Epoca

A programmable, privacy-first browser built on GPUI and PolkaVM.
UI components by gpui-ui-kit.
Native on macOS. No Electron.

Install · Features · Build · Architecture · License

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Install

Build from source (see below).

Features

Browsing

• WebView tabs powered by WKWebView (WebKit)
• Cmd-click to open links in background tabs
• Find in page (Cmd+F)
• Session restore across launches
• Browsing history with configurable retention (session only, 8h, 24h, 7d, 30d)
• Favicon and live page titles in the tab sidebar
• Reader mode for distraction-free article reading

Privacy

• Content blocking via WKContentRuleList — blocks before the network request, not after
• EasyList, AdGuard, uBlock Origin, Fanboy, and Peter Lowe filter lists (440k+ rules)
• Per-site shield toggle
• Tab isolation mode — each tab gets its own cookie/storage sandbox
• Session contexts — named browsing sessions with separate data stores
• Cosmetic filtering with element count badge

Sandboxed Apps (.dot)

• Run apps as browser tabs in a PolkaVM sandbox
• Framebuffer apps (games, emulators) with full pixel-level rendering
• SPA bundles — sandboxed single-page web apps in .prod format
• .dot domain resolution — load apps from IPFS via on-chain name registry
• Capability broker controls what each app can access

Wallet

• BIP-39 mnemonic key management with encrypted keystore
• Polkadot: Smoldot light client, window.polkadot injection
• Ethereum: EIP-191 signing, Helios light client
• Bitcoin: BIP-137 signing, Kyoto light client (compact block filters)
• window.bitcoin (Unisat-compatible) and window.ethereum bridges

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.91+
• macOS 13+ (Ventura or later)
• Xcode Command Line Tools: xcode-select --install

Build

git clone https://github.com/replghost/epoca.git
cd epoca

cargo build -p epoca --release
./target/release/epoca

Or use the convenience script:

./run-release.sh

Run a guest app

# Open a .prod bundle (sandboxed app)
./target/release/epoca path/to/app.prod

# Open a .dot app from IPFS
./target/release/epoca dot://doomgame.dot

# Open a URL
./target/release/epoca https://example.com

Architecture

crates/
  epoca/            binary entry point
  epoca-core/       workbench shell, tabs, sidebar, session management
  epoca-sandbox/    PolkaVM runtime (guest app execution)
  epoca-shield/     content blocking (WKContentRuleList compiler)
  epoca-protocol/   ViewTree serialization (host <> guest)
  epoca-broker/     capability/permission broker
  epoca-dsl/        ZML parser and evaluator
  epoca-chain/      light clients (Polkadot, Ethereum, Bitcoin), DOTNS resolver
  epoca-wallet/     key management and signing
  epoca-hostapi/    host API dispatch (JSON + SCALE transports)

Status

Early release. The core browsing shell works on macOS with content blocking, session restore, and sandboxed app support. Expect rough edges.

License

AGPL-3.0