As part of our efforts to support critical cryptocurrency infrastructure and privacy, MAGIC Grants has implemented Monero, Arti, and I2P apps for TrueNAS Scale.
TrueNAS Scale is one of the most popular open-source operating systems for network-attached storage (NAS) devices. TrueNAS Scale allows users to install "Apps", which extend the functionality of NAS devices.
Users of TrueNAS Scale can now easily find the following applications on the TrueNAS app store:
- Monero Node
- Monero Wallet RPC
- Arti
- I2P
These applications live in the TrueNAS Apps GitHub repository under an open-source license, and anyone can suggest improvements.
We would like to give a special thanks to the TrueNAS Apps repository maintainers (particularly Stravos Kois) for reviewing our application submissions, making improvements, and ultimately accepting these apps into their app store. We would also like to thank Seth for Privacy for their Monero Docker images.
Monero Node
The Monero Node app allows users to easily install and run a Monero Node (monerod) on their NAS. The app can be configured directly from its user interface to connect to other nodes on the Tor and I2P networks, expose certain P2P and RPC ports for external access, and to choose the blockchain storage location.
Monero users receive significant privacy benefits when using their own node instead of a third-party node. Further, using a trusted node unlocks performance improvements.
If you wish to remotely sync your wallets to your node, we strongly suggest setting up a secure connection with the Nginx Proxy Manager or Wireguard app. It is unwise to use the RPC commands over an unencrypted connection.
Future versions of this app will allow easy configuration of incoming Tor and I2P RPC connections.
Monero Wallet RPC
The Monero Wallet RPC app is aimed at advanced users who wish to programmatically use their Monero wallet. This could be useful when combined with other services.
Arti
Arti is an experimental Tor implementation written in Rust, and it is designed to be modular, reusable, and easy to audit. As far as we know, this is the first major deployment of Arti on Docker.
Arti is still in active development, and its developers do not recommend using Arti for any sensitive tasks. Cuprate, a Monero node written in Rust, also plans to use Arti.
Future versions of this app will allow easy configuration of hosted onion services, such as hosting the Monero Node RPC at an onion address.
I2P
I2P is an anonymizing network, offering a simple layer that identity-sensitive applications can use to securely communicate. This app uses the Java implementation of I2P.
Future versions of this app will allow easy configuration of hosted hidden services, such as hosting the Monero Node RPC at an I2P address.
Looking Ahead
MAGIC Grants is interested in maintaining these apps for the foreseeable future. Above that, our primary goals are:
- More apps, including Monero-LWS and Bitcoind.
- More features, including easier operation of onion/hidden services.
If you have any suggestions and would like to get involved, please contact us at info@magicgrants.org.