ShareFeed

ShareFeed allows a group of people to share websites, videos, and other web content with each other. It features a dead-simple UI suitable for users of all technical levels, designed to replace mindless social media scrolling with meaningful relational sharing.

Overview

ShareFeed consists of two components across two repositories:

1. This repo (sharefeed) - Holochain app, UI, and browser extension
2. sharefeed-desktop - Desktop app wrapper (based on Kangaroo)

All data is stored on the Holochain distributed network, giving you full ownership and control of your data.

Installation

Desktop App

1. Download the latest release from sharefeed-desktop releases
2. Run the installer for your platform:
   • Windows: Run ShareFeed-Setup.exe
   • macOS: Open ShareFeed.dmg and drag to Applications
   • Linux: Run ShareFeed.AppImage or install the .deb package

Browser Extension

From Release (Recommended)

1. Download sharefeed-extension.zip from the Releases page
2. Unzip to a folder on your computer
3. Open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions
4. Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top right)
5. Click "Load unpacked" and select the unzipped folder
6. The ShareFeed icon will appear in your browser toolbar

From Source

cd extension
npm install
npm run build

Then load the extension/dist folder as an unpacked extension.

Usage

1. Start the Desktop App - Launch ShareFeed from your applications
2. Share Content - Click the ShareFeed icon in your browser while viewing any webpage
3. Add Details - Optionally add a note or highlight specific text
4. View Feed - Open the desktop app to see shares from your group

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js v18+
• Rust (for Holochain development)
• Holochain CLI tools

Setup

# Clone both repositories
git clone https://github.com/lightningrodlabs/sharefeed.git
git clone https://github.com/lightningrodlabs/sharefeed-desktop.git

cd sharefeed
npm install

cd ../sharefeed-desktop
yarn install

Project Structure

sharefeed/                    # This repo
├── dnas/                     # Holochain DNA (backend)
│   └── sharefeed/
│       └── zomes/
│           ├── integrity/    # Data validation
│           └── coordinator/  # Business logic
├── extension/                # Chrome browser extension
│   └── src/
│       ├── popup/            # Extension popup UI
│       ├── background/       # Service worker
│       └── storage/          # Holochain integration
├── ui/                       # Svelte web UI
└── workdir/                  # Build output (.happ, .webhapp)

sharefeed-desktop/            # Separate repo
├── src/main/                 # Electron main process
├── pouch/                    # Place .webhapp here
└── kangaroo.config.ts        # App configuration

Running in Development

Holochain App + UI (without desktop wrapper)

# Start with one agent
npm run start

# Start with two agents (for testing multi-user)
npm run start:2

Extension Only

cd extension
npm run dev

Then load extension/dist as an unpacked extension in Chrome.

Full Desktop App

# In sharefeed repo: build and deploy webhapp
npm run deploy:desktop

# In sharefeed-desktop repo: run the desktop app
cd ../sharefeed-desktop
yarn dev

Testing

# Run all tests
npm test

# Unit tests only
npm run test:unit

# Integration tests only
npm run test:integration

Building for Release

Extension

# Creates sharefeed-extension.zip in repo root
npm run package:extension

Desktop App (Local)

# In sharefeed repo: build webhapp
npm run package

# Copy to desktop repo
cp workdir/sharefeed.webhapp ../sharefeed-desktop/pouch/

# In sharefeed-desktop: build for your platform
cd ../sharefeed-desktop
yarn build:linux    # or build:win, build:mac-arm64, build:mac-x64

Release Process (CI)

Releases are automated via GitHub Actions across both repositories.

1. Release the hApp/WebHapp (this repo)

# Update version in package.json
# Commit changes

# Tag and push to trigger CI build
git tag happ-v0.1.0
git push origin happ-v0.1.0

This triggers .github/workflows/release-webhapp.yaml which:

• Builds the webhapp using nix
• Creates a draft GitHub release with sharefeed.webhapp and sharefeed.happ
• Outputs SHA256 checksums

2. Release the Extension (this repo)

git tag ext-v0.1.0
git push origin ext-v0.1.0

This triggers .github/workflows/release-extension.yaml which:

• Builds and zips the extension
• Creates a draft GitHub release with sharefeed-extension.zip

3. Release the Desktop App (sharefeed-desktop repo)

After the webhapp release is published:

1. Update kangaroo.config.ts in sharefeed-desktop:

   webhapp: {
     url: 'https://github.com/lightningrodlabs/sharefeed/releases/download/happ-v0.1.0/sharefeed.webhapp',
     sha256: '<sha256-from-release>',
   },

2. Push to the release branch:

   git checkout release
   git merge main
   git push origin release

This triggers the desktop release workflow which builds installers for:

• Windows (.exe)
• macOS (x86 and arm64 .dmg)
• Linux (.AppImage and .deb)

Architecture

Holochain Backend

ShareFeed uses Holochain for decentralized data storage and peer-to-peer networking:

• No central server - Data is stored across participants' devices
• Cryptographic identity - Each user has a unique keypair
• DHT storage - Shares are distributed across the network

Browser Extension

The extension connects directly to the local Holochain conductor:

• Fixed ports - Admin: 21211, App: 21212
• WebSocket connection - Uses @holochain/client
• Fallback storage - Local storage when Holochain unavailable

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests (npm test)
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

Development Guidelines

• Use TypeScript for all new code
• Follow existing code style
• Add tests for new features
• Update documentation as needed

License

This project is licensed under the Cryptographic Autonomy License 1.0 (CAL-1.0). See the LICENSE file for details.

The CAL-1.0 ensures that:

• You can freely use, modify, and distribute this software
• Recipients maintain full control of their own data
• Source code remains available to all users

Acknowledgments

• Built on Holochain
• Desktop wrapper by Kangaroo
• UI framework: Svelte