This page was last updated in February 2019 and is accurate for router version 0.9.39.

Overview

See [DATAGRAMS] for an overview of the Datagrams API.

Non-Repliable Datagrams

Non-repliable datagrams have no 'from' address and are not authenticated. They are also called "raw" datagrams. Strictly speaking, they are not "datagrams" at all, they are just raw data. They are not handled by the datagram API. However, SAM and the I2PTunnel classes support "raw datagrams".

The standard I2CP protocol number for raw datagrams is PROTO_DATAGRAM_RAW (18).

Format

+----+----+----+----+----//
| payload...
+----+----+----+----+----//

length: 0 - unlimited (see notes)

Notes

The practical length is limited by lower layers of protocols - the tunnel message spec [TUNMSG] limits messages to about 61.2 KB and the transports [TRANSPORT] currently limit messages to about 32 KB, although this may be raised in the future.

Repliable Datagrams

Repliable datagrams contain a 'from' address and a signature. These add at least 427 bytes of overhead.

The standard I2CP protocol number for repliable datagrams is PROTO_DATAGRAM (17).

Format

+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| from                                  |
+                                       +
|                                       |
~                                       ~
~                                       ~
|                                       |
+                                       +
|                                       |
|                                       |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| signature                             |
+                                       +
|                                       |
+                                       +
|                                       |
+                                       +
|                                       |
+                                       +
|                                       |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| payload...
+----+----+----+----//


from :: a Destination
        length: 387+ bytes
        The originator and signer of the datagram

signature :: a Signature
             Signature type must match the signing public key type of $from
             length: 40+ bytes, as implied by the Signature type.
             For the default DSA_SHA1 key type:
                The DSA Signature of the SHA-256 hash of the payload.
             For other key types:
                The Signature of the payload.
             The signature may be verified by the signing public key of $from

payload ::  The data
            Length: 0 to about 31.5 KB (see notes)

Total length: Payload length + 427+

Notes

  • The practical length is limited by lower layers of protocols - the transports [TRANSPORT] currently limit messages to about 32 KB, so the data length here is limited to about 31.5 KB.
  • See important notes about the reliability of large datagrams [DATAGRAMS]. For best results, limit the payload to about 10 KB or less.
  • Signatures for types other than DSA_SHA1 were redefined in release 0.9.14.
  • The format does not support inclusion of an offline signature block for LS2 (proposal 123). A new protocol with flags must be defined for that.