We're building something we haven't seen before — a NAS box that's also a personal node in a decentralized network. This post is a transparent look at how we're getting there: the workstreams, the sequence, and the honest caveat that a roadmap is a direction, not a deadline.
The Idea Behind the Build
The premise is simple: from a box to a living node.
Most NAS devices stop at storage. FoldingLink starts there and keeps going — file transfer, community, exchange, and review, all running on infrastructure you own. The OS Beta is the first real test of whether that idea holds up under real conditions.
Six workstreams. One goal: make the node useful enough to stay on.
The Roadmap at a Glance
We're working across 6 weeks (W1–W6), with four parallel tracks:
- FILES (W1–W2) — Upload, download, large file handling. The first trust test: can it move what matters?
- COMMUNITY (W1–W4) — Home feed, Q&A, groups, messages. Building the social layer on top of the storage layer.
- EXCHANGE (W1–W6) — Points, orders, receiving. The longest track, because value transfer needs to be right.
- REVIEW (W3–W6) — Evidence, discussion, votes. A community review room that runs in parallel throughout.
The order matters: first make the node work, then make it social, then test the edges with real people.
Week by Week: Key Milestones
Weeks 1–2: Make the Node Useful First
The first two weeks are about proving the basics. File flow (upload → node → download), public API edge case testing, community home with posts and follow, and groups with membership and messages. The first trust test is simple: can it move what matters, and can people find each other?
Weeks 3–4: Connect the Pieces
Useful answers should not end as isolated posts — they should travel. A question becomes a group conversation. A group creates useful exchange. An order is only one visible result of that network. The Q&A → Groups → Exchange → Orders flow gets wired together here. Community review room foundations continue in parallel.
Weeks 5–6: Test the Edges
This is where real users find what the spreadsheet cannot see. We open up large files, messages, orders, and review to structured edge-case testing. The loop is simple: Build → Test → Learn → Update the plan.
What This Roadmap Is (and Isn't)
We want to be direct about this: this roadmap is a working view, not a promise written in stone.
- NOW — building the first useful node
- NEXT — connecting community and exchange
- ALWAYS — learning from real edge cases
Timelines shift. Priorities get reordered when we learn something unexpected. What won't change is the direction: a personal node that earns your trust by being genuinely useful, not just technically impressive.
Follow the Build
Dev Diary is where we document the real process — the decisions, the trade-offs, and the moments where the plan met reality. If you want to know what we're actually building and why, this is the place.
Tell us what a personal node would need to earn your trust. We're reading every reply.
More entries coming as we move through the weeks. Join our Discord to stay in the loop.