FAQ

Do I need a blockchain, wallet, or any setup to use it?

No. Public queries are free and fully off-chain, and with no peers configured p2p_query runs locally in a locked-down DuckDB. You only touch wallets/economics if you opt into paid queries.

How is this different from DuckDB's Quack / a normal client-server DB?

Quack makes DuckDB a single client-server database. Duckton is a decentralized, many-host grid with a built-in trust model: results are cross-checked by independent hosts to a verifiable quorum, so you can trust a result you didn't compute yourself. There's no central broker in the data path.

Can I send a query to exactly one node?

Yes — fully configurable. Use prefer => 'local' to run it on yourself, replicas => 1, quorum => 1 to dispatch to a single (best-scored) node, or nodes => ['b3:...'] to pin it to a specific node id. See Node targeting.

Is my data private from the host that runs my query?

Transport, at-rest, and integrity are protected everywhere. Confidentiality from the host's RAM requires TEE hardware, so sensitive data is routed only to verified attested hosts. See Security.

Which DuckDB version do I need?

The one duckton is built against (currently v1.5.4) — the loadable-extension ABI requires an exact match. Upgrade DuckDB if INSTALL reports a mismatch.

What happens if a host returns a wrong result, or goes silent?

A wrong result fails the quorum (and risks a canary catch + reputation loss). A silent/slow host is hedged around: the coordinator races k workers and re-dispatches to a fresh set, so it costs latency, not correctness.

Can I run a fully private company grid (no public peers)?

Yes — private / enterprise mode: mutual allowlist pinning, a default-deny roster, and group tokens for a closed pool.

How are hosts paid, and who pays the platform?

A paid job locks the requester's max bid in a per-job escrow; on settle the winner gets its base, the treasury a platform fee, and each agreeing verifier a commission — all enforced on-chain (TON). The remainder refunds to the requester. See Paid queries.

What's real vs. mocked today?

Phases 0–4 are implemented and tested. The mock TEE attestor, local-fake object storage, and the noop default sandbox are clearly flagged. The Architecture "implementation status & deviations" section is precise about it.

Where do I report bugs or contribute?

On the repository; see Contributing.