> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.iroh.computer/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Nym

The [iroh-nym-transport](https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh-nym-transport) crate routes iroh QUIC packets through the [Nym mixnet](https://nymtech.net/), providing traffic analysis resistance by shuffling and delaying packets across a network of mix nodes.

This is useful when you need stronger metadata privacy than Tor provides; the mixnet obscures not just your IP address, but also communication patterns and timing.

<Warning>
  Both iroh's custom transport API and this crate are experimental. Expect breaking changes.
</Warning>

## Installation

```bash theme={null}
cargo add iroh-nym-transport
```

## Usage

```rust theme={null}
use std::sync::Arc;
use iroh::{Endpoint, endpoint::presets};
use iroh_nym_transport::NymUserTransport;
use nym_sdk::mixnet::MixnetClient;

let nym_client = MixnetClient::connect_new().await?;
let transport = Arc::new(NymUserTransport::new(nym_client));

let endpoint = Endpoint::builder()
    .clear_ip_transports()
    .add_custom_transport(transport)
    .bind(presets::N0)
    .await?;
```

Calling `clear_ip_transports()` disables QUIC over UDP so all traffic routes exclusively through the mixnet.

You can only connect to other endpoints that also have the Nym transport enabled.

## Performance characteristics

The mixnet intentionally introduces latency and limits throughput as part of its privacy guarantees:

| Metric     | Direct QUIC | Nym mixnet    |
| ---------- | ----------- | ------------- |
| RTT        | 50–200 ms   | \~1–3 s       |
| Throughput | 10+ Mbps    | \~15–20 KiB/s |

Nym is well suited for privacy-sensitive, latency-tolerant applications. It is not suitable for real-time communication or high-throughput file transfer.

## Feature flag

Custom transport support must be enabled:

```toml theme={null}
[dependencies]
iroh = { version = "*", features = ["unstable-custom-transports"] }
```