REALITY is a TLS replacement protocol that eliminates server-side TLS fingerprints while maintaining forward secrecy and resisting certificate chain attacks.
The protocol solves the problem of proxy traffic being identifiable through TLS fingerprinting by replacing standard TLS with a custom implementation forked from Go's crypto/tls package. Instead of requiring a dedicated domain and TLS certificate, REALITY can impersonate the TLS handshake of an existing website, presenting that site's real certificate to observers while the server authenticates clients using temporary credentials. This approach allows traffic to appear as a legitimate connection to a third-party website, eliminating the need to purchase and configure a domain and TLS server.
REALITY suits projects that need to bypass network filtering or censorship while avoiding detection through TLS analysis. It works best when paired with the VLESS protocol and XTLS, though it can technically work with other proxy protocols. The target website should support TLSv1.3 and HTTP/2, have an IP address geographically close to the server for latency reasons, and ideally encrypt handshake messages after Server Hello. The protocol is particularly effective when the server can forward both TCP port 80 and UDP port 443 traffic, and when the target website's IP is uncommon. Clients receive temporary trusted certificates signed by ephemeral authentication keys, allowing them to distinguish legitimate connections from man-in-the-middle attacks or certificate chain attacks by detecting whether they receive temporary credentials or the target website's actual certificate.
The project maintains a TODO list in its README but provides no details about completed work or development priorities. The repository includes references to related initiatives such as VLESS post-quantum encryption and XHTTP, suggesting ongoing evolution of the broader protocol ecosystem. The project solicits support through NFT sales and cryptocurrency donations rather than traditional funding mechanisms.
