The mesh grows stronger with every independent hand on it. A steward runs their own hardware, keeps it honest and patched, and refuses extraction on principle. It isn't a job — it's a commitment to keep a small piece of the open internet sovereign. Here's what it asks, and how to begin.
Modest hardware, real ownership, and the right ethos. No certifications, no gatekeepers — just capability and commitment.
A VPS or machine you fully own and administer — not a managed platform that can pull content out from under you.
Stable power and network, a public address, and the ability to open the ports a web server needs.
Comfort with Linux, a web server (Caddy/nginx), TLS certificates, and an encrypted tunnel for replication.
Willingness to hold your own keys and renew your own certificates — encryption that's yours, not rented.
Wholehearted agreement with consent-first, zero-telemetry operation. No trackers find a home on your node.
Willingness to be named as the steward of your node and to stand behind its uptime and integrity.
Start with the Intelligence Bill of Rights and the Mesh principles. If they resonate, you're already most of the way there.
Bring up your hardware with a hardened, zero-telemetry web server. (A stewardship setup kit — Caddy + Let's Encrypt + tunnel — can be shared once you're in touch.)
Contact an existing steward to introduce yourself and your node. This is where private key exchange and trust-building begin — off the public web.
Keys are exchanged privately, your node is peered into an encrypted tunnel, and content begins mirroring to you. You're now serving.
You're listed as a steward, with a page of your own if you want one — accountable, named, and part of keeping the mesh sovereign.
Stewardship is by introduction — a conversation, not a signup form. Reach out and tell us who you are and what you'd bring.