The
Architecture.
A lightweight node built from the ground up for control, resilience and experimentation.
Nód Glas combines a WordPress-based public interface with an independently running Python application, a local SQLite data layer and a self-contained authentication system. Node 01 is the first working implementation of that architecture.
One site.
Multiple layers.
Nód Glas does not need to place every function inside the same application. The public-facing project site and the experimental node can operate as separate layers while remaining part of the same ecosystem.
Nód Glas
The public-facing project environment, documentation and presentation layer.
WORDPRESSNode 01
A dedicated application endpoint exposed beneath the Nód Glas domain.
/node01/Flask
Handles requests, sessions, authentication, posting, searching and application logic.
PYTHON 3.12SQLite
A lightweight local database stores users, messages, SDG tags and timestamps.
SQLITEPassenger
The hosting layer launches and serves the Python application through cPanel.
WSGI
Implemented today:
WordPress presentation layer → hosted Node 01 endpoint
→ Flask application → SQLite database, with Passenger
providing the WSGI execution layer.
Not yet implemented:
peer-to-peer node discovery, node-to-node replication,
distributed consensus and a live multi-node network.
These remain future research objectives.
Small components.
Clear responsibilities.
Node 01 deliberately avoids an unnecessarily heavy technology stack. Each layer performs a defined function, making the prototype easier to understand, deploy, modify and eventually reproduce.
Project presentation, documentation, architecture, sustainability and public information.
Provides the execution environment and connects the public Node 01 endpoint to the Python application.
Provides routing, request handling, sessions, authentication, database access and the community board.
Stores the node’s local application data in a compact, self-contained database file.
The current Node 01 interface is generated directly by the Flask application and designed around a lightweight terminal-inspired visual system.
The first working node.
Node 01 is where the architecture becomes tangible. Instead of presenting a theoretical system diagram, this node is an operational prototype with its own application logic, authentication layer and persistent data store.
A working system, not just a diagram.
Node 01 currently provides a functional community BBS designed around the Nód Glas principles of lightweight infrastructure, local control and transparent operation.
Users can authenticate against the node, submit community messages, associate those messages with selected Sustainable Development Goals and retrieve the resulting information through the live board.
- Authenticated user sessions
- Persistent SQLite storage
- Community message submission
- SDG classification
- Live message feed
- Keyword and SDG search
- Basic node impact analytics
From interaction
to persistence.
A Node 01 interaction follows a deliberately simple path. The browser communicates with Flask, Flask validates the request and interacts with SQLite, then the resulting state is returned to the interface.
01 / Browser
A user accesses Node 01 and submits a login, search or community message through the browser interface.
02 / Flask
The application receives the request, checks the active session and performs the appropriate application logic.
03 / SQLite
Relevant data is read from or written to the node’s local SQLite database before the updated state is returned.
Architecture follows the mission.
The technology is not the objective. The architecture exists to support the wider Nód Glas experiment: exploring whether useful community infrastructure can remain understandable, lightweight and under local control.
Understandable
A system should be understandable by the people building and operating it. Node 01 uses a deliberately compact technology stack rather than hiding the core application behind layers of unnecessary abstraction.
Self-Hosted
The prototype runs within infrastructure under the project’s control, with its application and database residing alongside the project rather than depending on a proprietary community platform.
Modular
The public website and the experimental node remain separate layers. This creates room for future nodes, applications and services without requiring the entire project to be rebuilt.
Lightweight
Node 01 demonstrates that a useful community application does not necessarily require a large infrastructure footprint.
Persistent
Community information is stored in a real database. The node is therefore more than a visual demonstration: it maintains state between sessions.
Experimental
Node 01 is intentionally treated as a living prototype. Components can be tested, replaced and expanded as the wider Nód Glas architecture evolves.
Control begins with knowing where the data lives.
Node 01 currently demonstrates local authentication and application-level access control. The prototype deliberately keeps the security model visible rather than treating it as an invisible external service.
⚠ Prototype Security Boundary
Node 01 is a development prototype, not yet a production-hardened public community service. The current implementation establishes the architectural foundation for authentication, session management and data ownership. Before production deployment, additional protections such as properly hashed passwords, CSRF protection, stronger secret management, rate limiting, validation and hardened session configuration should be implemented.
This node is only
the beginning.
Node 01 establishes the first operational foundation. The longer-term Nód Glas architecture can build on that foundation without requiring the prototype to become unnecessarily complex today.
Working Prototype
A functional Flask and SQLite community node demonstrating authentication, persistence, messaging, SDG tagging and live retrieval.
Harden & Expand
Strengthen authentication and security, improve the interface, expand the database model and introduce additional node services.
Interoperable Nodes
Explore how independently operated nodes could communicate, exchange useful information and contribute to a wider community technology ecosystem.