Hub & Spoke Architecture
The distributed intelligence model of Synap
Overview
Synap uses a Hub & Spoke architecture where:
- Data Pod = Central Hub (User's private data kernel)
- External Services = External Spokes (Intelligence providers, integrations)
- Hub Protocol = The universal language connecting them
This model ensures Data Sovereignty while enabling Unlimited Extensibility.
The Hub (Data Pod)
The Data Pod is your personal server using the Synap Data OS. It is:
- Private: You own the infrastructure (or rent a private instance).
- Authoritative: It holds the "Golden Record" of your data.
- The Gatekeeper: No data leaves or enters without permission (via Events).
The Spokes (Services)
Spokes are external systems that provide capabilities without owning data. They only access what is explicitly shared for a specific request.
Examples:
- Intelligence Service: A GPU-heavy cluster running Llama-3 that summarizes your notes.
- Calendar Bridge: An n8n workflow that syncs Google Calendar events.
- Voice Interface: A mobile app that captures audio and sends it to the Hub.
Why This Architecture?
| Feature | Monolith (Traditional) | Hub & Spoke (Synap) |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | Data mixes with others | Data isolated in Hub |
| AI | Generic, closed models | Plug-in any model/service |
| Scale | Hard to scale user-specific logic | Spokes scale independently |
| Lock-in | High | Low (Swap spokes anytime) |
Communication: The Hub Protocol
The Hub and Spokes communicate via the Hub Protocol, a standardized, secure bidirectional protocol.
- Hub requests Expertise ("I need this note summarized")
- Spoke requests Data ("I need the note content")
- Hub grants Access (Temporary, read-only token)
- Spoke returns Insight ("Here is the summary")
This ensures the Hub always controls the data flow.