v6.2.0

changelog.md

@@ -1,5 +1,28 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 2026-03-21 - 6.2.0 - feat(cluster)
+add shard healing, drive health heartbeats, and clustered policy directory support
+
+- implements manifest-based healing that scans affected shards on offline nodes, reconstructs data with erasure coding, and rewrites recovered shards to local storage
+- includes drive status reporting in membership heartbeats by wiring DriveManager health checks into cluster heartbeat messages
+- adds clustered policies directory initialization and exposes policy storage paths from the distributed coordinator
+- extends distributed coordinator support for remote shard read and delete operations plus multipart upload session metadata
+
+## 2026-03-21 - 6.1.0 - feat(cluster)
+add clustered storage backend with QUIC transport, erasure coding, and shard management
+
+- introduces cluster configuration in Rust and TypeScript, including seed nodes, drive paths, heartbeat settings, and erasure coding options
+- adds core cluster modules for membership, topology state, object manifests, placement, shard storage, drive management, healing scaffolding, and inter-node protocol handling
+- adds QUIC-based transport for cluster communication and integrates a distributed storage backend alongside the existing standalone FileStore
+- updates the server startup path to initialize standalone or clustered storage based on configuration and exposes a basic clusterStatus management endpoint
+- refreshes build and dependency versions to support the new clustered storage implementation
+
+## 2026-03-14 - 6.0.1 - fix(rust-bridge)
+update smartrust and limit RustBridge binary lookup to dist_rust
+
+- Bumps @push.rocks/smartrust from ^1.0.0 to ^1.3.2.
+- Removes rust target debug and release fallback paths from RustBridge local binary resolution, relying on dist_rust/ruststorage.
+
 ## 2026-03-14 - 6.0.0 - BREAKING CHANGE(core)
 Rebrand from smarts3 to smartstorage
 

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@push.rocks/smartstorage",
-  "version": "6.0.0",
+  "version": "6.2.0",
   "private": false,
   "description": "A Node.js TypeScript package to create a local S3-compatible storage server using mapped local directories for development and testing purposes.",
   "main": "dist_ts/index.js",
@@ -9,19 +9,20 @@
   "author": "Lossless GmbH",
   "license": "MIT",
   "scripts": {
+    "test:before": "(tsrust)",
     "test": "(tstest test/ --web --verbose --logfile --timeout 60)",
-    "build": "(tsrust && tsbuild --web --allowimplicitany)",
+    "build": "(tsrust && tsbuild tsfolders --allowimplicitany)",
     "buildDocs": "tsdoc"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "@aws-sdk/client-s3": "^3.937.0",
-    "@git.zone/tsbuild": "^3.1.0",
-    "@git.zone/tsbundle": "^2.5.2",
-    "@git.zone/tsrun": "^2.0.0",
-    "@git.zone/tstest": "^3.1.0",
-    "@push.rocks/smartbucket": "^4.3.0",
+    "@aws-sdk/client-s3": "^3.1014.0",
+    "@git.zone/tsbuild": "^4.3.0",
+    "@git.zone/tsbundle": "^2.9.1",
+    "@git.zone/tsrun": "^2.0.1",
     "@git.zone/tsrust": "^1.3.0",
-    "@types/node": "^22.9.0"
+    "@git.zone/tstest": "^3.5.0",
+    "@push.rocks/smartbucket": "^4.5.1",
+    "@types/node": "^25.5.0"
   },
   "browserslist": [
     "last 1 chrome versions"
@@ -41,8 +42,8 @@
   ],
   "dependencies": {
     "@push.rocks/smartpath": "^6.0.0",
-    "@push.rocks/smartrust": "^1.0.0",
-    "@tsclass/tsclass": "^9.3.0"
+    "@push.rocks/smartrust": "^1.3.2",
+    "@tsclass/tsclass": "^9.5.0"
   },
   "keywords": [
     "smartstorage",

rust/Cargo.toml

@@ -28,6 +28,16 @@ percent-encoding = "2"
 url = "2"
 chrono = { version = "0.4", features = ["serde"] }
 futures-core = "0.3"
+futures = "0.3"
+async-trait = "0.1"
+reed-solomon-erasure = { version = "6", features = ["simd-accel"] }
+xxhash-rust = { version = "0.8", features = ["xxh64"] }
+crc32c = "0.6"
+bincode = "1"
+quinn = "0.11"
+rustls = { version = "0.23", default-features = false, features = ["ring", "std"] }
+rcgen = "0.13"
+dashmap = "6"
 hmac = "0.12"
 sha2 = "0.10"
 hex = "0.4"

