valet-network.md

📱Valet

A Decentralized Automated Testing Network

🙈 tl;dr:

Valet is a decentralized test automation network where developers run tests on real devices (iOS or Android), and device owners get paid for executing them. Using Nostr for discovery, Lightning for payments, and Raspberry Pi nodes for execution, it’s less expensive, more open, and more scalable than traditional test clouds. Built by Jason Huggins (Selenium, Appium, Sauce Labs), Valet is an experiment in P2P testing at scale. 🚀

🚖 Why Valet Network?

• 💰 Pay only for what you use – No monthly or annual contracts required
• 📱 Better coverage – Real devices in the real world
• 🌎 Decentralized – A peer-to-peer network with no vendor lock-in
• ⚡️ Instant Payments via the Lightning Network – Run tests, earn sats
• 🖥️ Distributed computing with Raspberry Pi-based Valet hardware – Efficient, open-source hardware test execution

🛠 How It Works

1️⃣ Users Submit Jobs via Nostr

• Define your job request in a Dockerfile + a test script (Usually Python or JS)
• Pay in sats (~1 sat/min, ~$0.001/min USD) via the Lightning Network
• Broadcast job requests to Nostr relays for discovery

2️⃣ Valet Nodes Run Tests

• Raspberry Pi nodes bid for jobs via Nostr, executing tests as Data Vending Machines
• Download & run tests in local Docker containers
• Supports Appium, Selenium, OpenCV, and Tesseract APIs for real Android & iOS automation
• Touch, mouse, and keyboard inputs sent via USB HID protocol to the device
• Video and screenshots captured via HDMI screen mirroring

3️⃣ Results Delivered

• Screenshots, video, & logs sent back to a file server or CI/CD pipeline
• Work is validated, user and node reputation scores updated
• Device data is cleared and/or factory reset

🌎 Who is Valet For?

• 🧑‍🔬 Developers & Testers – Run automated tests on real devices, cheaper & faster than cloud services
• 🧑‍💼 Device owners – Monetize idle devices by executing tests & earning Bitcoin instantly

🏃‍➡️ Run Your First Test Today! ➡️ valetnet.work

🧐 Who's Driving This?

👋 I’m Jason, and I make robots at Tapster. My thing is test automation, open source software, and any kinetic art involving motors and lights.

I specialize in test automation for hard-to-automate scenarios. That led me to start Selenium, Appium, Sauce Labs, working at Google, and even with the White House to help fix HealthCare.gov. For the last decade at Tapster, I've been focused on mobile, IoT, and point-of-sale testing—robots touching screens, pressing real buttons, solving weird automation challenges.

Lately, I've been obsessed with the idea of a decentralized automated testing network. Imagine Selenium Grid, but global, P2P, always available, and not run by any one company.

Some days I think, "Nah, too crazy." Other days, it's "F it, let's try and see what happens."

So here it is. This is 📱Valet. Let’s see what happens. 🚖

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P.S. Until I make a proper landing page for this, if you're interested and would want to try it out, either star this (top-right corner of the screen), or leave a comment! 🙏

Love this!

Loved the idea, count me in too!

I really what to learn and try it out.

how can i help?

Count me in

just a quick update to those that might be wondering why i've been a little quiet lately. my initial announcement led to a surprising amount of (good) attention in a very short amount of time. some you can see (comments/stars here on github and linkedin), and some you can't see. basically, people are very interested in valet and want to help! some with their time and talent.. and some potentially with money. there are several different potential paths, each with their own pros & cons... the conversations regarding the money side are delicate so i'm not talking publicly about that just yet. sorry! i'm working to find the right path forward to set up valet and the valet network on the right initial path and towards success. hopefully i'll have more clarity on those background threads soon. in the meantime, please see my previous comment with a ton of links for things to learn and do! onward!

I'm in! I'll be there tonight!

👋 hey, everyone. thanks for your patience. sorry the updates have been infrequent. everything and nothing has been happening behind the scenes, though. 😬

quick update: please check out this new proof-of-concept for a valet network ui (data explorer) that i made this week. it will likely become the "main" site for casual visitors to valetnet.work

live preview ➡️ valet network website via lovable ai

when i first was daydreaming about the ideas behind valet network, i thought it had to be mobile-first and run on dedicated hardware... including the cool hardware robot stuff i'd been building (more on that in a future update). but i've realized that requiring people to get a raspberry pi and a spare phone is too much friction. so let's lower the barrier.

version 1 will start with low-end cloud servers running a simple docker container. it takes a url, returns a screenshot. nothing fancy... yet.

this isn't just another screenshot or uptime tool, though. the point is to build a decentralized test network, powered by nostr for coordination and lightning for micro-payments. start simple, expand to real browsers and devices over time.

the goal: test anything, anywhere, anytime.

run a valet node and earn karma and cred... and eventually money. host it yourself locally or in the cloud. next up: a local electron version anyone can run on their laptop.

it's all about making it easy to join, contribute, and explore the future of decentralized testing.

onward! 🚗