Global DDS
Dust DDS extension to enable real-time secure communication over the Internet
Low-latency communication
Direct real-time peer-to-peer communication with UDP over the internet
No complex infrastructure
Works with standard networking. No VPN, custom routing or special software needed.
Secure communication
All data is end-to-end encrypted to ensure confidentiality and integrity.
DDS over the Internet with Global DDS
The Data Distribution Service (DDS) is a great middleware for real-time, high-performance communication, offering fine-grained Quality-of-Service (QoS) control. However, standard DDS implementations are limited to local networks because they rely on UDP multicast for participant discovery, which is not permitted across the internet. Additionally, firewalls and NAT configurations often block UDP-based transport, making direct communication between remote DDS nodes difficult without additional networking infrastructure.
To overcome these obstacles, Global DDS makes use of the same technologies used for modern online calls like Teams and Zoom. Participants can discover each other not only by multicast but also by registering themselves on a discovery server. This enables participants to establish peer-to-peer communication using the Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) protocol. Once discovered, participants communicate directly with each other using secure, encrypted UDP messages. This ensure both data protection and efficiency. Only in cases where very restrictive NAT configurations prevent direct connection, a TURN relay is used to transfer the messages between the participants. This guarantees efficient and reliable message delivery without the need for VPN, routing service or additional network configuration.
Because Global DDS makes use of the same underlying Real-Time Publish-Subscribe (RTPS) protocol messages are used for both local and global communication the application code remains identical and no modifications are needed. This allows seamless integration into existing DDS-based systems while extending their reach beyond local networks. To simplify deployment, we offer both hosted discovery and TURN servers as well as self-hosted options, allowing organizations to maintain full control over their infrastructure. With Global DDS connecting your devices is as easy as making a Teams call.