Trustless Protocols for Cross-Domain Interoperability
quotingWe send our proposal for a FOSDEM 2026 dev room
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Trustless Protocols for Cross-Domain Interoperability
Proposal title: Trustless Protocols for Cross-Domain Interoperability
Elaborate description:
The Trustless Protocols for Cross-Domain Interoperability devroom focuses on how open-source systems can work together through cryptographic identity and verifiable event exchange. It looks at what happens when trust is built through signatures and reproducibility instead of accounts, APIs, or centralized services.
In most open ecosystems, interoperability still depends on federation or external identity providers. A new generation of protocols shows that collaboration can happen in a simpler and more direct way. By using lightweight, key-based architectures, applications can share information, verify each other’s actions, and stay independent at the same time.
This devroom will bring together developers who want to explore how existing FOSS tools can connect through such trustless protocols. Examples include integrating key-based authentication into operating systems authentication, signing and verifying commits in Git workflows, or adding verifiable event exchange between local and self-hosted applications.
The focus is on hands-on experimentation and collaboration between different communities. We want to highlight projects that push beyond their own domain, connecting systems for communication, identity, and coordination. The goal is to learn from each other and see what a shared, verifiable foundation could look like for future FOSS development.
We expect a full-day schedule with around eight sessions, including talks and short demos. The program will be streamed and recorded under the CC-BY license. A small team of volunteers will manage the room and technical setup throughout the day.
Draft call for papers:
FOSDEM 2026 – Trustless Protocols for Cross-Domain Interoperability – Call for Participation
The Trustless Protocols for Cross-Domain Interoperability devroom invites developers and researchers to share how they are connecting existing open-source systems through cryptographic identity and verifiable event exchange. The goal is to explore how trust can be replaced by verification, enabling cooperation across domains without relying on servers, APIs, or centralized account systems.
This devroom brings together contributors who want to make existing FOSS tools work together in new ways. Examples include integrating key-based authentication into operating systems login flows, signing and verifying commits in Git workflows, adding verifiable event exchange between local or self-hosted applications, or creating open bridges between collaboration platforms.
We welcome talks, demos, and short research updates about lightweight protocols, reproducible infrastructure, or event-driven systems built on open technologies such as WebSockets, HTTP/3, or QUIC. Topics may also include secure device pairing, cryptographic key management, decentralized coordination, protocol governance, or experiments in self-sovereign identity and communication.
Proposals can take the form of 25-minute talks or 8-minute lightning talks. Demonstrations are encouraged so participants can see how your ideas work in practice.
All sessions must relate to Free and Open Source Software. Talks and recordings will be published under the CC-BY licence, and the FOSDEM Code of Conduct applies.
Submit your proposal via https://pretalx.fosdem.org/ and select 'Trustless Protocols for Cross-Domain Interoperability' as your track.
For questions or coordination, contact the organisers at jurjen@jurjendevries.com or info@sebastix.nl
Why does this proposal fit FOSDEM:
The devroom brings together developers from different FOSS ecosystems who are exploring how trustless, cryptographic protocols can connect independent systems through verification instead of central coordination. The focus is on practical experimentation and cross-project cooperation, from developer tooling to operating systems and self-hosted applications. It's encouraging projects that rethink how open technologies can interoperate, evolve, and empower users to stay in control of their software and identity.
Preferred slot:
Full day (any)
Submitters afinity to the topic:
We co-organised the Nostr stand at FOSDEM 2025, where we introduced developers to the idea of trustless, key-based interoperability. During that same edition, Wouter Constant gave a talk on Nostr, highlighting the growing interest in verifiable communication and cross-protocol collaboration. Through our Tech Tuesday sessions, we have continued to connect different FOSS communities, exploring integrations between protocols such as Solid, email, and Nostr. Together with OpenCollective, we are also researching how open funding and communication systems can interoperate more directly, building practical bridges between everyday tools and trustless protocols.
Relevant URL's:
https://nostrhub.io/
https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-quic-http
https://github.com/hzrd149/blossom
https://github.com/nostr-protocol/