mfahampshire
a70e68c7bd
* Smolmix documentation * Add smolmix docs: landing page, tutorials, and developer page links * Add Exit Gateway services page (NR vs IPR) and link from existing docs * Update auto-generated command and API outputs * Reorg of tutorials and architecture pages * License information + remove TODO from docs.rs visibile comment + reorg readme * Add versions file for doc-wide versioning * Relative -> absolute links * Relative -> absolute links * Update license + add old tutorial code as examples * Streamline smolmix docs * Clippy * Clean up doc comments * Last pass * Add larger file download to list * set new versions * Clippy * Remove blake pin from docs + add version range to root Cargo.toml * Format example logging * Remove crate blocked component * Loose whitespace * Add doc verification script for inline mdx * Formatting * Components regen * Reorg + tighten text * Voicing cohesion pass + remove bloated examples * Voicing cont. * Reduce max download size * Small suggested clarifications * Max/docs voicing consistency (#6769) * Reduce max download size * voicing consistency across docs * New landing order w smolmix * Tweaks * Final tweaks
34 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
34 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
---
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title: "Packet Acknowledgements"
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description: "How the Nym Network uses hop-by-hop acknowledgements and retransmission to ensure reliable packet delivery despite network congestion or node failures."
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schemaType: "TechArticle"
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section: "Network"
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lastUpdated: "2026-03-15"
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---
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import { LewesPending } from '../../../components/lewes-pending'
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# Acknowledgements
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The Nym Network uses acknowledgements to ensure reliable packet delivery. When a node receives a packet, it sends an ack back to the sender. If no ack arrives within a timeout, the packet is retransmitted.
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## How it works
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The sender transmits a packet and waits for acknowledgement. The receiver processes the packet and sends an ack. If the sender receives the ack, the packet is marked as delivered. If not, the sender retransmits.
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This happens automatically at each hop. If a client sends 100 packets to a Gateway and only receives 95 acks, it retransmits the 5 missing packets. The same mechanism operates between all nodes in the route.
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## Why it matters
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Network conditions can cause packet loss: congestion, temporary failures, connectivity issues. Without acks and retransmission, lost packets would mean lost messages. The acknowledgement system ensures reliable delivery despite imperfect network conditions.
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## Scope
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Acknowledgements operate hop-by-hop between adjacent nodes. They confirm that packets reached the next hop, not that they reached the final destination. End-to-end delivery confirmation for anonymous communication is handled separately through [SURBs](/network/mixnet-mode/anonymous-replies).
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## Implementation
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This is handled entirely by the Nym binaries. Developers and operators don't need to implement or configure acknowledgements; the system handles packet loss without any application involvement.
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<LewesPending variant="acks" />
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