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Friend-to-friend
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<p>A friend-to-friend (or F2F) computer network is a type of <a href="/facts/Peer-to-peer_network/wCCdPb0H">peer-to-peer network</a> in which users only make direct connections with people they know. <a href="/facts/Passwords/WEoul230">Passwords</a> or <a href="/facts/Digital_signatures/tY7e2pnW">digital signatures</a> can be used for <a href="/facts/Authentication/64y4S69b">authentication</a>. </p><p>Unlike other kinds of <a href="/facts/Private_P2P/cke2NYm1">private P2P</a>, users in a friend-to-friend network cannot find out who else is participating beyond their own circle of friends, so F2F networks can grow in size without compromising their users' anonymity. <a href="/facts/Retroshare/R6y2tImA">Retroshare</a>, <a href="/facts/WASTE/XJYLea6I">WASTE</a>, <a href="/facts/GNUnet/8dc2wLPa">GNUnet</a>, <a href="/facts/Freenet/VrRhhcDc">Freenet</a> and <a href="/facts/OneSwarm/wrAtlzrd">OneSwarm</a> are examples of software that can be used to build F2F networks, though RetroShare is the only one of these configured for friend-to-friend operation by default. </p><p>Many F2F networks support indirect <a href="/facts/Anonymity/HUJJCdv1">anonymous</a> or <a href="/facts/Pseudonym/A5EjmWxQ">pseudonymous</a> communication between users who do not know or trust one another. For example, a <a href="/facts/Node_(networking)/LBp2vNcJ">node</a> in a friend-to-friend <a href="/facts/Overlay_network/NCJoCs7P">overlay</a> can automatically forward a file (or a request for a file) anonymously between two friends, without telling either of them the other's name or <a href="/facts/IP_address/z9V22Sw9">IP address</a>. These friends can in turn automatically forward the same file (or request) to their own friends, and so on. </p><p><a href="/facts/Dan_Bricklin/L1V6aTVv">Dan Bricklin</a> coined the term "friend-to-friend network" in 2000. </p>