Not too long ago I wrote an article about Codeanywhere, a cross-platform cloud IDE that features code collaboration. I recently came across an experimental project that is bound to change collaboration workflow and it goes by the name of Radicle.
Radicle is a free and open-source P2P stack for code collaboration designed to be offline first, cryptographically secure, and programmable. It is written in a similarly-named programming language which is a deterministic Lisp derivative designed for creating P2P software.
Radicle aims to transform the code collaboration experience by giving programmers a platform that encourages experimentation as they shape their workflow around specific contexts or projects.
Features in Radicle
- Free and open source with source code available on GitHub.
- Uses P2P and does not require a centralized server.
- Does not require setting up your own hosting.
- Access your codebase’s issues and proposals directly from your terminal.
- Each Radicle unit is completely customizable using the Radicle programming language.
- Online documentation to get users up and running.
Radicle has an interesting “Radicle Garden” community where you can add a garden by following the Radicle tutorial. Check out the garden here.
Radicle being offline first means that all of your program’s data including comments, issues, and social artifacts live on your machine. Its P2P infrastructure makes sure that you don’t rely on 3rd parties to manage your data.
It implements public key cryptography and reflects the values of the open source community. You can read more about Radicle’s stack (i.e. utilities, language, and daemon) here.
Summarily, think about Radicle as a [currently] simple re-programmable GitHub/Gitlab alternative that you can combine with other services while hosting your data yourself.
As always, feel free to share your thoughts on this open source project in the comments section below.
Note
Radicle is in the alpha stage so you should use it for experimental software and not for production purposes.
