what is it? Narwhal is a lightweight Pub/Sub server and protocol designed specifically for edge applications. while there are great tools out there like NATS or MQTT, i wanted to build something that prioritizes customization and extensibility. my goal was to create a system where developers can easily adapt the routing logic or message handling pipeline to fit specific edge use cases, without fighting the server's defaults.

why Rust? i chose Rust because i needed a low memory footprint to run efficiently on edge devices (like Raspberry Pis or small gateways), and also because I have a personal vendetta against Garbage Collection pauses. :)

current status: it is currently in Alpha. it works for basic pub/sub patterns, but I’d like to start working on persistence support soon (so messages survive restarts or network partitions).

i’d love for you to take a look at the code! i’m particularly interested in all kind of feedback regarding any improvements i may have overlooked.