An extensible pub/sub messaging server for edge applications

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hi there! i’ve been working on a project called Narwhal, and I wanted to share it with the community to get some valuable feedback. 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.

Visit product View on Hacker NewsJan 28, 2026

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Indie HackersFits the IH revenue-focused audience · Strong signals: efficiently · Missing: supports, reddit linkedin, podcasting

72%72% predicted probability of success on Indie Hackers, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

Hacker NewsMay not resonate with HN audience · Strong signals: lua, pipe, io · Missing: https docs, excited, just released

49%49% predicted probability of success on Hacker News, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

nativeThis product was originally launched on this platform.

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39%39% predicted probability of success on TrustMRR, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

AppSumoMay struggle as an AppSumo deal · Strong signals: soon, efficient · Missing: plus, platform, intuitive

37%37% predicted probability of success on AppSumo, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

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