Startup Ideas Bank
IP Addresses Are So 2020 – Meet Iroh's Key-Based Future
AI roast score: 72/100 (B)
The idea
Iroh 1.0
Iroh 1.0 - Dial Keys, not IPs
June 15, 2026 by b5
Dial keys. Not IPs.
It s a simple idea really, and it s the right abstraction for the future of the internet. IP addresses can break, without warning, and it s outside of your device s control. Keys, however, are created & controlled by you. They stay the same as your device moves, and are yours to throw away, or not. IP addresses can be private and inaccessible behind firewalls, but with iroh your device can be securely addressable no matter where it is.
We think this is how the internet should work, which is why iroh exists, and today we re delighted to announce iroh version 1.0.
This is our first stable release, but the project has grown significantly over the 65 versions that led to 1.0. iroh is already used all over the place. The public relays we run have seen more than 200 million endpoints created, in the last 30 days alone. Developers are using iroh to stream video, train large language models, talk to agents, secure chats, play games, send files, and many more things than we could jam into this list. Iroh is a fundamental technology aimed at a fundamental shift in the internet, and it s running on millions of devices today.
After more than 4 years of building in the open, we have a foundation we re both proud of.
We shifted onto open standards, preferring IETF drafts whenever possible
We built our own implementation of QUIC multipath , so iroh can build & manage multiple routes within the same connection, and hot swap paths as conditions change
We implemented QUIC NAT traversal , so we can establish direct connections while keeping connection details encrypted
We added full local-first configurations so iroh can find & connect to local devices, without internet access
We built & continually check that iroh can compile to WASM & run in the browser
We worked with power users to add hooks, so you can inject logic to control how connections should work
We ve even added support for custom transports , so you can plug in technologies like Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) , LoRa (under construction), WiFi Aware, or even Tor to build connections, and all of this fits under the same dial-by-key abstraction
The power of that key can t be overstated. We use it to secure the connection. And because all data that comes from the connection is secured by that key, we can build up from that same key into identity, permissions, and attribution. We can also use that same key as an address we can dial, no matter where it is in the world. It turns the internet into a secure localhost.
Iroh connections are also far more efficient. It s normal to see 95% of data transferred in a connection pass directly between devices. Going direct means fewer hops through the cloud, which lower
The roast
Iroh’s vision of replacing IP addresses with user-controlled keys is ambitious, but it’s a monumental shift. The claimed 200 million endpoints in 30 days sounds impressive, but where’s the revenue traction? Without any funding and relying on open standards, your runway to widespread adoption is questionable. The biggest red flag is your reliance on developers and consumers worldwide without proven willingness to pay. Open-source adoption doesn't always translate to sustainable business. Dial keys might be the future, but only if you can convince people to invest in it.
Red flags
- No proven willingness to pay (q15=will_pay)
- Heavy reliance on open standards without funding (q14=no_funding)
- Complex integration and market education required (q4=consumer, developers)
Verdict
Iroh needs to prove its market fit with a clear revenue model before it can revolutionize the internet.
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