🕸️ Chord DHT

Ring nodes (N) 8

+ Add node

− Remove node

Lookup key

+ Insert key

↻ Re-route

Placed keys

Compare naive linear lookup: OFF

Ring size N8

Expected O(log₂N) bound3 hops

Actual hops (last lookup)—

Naive hops (comparison)—

Repairing fingers0

Key ownership

Every node and key is hashed onto the same identifier ring (0…255). A key belongs to its successor — the first node at or after it. Each node keeps a finger table of O(log N) shortcuts to id+2ⁱ; a lookup greedily jumps to the finger closest to (without passing) the target, reaching the owner in genuinely O(log N) hops. Join/leave a node to watch stabilization repair successor pointers and finger tables live.

Drag to rotate — cyan = node, faint arcs = the selected node's finger table, amber = active lookup hop, green = key owner, red = naive linear-walk comparison