rust/src/cluster/config.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct ClusterConfig {
+    pub enabled: bool,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub node_id: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default = "default_quic_port")]
+    pub quic_port: u16,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub seed_nodes: Vec<String>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub erasure: ErasureConfig,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub drives: DriveConfig,
+    #[serde(default = "default_heartbeat_interval")]
+    pub heartbeat_interval_ms: u64,
+    #[serde(default = "default_heartbeat_timeout")]
+    pub heartbeat_timeout_ms: u64,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct ErasureConfig {
+    #[serde(default = "default_data_shards")]
+    pub data_shards: usize,
+    #[serde(default = "default_parity_shards")]
+    pub parity_shards: usize,
+    #[serde(default = "default_chunk_size")]
+    pub chunk_size_bytes: usize,
+}
+
+impl ErasureConfig {
+    pub fn total_shards(&self) -> usize {
+        self.data_shards + self.parity_shards
+    }
+
+    /// Minimum shards needed for a write to succeed (data_shards + 1)
+    pub fn write_quorum(&self) -> usize {
+        self.data_shards + 1
+    }
+
+    /// Minimum shards needed to reconstruct data
+    pub fn read_quorum(&self) -> usize {
+        self.data_shards
+    }
+}
+
+impl Default for ErasureConfig {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            data_shards: default_data_shards(),
+            parity_shards: default_parity_shards(),
+            chunk_size_bytes: default_chunk_size(),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct DriveConfig {
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub paths: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+impl Default for DriveConfig {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self { paths: Vec::new() }
+    }
+}
+
+fn default_quic_port() -> u16 {
+    4000
+}
+
+fn default_heartbeat_interval() -> u64 {
+    5000
+}
+
+fn default_heartbeat_timeout() -> u64 {
+    30000
+}
+
+fn default_data_shards() -> usize {
+    4
+}
+
+fn default_parity_shards() -> usize {
+    2
+}
+
+fn default_chunk_size() -> usize {
+    4 * 1024 * 1024 // 4 MB
+}

rust/src/cluster/drive_manager.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,242 @@
+use anyhow::Result;
+use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use tokio::fs;
+use super::config::DriveConfig;
+
+// ============================
+// Drive format (on-disk metadata)
+// ============================
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct DriveFormat {
+    pub cluster_id: String,
+    pub erasure_set_id: u32,
+    pub drive_index_in_set: u32,
+    pub format_version: u32,
+}
+
+// ============================
+// Drive state tracking
+// ============================
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum DriveStatus {
+    Online,
+    Degraded,
+    Offline,
+    Healing,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct DriveStats {
+    pub total_bytes: u64,
+    pub used_bytes: u64,
+    pub avg_write_latency_us: u64,
+    pub avg_read_latency_us: u64,
+    pub error_count: u64,
+    pub last_error: Option<String>,
+    pub last_check: DateTime<Utc>,
+}
+
+impl Default for DriveStats {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            total_bytes: 0,
+            used_bytes: 0,
+            avg_write_latency_us: 0,
+            avg_read_latency_us: 0,
+            error_count: 0,
+            last_error: None,
+            last_check: Utc::now(),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct DriveState {
+    pub path: PathBuf,
+    pub format: Option<DriveFormat>,
+    pub status: DriveStatus,
+    pub stats: DriveStats,
+}
+
+// ============================
+// Drive manager
+// ============================
+
+pub struct DriveManager {
+    drives: Vec<DriveState>,
+}
+
+impl DriveManager {
+    /// Initialize drive manager with configured drive paths.
+    pub async fn new(config: &DriveConfig) -> Result<Self> {
+        let mut drives = Vec::with_capacity(config.paths.len());
+
+        for path_str in &config.paths {
+            let path = PathBuf::from(path_str);
+            let storage_dir = path.join(".smartstorage");
+
+            // Ensure the drive directory exists
+            fs::create_dir_all(&storage_dir).await?;
+
+            // Try to read existing format
+            let format = Self::read_format(&storage_dir).await;
+            let status = if path.exists() {
+                DriveStatus::Online
+            } else {
+                DriveStatus::Offline
+            };
+
+            drives.push(DriveState {
+                path,
+                format,
+                status,
+                stats: DriveStats::default(),
+            });
+        }
+
+        Ok(Self { drives })
+    }
+
+    /// Format drives for a new cluster. Stamps each drive with cluster and erasure set info.
+    pub async fn format_drives(
+        &mut self,
+        cluster_id: &str,
+        erasure_set_assignments: &[(u32, u32)], // (erasure_set_id, drive_index_in_set)
+    ) -> Result<()> {
+        if erasure_set_assignments.len() != self.drives.len() {
+            anyhow::bail!(
+                "Erasure set assignments count ({}) doesn't match drive count ({})",
+                erasure_set_assignments.len(),
+                self.drives.len()
+            );
+        }
+
+        for (drive, (set_id, drive_idx)) in
+            self.drives.iter_mut().zip(erasure_set_assignments.iter())
+        {
+            let format = DriveFormat {
+                cluster_id: cluster_id.to_string(),
+                erasure_set_id: *set_id,
+                drive_index_in_set: *drive_idx,
+                format_version: 1,
+            };
+
+            let storage_dir = drive.path.join(".smartstorage");
+            fs::create_dir_all(&storage_dir).await?;
+
+            let format_path = storage_dir.join("format.json");
+            let json = serde_json::to_string_pretty(&format)?;
+            fs::write(&format_path, json).await?;
+
+            drive.format = Some(format);
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Get the number of drives managed.
+    pub fn drive_count(&self) -> usize {
+        self.drives.len()
+    }
+
+    /// Get a drive's state by index.
+    pub fn drive(&self, index: usize) -> Option<&DriveState> {
+        self.drives.get(index)
+    }
+
+    /// Get all drives.
+    pub fn drives(&self) -> &[DriveState] {
+        &self.drives
+    }
+
+    /// Get drives that are online.
+    pub fn online_drives(&self) -> Vec<usize> {
+        self.drives
+            .iter()
+            .enumerate()
+            .filter(|(_, d)| d.status == DriveStatus::Online)
+            .map(|(i, _)| i)
+            .collect()
+    }
+
+    /// Check health of a specific drive by writing and reading a probe file.
+    pub async fn check_drive_health(&mut self, index: usize) -> Result<DriveStatus> {
+        let drive = self
+            .drives
+            .get_mut(index)
+            .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("Drive index {} out of range", index))?;
+
+        let probe_path = drive.path.join(".smartstorage").join(".health_probe");
+
+        let start = std::time::Instant::now();
+
+        // Write probe
+        match fs::write(&probe_path, b"health_check").await {
+            Ok(()) => {}
+            Err(e) => {
+                drive.stats.error_count += 1;
+                drive.stats.last_error = Some(e.to_string());
+                drive.status = DriveStatus::Offline;
+                drive.stats.last_check = Utc::now();
+                return Ok(DriveStatus::Offline);
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Read probe
+        match fs::read(&probe_path).await {
+            Ok(_) => {}
+            Err(e) => {
+                drive.stats.error_count += 1;
+                drive.stats.last_error = Some(e.to_string());
+                drive.status = DriveStatus::Offline;
+                drive.stats.last_check = Utc::now();
+                return Ok(DriveStatus::Offline);
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Clean up probe
+        let _ = fs::remove_file(&probe_path).await;
+
+        let latency = start.elapsed();
+        drive.stats.avg_write_latency_us = latency.as_micros() as u64;
+        drive.stats.last_check = Utc::now();
+
+        // Mark degraded if latency is too high (>5 seconds)
+        if latency.as_secs() > 5 {
+            drive.status = DriveStatus::Degraded;
+        } else {
+            drive.status = DriveStatus::Online;
+        }
+
+        Ok(drive.status.clone())
+    }
+
+    /// Run health checks on all drives.
+    pub async fn check_all_drives(&mut self) -> Vec<(usize, DriveStatus)> {
+        let mut results = Vec::new();
+        let count = self.drives.len();
+        for i in 0..count {
+            match self.check_drive_health(i).await {
+                Ok(status) => results.push((i, status)),
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::error!(drive = i, error = %e, "Drive health check failed");
+                    results.push((i, DriveStatus::Offline));
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        results
+    }
+
+    // Internal helpers
+
+    async fn read_format(storage_dir: &Path) -> Option<DriveFormat> {
+        let format_path = storage_dir.join("format.json");
+        let content = fs::read_to_string(&format_path).await.ok()?;
+        serde_json::from_str(&content).ok()
+    }
+}

