Content-centric User Networks: WebRTC as a Path to Name-based Publishing

Abstract

Users eager to publish content on the Web need to either set up a server or use third-party infrastructure. However, the increasing desire to use the Web as a sharing platform for content demands solutions that counter disadvantages of centralized or restricted platforms. Recent efforts are underway at the IETF and W3C to standardize WebRTC for direct browser-to-browser communication. This paper introduces BOPlish, an infrastructure-independent naming and content access architecture for sharing information in User Networks. We demonstrate how BOPlish leverages WebRTC for an easy to use, secure content publishing solution. A custom URI scheme serves as a location-independent addressing mechanism to separate publishing and content retrieval from the underlying infrastructure.