Not launched yet · building in the open
A data layer with no center.
Yes, it's peer-to-peer. No, not that kind.
Realtime streaming that forgets everything on purpose. Storage that's a switch, not a default. Runs on a box that costs less than your coffee habit.
No servers own your data.
Low volume. Only when something real ships. Unsubscribe any time.
The pitch, fast
The usual "realtime" stack
- Writes everything to a database you never asked for
- Lives on servers you don't control
- Bills you like you'll never leave
Cortex Mesh
- Streams first — storage is a per-node switch, off unless you flip it
- Runs on $6/mo boxes, yours or ours, no central server to own the data
- Trust is a signing key you hold, not an account you rent
Cheap enough to be your own infrastructure. Sturdy enough to sell as someone else's.
The pieces
Pick one. Each does one job, has strong opinions about it, and isn't shy about what it doesn't do yet.
Realtime pub/sub
Topic streaming over authenticated links. On by default. Never opens a storage handle.
built · off by defaultCRDT shard storage
LWW-maps and OR-sets, hash-ring placement, anti-entropy. Durability you opt into per node.
built · partialSQL-shaped layer
Tables and secondary indexes over the shard store. A Go API today; a real parser later.
builtMesh transport & trust
Mutual TLS 1.3 between peers that both carry a certificate signed by your mesh root.
builtmeshctl
Stand up a mesh, mint identities, issue certs, read a node's real status. One binary.
soonThe capacity brain
One server that watches demand, predicts need, and assigns roles. Not built yet.
Questions people actually ask
What is Cortex Mesh?
A peer-to-peer data platform: realtime pub/sub that never touches storage unless you turn it on, optional CRDT-based durable storage where every node is a shard, and a SQL-shaped query layer on top. No central server owns the data.
Is this blockchain or crypto?
No. "Peer-to-peer" here means the networking model only — nodes talk directly over mutual TLS. No token, no ledger, no consensus mechanism. Durability comes from CRDT replication across a key's ring owners, not a chain.
What does it cost to run?
Built to run on $6–7/mo VPS nodes (4-core, 8GB). Run it as your own infrastructure at near-zero cost, or sell hosted access on top of the same code.
Who owns the data?
You do. No central server. Trust between nodes is a signing key the operator holds, not an account with a vendor — and durable storage is off by default, per node, until you switch it on.
When does it launch?
Hasn't yet — it's being built in the open. Networking, realtime, CRDT storage, transport security, and a partial SQL layer are built already. Join the waitlist for updates, or add a request to vote on what ships next.
Bored? Tell us what to build.
We're deciding what lands next, and the deciding vote is yours. Add a request on the waitlist page, upvote one that's already there, watch the list move. That's the whole roadmap process — no committee, no quarterly planning doc.