Identity

libvine node identity comes from libself, not from overlay IP addresses.

Separation Of Concerns

• libself identity answers who the node is
• NetworkId answers which overlay the node is joining
• VinePrefix answers which virtual IP range the node advertises
• libmesh answers which path should carry traffic right now

Persistent Identity

The vine binary stores node identity on disk so the same node can restart without appearing as a new peer.

Current default path:

• /var/lib/libvine/identity

The persisted identity file is a text format with a stable header and derived public fields:

• format
• seed
• public_key
• peer_id
• fingerprint

CLI Commands

• vine identity init
• vine identity show
• vine identity export-public
• vine identity fingerprint

Enrollment Use

export-public is intended for enrollment and allowlist workflows. It exposes public identity material that another node or operator can use when binding a peer identity to an overlay prefix.

The important rule is that the peer is trusted as a libself identity first, and only then associated with overlay addressing policy.