Overview

A pup (short for Packaged Up Program) is a modular, self-contained application designed to run inside the Dogebox ecosystem. Pups provide an easy, secure, and repeatable way to deploy software that interacts with the Dogecoin blockchain or other services.

Key Features

• Isolated: Each pup runs in its own Linux container environment with strict boundaries and no permissions by default.
• Composable: Pups can talk to each other using a permission-controlled internal network.
• Decentralized: Pups can be installed from any source, including public Git repositories, or private sources like your own local hard drive.

Anatomy of a Pup

A pup requires at least two files:

• manifest.json: Metadata that describes the pup's name, version, permissions, and how it should run.
• pup.nix: The Nix expression that builds and configures the pup.

Pups are also free to ship any other assets that might be required, such as scripts, frontend UI files etc.

An example pup directory structure:

How Pups Work in Dogebox

When you install a pup:

1. The pup is downloaded from the source you specify.
2. Dogebox verifies its metadata and other configuration options.
3. If required, prompts the user to confirm any additional permissions or dependencies.
4. Builds and installs the pup as an isolated container, using NixOS and nspawn.
5. Dogebox starts the pup as a managed service, routing any ports, dependencies, and APIs.

Use Cases

Any piece of software that can be packaged up and run inside a container can be a pup.

Potential examples:

• Run a full Dogecoin node with minimal setup.
• Launch a payment processor or gateway.
• Deploy a Dogecoin block explorer.
• Host a web UI for interacting with your wallet or smart contracts.
• Build your own service and share it with others through the Pup Store.