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+# pyOuroboros
+> a Python API for the Ouroboros recursive network prototype
+
+## Dependencies
+
+pyOuroboros requires <a href="https://ouroboros.rocks">Ouroboros</a>
+to be installed
+
+## Installation
+To build and install PyOuroboros:
+
+```shell
+./setup.py install
+```
+
+## Basic Usage
+
+```Python
+from ouroboros.dev import *
+```
+
+Server side: Accepting a flow:
+
+```Python
+f = flow_accept()
+```
+
+returns a new allocated flow object.
+
+Client side: Allocating a flow to a certain _name_:
+
+```Python
+f = flow_alloc("name")
+```
+
+returns a new allocated Flow object.
+
+Broadcast:
+
+```Python
+f = flow_join("name")
+```
+
+returns a new allocated Flow object.
+
+Deallocation:
+
+```Python
+f.dealloc()
+```
+To avoid having to call dealloc(), you can use the with statement:
+
+```Python
+with flow_alloc("dst") as f:
+    f.writeline("line")
+    print(f.readline())
+```
+
+deallocates the flow. After this call, the Flow object is not readable
+or writeable anymore.
+
+```Python
+f.alloc("name")
+```
+
+ will allocate a new flow for an existing Flow object.
+
+To read / write from a flow:
+
+```Python
+f.read(count)             # read up to _count_ bytes and return bytes
+f.readline(count)         # read up to _count_ characters as a string
+f.write(buf, count)       # write up to _count_ bytes from buffer
+f.writeline(str, count)   # write up to _count_ characters from string
+```
+
+## Quality of Service (QoS)
+
+The QoS spec details have not been finalized in Ouroboros. It is just
+here to give a general idea and to control some basics of the flow.
+You can specify a QoSSpec for flow allocation.
+
+For instance,
+
+```Python
+qos = QoSSpec(loss=0, cypher_s=256)
+f = flow_alloc("name", qos)
+```
+
+will create a new flow with FRCP retransmission enabled and encrypted
+using a 256-bit ECDHE-AES-SHA3 cypher.
+
+## Manipulating flows
+
+A number of methods are available for how to interact with Flow
+
+```Python
+f.set_snd_timeout(0.5) # set timeout for blocking write
+f.set_rcv_timeout(1.0) # set timeout for blocking read
+f.get_snd_timeout()    # get timeout for blocking write
+f.get_rcv_timeout()    # get timeout for blocking read
+f.get_qos()            # get the QoSSpec for this flow
+f.get_rx_queue_len()   # get the number of packets in the rx buffer
+f.get_tx_queue_len()   # get the number of packets in the tx buffer
+f.set_flags(flags)     # set a number of flags for this flow
+f.get_flags()          # get the flags for this flow
+```
+
+The flags are specified as an enum FlowProperties:
+
+```Python
+class FlowProperties(IntFlag):
+    ReadOnly
+    WriteOnly
+    ReadWrite
+    Down
+    NonBlockingRead
+    NonBlockingWrite
+    NonBlocking
+    NoPartialRead
+    NoPartialWrite
+```
+
+See the Ouroboros fccntl documentation for more details.
+
+```shell
+man fccntl
+```
+
+## Event API
+
+Multiple flows can be monitored for activity in parallel using a
+FlowSet and FEventQueue objects.
+
+FlowSets allow grouping a bunch of Flow objects together to listen for
+activity. It can be constructed with an optional list of Flows, or
+flows can be added or removed using the following methods:
+
+```Python
+set = FlowSet() # create a flow set,
+set.add(f)      # add a Flow 'f' to this set
+set.remove(f)   # remove a Flow 'f' from this set
+set.zero()      # remove all Flows in this set
+```
+
+An FEventQueue stores pending events on flows.
+
+The event types are defined as follows:
+```Python
+class FEventType(IntFlag):
+    FlowPkt
+    FlowDown
+    FlowUp
+    FlowAlloc
+    FlowDealloc
+```
+
+and can be obtained by calling the next method:
+
+```Python
+    f, t = fq.next() # Return active flow 'f' and type of event 't'
+```
+
+An FEventQueue is populated from a FlowSet.
+
+```Python
+fq = FEventQueue()            # Create an eventqueue
+set = FlowSet([f1, f2, f3])   # Create a new set with a couple of Flow objects
+set.wait(fq, timeo=1.0)       # Wait for 1 second or until event
+while f, t = fq.next():
+    if t == FEventType.FlowPkt:
+        msg = f.readline()
+    ...
+set.destroy()
+```
+
+A flow_set must be destroyed when it goes out of scope.
+To avoid having to call destroy, Python's with statement can be used:
+
+```Python
+fq = FEventQueue()
+with FlowSet([f]) as fs:
+    fs.wait(fq)
+f2, t = fq.next()
+if t == FEventType.FlowPkt:
+    line = f2.readline()
+```
+
+## Examples
+
+Some example code is in the examples folder.
+
+## License
+pyOuorboros is LGPLv2.1. The examples are 3-clause BSD.