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Technical Overview

This document provides a high-level overview of the architecture, core technologies, and guiding principles for developers looking to build on or contribute to the Dao OS ecosystem.

Guiding Technical Principles

Our engineering decisions are guided by a set of core principles to ensure the system is robust, portable, and open.

  • Web-Native & Portable: We leverage technologies born from the web as the primary path for application development, creating a portable core that runs anywhere.
  • Polyglotism via WASM: The core application logic is compiled to WebAssembly (WASM). This allows developers to use their language of choice (like Rust, Go, or Nim) to write high-performance logic.
  • API-First: The interaction between application logic and the user interface is defined by a strict, versioned API contract, enabling true decoupling.
  • Security-First: All third-party application logic runs in a secure sandbox within the Meta Unit, adhering to the "principle of least privilege."
  • FOSS (Free and Open Source Software): The entire core protocol and reference implementations are open source to foster transparency, community trust, and collaborative innovation.

The Application Development Paths

From a developer's perspective, a Dao OS application consists of a backend "soul" (WASM Service Module) and a frontend "skin" (UI). We offer multiple paths to build them, catering to different needs and preferences.

This is the most robust and accessible path.

  • Backend (Hosted by Core Avatar): The application's core logic, existing as a WASM module written in Rust or Go. While it can run on any Avatar, its persistent and resource-intensive tasks are typically designed to be hosted by a Core Avatar.
  • Frontend (Rendered by Facet Avatar): A standard Web Application (using TypeScript/JavaScript and a modern framework). This UI is designed to run inside our official, secure "Dao Web Avatar".

2. The Accelerated Path: The Nim SDK (Officially Supported)

For maximum productivity, we provide first-class support for Nim.

  • Backend (Hosted by Core Avatar): The application's core logic, compiled from Nim to WASM. Like the mainstream path, it's ideally suited for execution on a Core Avatar.
  • **Frontend (Rendered by