | ||
and query information about each other. It is usually run right after a new libp2p | ||
connection has been established and, at certain times, during the lifetime of the | ||
connection. | ||
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The information exchanged includes: | ||
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- the protocol version: a network identifier, e.g. `/my-network/0.1.0`. | ||
- the user agent: a free-form string identifying the local node's implementation, usually | ||
in the format "agent-name/version". | ||
- the public key: cryptographic identifier of the local node in the format of a peer ID. | ||
- the observed address: the remote node's public IP address as observed by the local node. | ||
- the listen addresses: the multiaddresses at which the local node can be reached. | ||
- the list of [protocols](/concepts/introduction/protocols/overview) that the | ||
local node supports. | ||
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There are two variations of the protocol: `identify` and `identify/push`. | ||
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The Identify protocol, for historical reasons identified by the protocol ID `/ipfs/id/1.0.0`, | ||
is used to actively query a remote node for its metadata. The identify/push protocol, identified | ||
by the protocol ID `/ipfs/id/push/1.0.0`, allows a node to push Identify data to the remote node | ||
without querying. This is used whenever changes to the data sent in Identify happen, | ||
e.g., when the node starts listening on a new address and adds or removes support | ||
for a protocol. | ||
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{{< alert icon="" context="note">}} | ||
It's worth noting that go-libp2p used to include a feature called 'Identify Delta' | ||
(<insert protocol ID>) for some time. This protocol was used to reduce the size of | ||
Identify Pushes, but proved to be less useful (and a lot more complex) than expected. | ||
It has since been deprecated, but many nodes on the IPFS network still support | ||
this protocol. | ||
{{< /alert >}} | ||
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{{< alert icon="💡" context="note" text="See the Identify <a class=\"text-muted\" href=\"https://github.com/libp2p/specs/tree/master/identify\">technical specification</a> for more details." />}} |