Technical Documentation
This is the technical reference for a Swiss Subnet Cloud Engine — a private, replicated computer running the Internet Computer Protocol, built from a minimum of four nodes and operated for a single client.
It is written for engineers who need to understand what the platform is, what it guarantees, where it does not fit, and how to connect it to systems they already run.
It is not a product brochure. Protocol figures are cited to their primary source, and figures that are typical rather than guaranteed say so instead of being presented as commitments. Properties that are not yet true of every engine are marked as work in progress rather than described in the present tense — see Scope.
How to read this
Section titled “How to read this”| If you want to | Start at |
|---|---|
| Know what is and is not covered here | Scope and Audience |
| Know who operates the platform and under what obligations | Swiss Subnet and Cloud Engines |
| Understand the technical model | Cloud Engine |
| Assess whether you can trust it | Trust and Security Model |
| Connect an existing system | Interfaces and Integration Patterns |
| Know where data sits and how it leaves | Data Storage and Locations |
| Know how an engine is run and upgraded | Operations |
| Build on it | Development |
| Know where it breaks down | Limitations |
| Look up a term | Glossary and References |
The short version
Section titled “The short version”An engine gives you five things: replicated execution across independent operators, tolerance of up to f faulty nodes out of 3f + 1, state that cannot be silently altered, responses your client can verify against a single public key, and dedicated single-tenant capacity in Swiss jurisdiction.