Architecture
Think of Hestia Labs as a digital nervous system. You (the brain) send a thought → it travels through a secure path → reaches a device (the muscle) → the muscle acts and reports back.
The Four Layers
Layer 1: You & Your Apps
This is where you start — a mobile app, a website, a CLI command, or an AI agent. You say what you want, like "turn on the living room light."
Layer 2: The Cloud Brain
The Cloud checks everything before acting:
- Entry Gate — verifies your identity
- Safety Gate — checks permissions (can you control this device?)
- Command Engine — decides what to do
- AI Sidecar — thinks about context (is it daytime? is anyone home?)
If everything checks out, the Command Engine signs the instruction with its private key.
Layer 3: The Secure Tunnel
Signed commands travel through a fast, encrypted tunnel called MQTT. This is like a private pipeline directly to your device.
Layer 4: Your Devices
Every device has its own identity. When it receives a command:
Message arrives → check the signature → is it really from the Cloud?
→ yes? → execute the command
→ no? → reject it
The Device Lifecycle
A device must claim its identity, say HELLO, and receive HELLO_ACK before it can do anything. This prevents strangers from talking to your devices.
How a Command Travels
Every step uses Ed25519 digital signatures — like a tamper-proof wax seal on each message.
Next: Quick Start Guide to try it yourself.