# Lupopedia federation registration model

Every Lupopedia install is a federated node. Registered installs receive Node IDs >= 2. Unregistered installs are ALWAYS Node 1. Node 1 is not a single node -- it is a category representing independent Lupopedia installs. There can be thousands of Node 1 installs, each with its own local color registry and artifact registry.

This is the hard gate. This is the federation model. This is the architecture.

This is a ColorLex operator briefing. It is not a Lupopedia PRD. LUP KEY packing stays PRD 16_C. Do not treat the short federation-ID examples below as a new KEY grammar.

---

## Where every install lives

```text
theirdomain.com/lupopedia/
```

Each installation is its own federated node. ColorLex.com is one of them (registered node 3). lupopedia.com is the registration surface (Node 0 / global directory). Most installs will never talk to either.

---

## Two categories of nodes

### 1. Registered nodes (Node >= 2)

A domain owner may choose to register their Lupopedia install with:

```text
https://lupopedia.com/
```

When they register:

- lupopedia.com assigns a Federation Node ID >= 2
- the domain becomes a known node in the global directory
- the color registry becomes discoverable
- artifacts become globally referenceable
- the POWERED_BY identity becomes public
- the node may participate in federation sync (later PRDs)

ColorLex.com is a registered node: **node 3**.

Illustration of a registered federation ID (not KEY law):

```text
CC-BY EXAMPLE LUP:02-02-EN-00-000000
```

Meaning in this briefing:

- Federation ID = 02 (registered, >= 2)
- lupopedia.com knows the domain
- Node 0 can route to it

### 2. Unregistered nodes (ALWAYS Node 1)

If a domain owner does not register their install:

- they remain Node 1
- Node 1 is **not** a single node
- Node 1 is a **category** meaning "independent Lupopedia install"
- there can be thousands or hundreds of thousands of Node 1 installs
- Node 1 installs are sovereign
- Node 1 installs keep their own local color registry
- Node 1 installs keep their own artifact registry
- Node 1 installs do not sync with Node 0
- Node 1 installs are fully functional
- Node 1 installs are valid Lupopedia nodes

Illustration of an unregistered federation ID (not KEY law):

```text
CC-BY ALTERNATE FATE LUP:01-02-EN-00-000000
```

Meaning in this briefing:

- Federation ID = 01 (unregistered category)
- the domain is unregistered
- you must use the CC-BY / domain name to find it
- Node 0 does not list it
- Node 0 does not sync it
- it is still a valid Lupopedia install

This is not an error. This is not a misconfiguration. This is the architecture.

---

## Why Node 1 is mandatory

Node 1 exists because Lupopedia:

- cannot force registration
- cannot assume every domain has a public identity
- cannot assign infinite federation IDs as a requirement to run
- must allow private installs
- must allow sovereign nodes
- must allow decentralized catalogs
- must allow local economies
- must allow color registries to exist independently
- must allow artifact registries to exist independently

Node 1 is the **default** state.

Node 2+ is the **registered** state.

Do not "fix" an unregistered install by inventing a Node ID >= 2. Do not merge thousands of Node 1 installs into one database because they share the number 1.

---

## What Cursor must not do

| Wrong | Right |
|-------|--------|
| Node 1 means one leftover demo install | Node 1 is a category; many independent installs |
| Unregistered = broken / incomplete | Unregistered = valid sovereign node |
| Force every domain to register | Registration is optional |
| Assign ColorLex's node 3 to some other domain | ColorLex is node 3; other registered nodes get their own IDs >= 2 |
| Collapse Node 1 registries into Node 0 | Node 1 does not sync with Node 0 |
| Treat Node 1 category as LUP KEY token `000001` (canonical root in PRD 16_C) | Do not merge those numbers without a governing PRD |
| Rewrite KEY grammar from the LUP:01 / LUP:02 illustrations above | PRD 16_C remains KEY law |

---

## This host

```text
colorlex.com/              ColorLex landing (registered node 3)
colorlex.com/lupopedia/    Lupopedia OS on this domain
lupopedia.com/             registration / global directory (Node 0)
theirdomain.com/lupopedia/ unregistered Node 1 by default, or Node >= 2 after register
```

---

See also:

- [local-data-model.md](local-data-model.md)
- [architecture.md](architecture.md)
- [federation-node-3.md](federation-node-3.md)
- [why-modern-stack-breaks-lupopedia.md](why-modern-stack-breaks-lupopedia.md)
- [explaining-lupopedia-to-modern-ides.md](explaining-lupopedia-to-modern-ides.md)

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