Topologies

Zenoh is topology-agnostic: the same wire protocol operates across a range of deployment patterns.

Peer-to-Peer Mesh

All nodes are Peers. Each Peer discovers others via multicast scouting and establishes direct sessions with each peer in range.

Use cases: Local LAN applications, robotics, research environments.

Client–Router

Clients attach to one or more Routers. Routers form a backbone that forwards messages between Clients.

Use cases: IoT deployments, constrained-device environments.

Routed (Router Federation)

Multiple Routers interconnect to form a geo-distributed backbone. Peers and Clients attach to their local Router.

Use cases: Cloud-edge-device continuum, multi-site deployments.

Hybrid

Any combination of the above topologies: local peer meshes attached to a federated router backbone, with constrained Clients at the leaves.