*If you're eager to get started, check out our [quickstart guide](./quickstart.md) for typical configurations or [step-by-step overview](./overview.md) for newcomers.*
Nwaku is a client implementation in Nim of the [Waku v2 family of protocols](https://rfc.vac.dev/spec/10/) for peer-to-peer communication.
The protocols are designed to be secure, privacy-preserving, censorship-resistant and able to run in resource restricted environments.
Moreover, we've taken a modular approach so that node operators can choose which protocols they want to support
based on their own motivations and availability of resources.
We call this concept ["adaptive nodes"](https://rfc.vac.dev/spec/30/),
implying that a Waku v2 network can consist of heterogeneous nodes contributing at different levels to the network.
Nwaku (formerly `nim-waku`) aims to be a lightweight and robust Waku v2 client.
It serves as the reference implementation for researchers,
who extend the client in parallel to spec development.
As such, it is first in line to support innovative and new Waku v2 protocols,
but configurable enough to serve the adaptive needs of a various operators.
We are also developing a set of operator-focused tools to monitor and maintain a running nwaku node.
This guide provides step-by-step tutorials covering how to build and configure your own nwaku node,
connect to an existing Waku v2 network
and use existing tools for monitoring and maintaining a running node.
## Helpful resources
<!-- TODO -->
## Getting in touch or reporting an issue
For an inquiry, or if you would like to propose new features, feel free to [open a general issue](https://github.com/status-im/nwaku/issues/new/).
For bug reports, please [tag your issue with the `bug` label](https://github.com/status-im/nwaku/issues/new/).
If you believe the reported issue requires critical attention, please [use the `critical` label](https://github.com/status-im/nwaku/issues/new?labels=critical,bug) to assist with triaging.
To get help, or participate in the conversation, join the [Vac Discord](https://discord.gg/KNj3ctuZvZ) server.
