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compost.cc is permacomputing[1] for common digital archives — a media art project by Zachary Furste and Diego Gómez-Venegas. The project restores discarded computing devices into servers that collectively preserve endangered archives. The network distributes files using custom software based on the BitTorrent protocol.
The first collection is documentation from Chile's Project Cybersyn (1971–1973) — a cybernetic system for managing the national economy, built under Salvador Allende and destroyed by the 1973 military coup. The archive has been scattered across institutions and private collections for fifty years.
This collection includes only documentation that was clearly produced — and therefore its rights are owned — by the state of Chile through one of its agencies — either extinct or still active. By international standards and Chilean law, these documents are public information.
The second collection ...
An evolving list of projects and organizations that have inspired us—some we have collaborated with, others we hope to work with soon.
News and updates coming soon.
Many important cultural archives lack visibility. Some are carefully preserved by archival staff without the knowledge or resources to host digital copies. Others disappear. Institutions lose funding, servers go offline, hard drives fail, political regimes change. When a digital archive depends on a single organization or a single server, it is only as durable as that organization's budget or that server's uptime.
compost.cc invites people to share in the work of preservation — distributing archives across many machines in many places, maintained by the people who care about them. The point is not decentralization for its own sake, but collective responsibility: more hands, more resilience, more awareness of what it actually takes to keep shared knowledge alive.
Each node in the network runs a single small program that does everything: it checks a signed list of what the network is currently preserving, downloads the relevant files, and shares them with every other node using BitTorrent. The list is cryptographically signed — each node can verify it hasn't been tampered with before accepting changes. Even if the server were compromised, nodes would reject a forged list.
compost.cc node (rescued device) ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │ registry │── fetch+verify ──▸ │ compost │ │ .json │ │ binary │ │ + signature │ │ │ └──────────────┘ │ embedded │ ┌──────────────┐ │ BitTorrent │ │ tracker │◂── announce ────── │ engine │ └──────────────┘ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ └─────┬────────┘ │ web seed │◂── fallback ───────────┤ └──────────────┘ │ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────▾────────┐ │ directory │◂── status ──────── │ BitTorrent │ │ │──▸ peer hints ───▸ │ swarm │ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘
Once files are downloaded, nodes share them directly with each other — peer to peer. A tracker helps nodes find each other, and a web seed provides an HTTP fallback so files are always available even when no other peers are online. The more nodes that join, the more resilient and available the archive becomes.
Two separate cryptographic keys govern the network, held by different people. The archive's curator signs a manifest attesting that these are authentic documents with verified provenance. The network operator signs the registry that tells nodes what to seed and where to find it.
This separation means archival authority and infrastructure authority are independent. A new curator can take over a collection without needing access to the infrastructure, and a new operator can manage the network without needing access to the archive. Either role can be transferred without disrupting the other.
The network runs on rescued hardware — old laptops pulled from e-waste, tablets in drawers, phones with cracked screens — restored with lightweight Linux and turned into archival servers. Turning discarded technology into infrastructure for preserving discarded knowledge is the project's central gesture: digital detritus becomes fertile infrastructure for common knowledge.
The node software is designed for these machines: about 40 MB of RAM, x86 and ARM Linux, no technical configuration beyond the initial install. Node operators choose how much to seed based on their available disk space — even a minimal contribution from an old phone strengthens the archive's resilience. The network also includes servers provided by eclips.is and the Digital Methods Initiative.
compost.cc operates under the philosophy of the commons — a form of collective governance that is neither market-based nor bureaucratic. The archive is not owned; it is collectively maintained. The infrastructure is not rented; it is assembled from what has been discarded. The project draws from permacomputing — a framework for digital practices that takes seriously the material and ecological costs of computation, prioritizing care, repair, and the extended use of existing resources over replacement and upgrade cycles. Where mainstream computing culture treats hardware as disposable and infrastructure as invisible, compost.cc insists on the opposite: hardware is worth repairing, and infrastructure should be legible.
Run a node. If you have an old machine — even a low-powered one — it can become part of the archive. Send us an email.
Bring a device to a workshop. compost.cc hosts hands-on sessions at cultural institutions where participants bring old devices and leave with a functioning archival server. No prior technical knowledge required.
Donate hardware. Old phones, tablets, or laptops — especially those that can run Linux. Get in touch.
Host a workshop or exhibition. If you run an institution and this interests you, reach out.
Browse the code. Everything is open source at codeberg.org.
Above all, reach out: hola@compost.cc.