What is NaaP?
An introduction to the Network as a Platform ecosystem and why it exists.
Overview#
NaaP (Network as a Platform) is a production-ready micro-frontend platform for building decentralized infrastructure management tools. It provides a shared shell application with a rich plugin system that allows teams to build, deploy, and manage independent features as plugins.
NaaP was originally built for the Livepeer Network -- a decentralized video and AI infrastructure network -- but its architecture is generic enough to power any plugin-based platform.
Why NaaP?#
The Problem#
Building a complex management dashboard for a decentralized network involves many independent features:
- Gateway monitoring and management
- Orchestrator management
- Capacity planning and scaling
- Network analytics
- Token treasury and governance
- Community forums
- A marketplace for extensions
Each feature needs its own UI, backend API, and database. Without a framework, teams end up with a monolithic application that becomes increasingly difficult to maintain, test, and deploy.
The Solution#
NaaP provides:
- Shell Application: A shared host app with authentication, navigation, theming, and services
- Plugin System: Independent micro-frontends loaded dynamically at runtime
- Shared SDK: Hooks and utilities that give plugins access to shell services
- Backend Integration: Each plugin can have its own Express backend and PostgreSQL database
- Multi-Tenancy: User and team contexts with isolated configurations
Key Features#
Plugin Architecture#
Build features as independent plugins with their own frontend, backend, and database. Plugins are loaded dynamically and communicate through a shared event bus.
Shared Services#
Plugins get access to authentication, notifications, theming, integrations (AI, storage, email), and more through the SDK.
Multi-Tenant#
Support for teams and organizations. Each team can have its own plugin configurations and data isolation.
Production Ready#
Built with Next.js 15, React 19, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. Deployable to Vercel with edge functions and serverless APIs.
Developer Experience#
CLI tooling for scaffolding, development, testing, and publishing plugins. Hot reload, automatic registration, and comprehensive documentation.
Who Is It For?#
- Plugin Developers: Build features for the NaaP ecosystem
- Platform Engineers: Extend the shell with new services and integrations
- Network Operators: Use plugins to manage infrastructure
- Community Contributors: Publish plugins to the marketplace