rust/src/cluster/erasure.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+use anyhow::Result;
+use reed_solomon_erasure::galois_8::ReedSolomon;
+
+use super::config::ErasureConfig;
+
+/// Erasure coder that splits data into data+parity shards using Reed-Solomon.
+///
+/// Objects are processed in fixed-size chunks (stripes). Each chunk is independently
+/// erasure-coded, enabling streaming encode/decode without buffering entire objects.
+pub struct ErasureCoder {
+    rs: ReedSolomon,
+    config: ErasureConfig,
+}
+
+impl ErasureCoder {
+    pub fn new(config: &ErasureConfig) -> Result<Self> {
+        let rs = ReedSolomon::new(config.data_shards, config.parity_shards)
+            .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Failed to create Reed-Solomon encoder: {:?}", e))?;
+        Ok(Self {
+            rs,
+            config: config.clone(),
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn config(&self) -> &ErasureConfig {
+        &self.config
+    }
+
+    /// Encode a single chunk of data into data+parity shards.
+    ///
+    /// The input data is split into `data_shards` equal-size pieces (padded if needed),
+    /// then `parity_shards` parity pieces are computed.
+    ///
+    /// Returns a Vec of length `data_shards + parity_shards`, where:
+    /// - indices 0..data_shards are data shards
+    /// - indices data_shards..total are parity shards
+    pub fn encode_chunk(&self, data: &[u8]) -> Result<Vec<Vec<u8>>> {
+        let k = self.config.data_shards;
+        let m = self.config.parity_shards;
+
+        // Compute shard size: each data shard holds ceil(data_len / k) bytes
+        let shard_size = (data.len() + k - 1) / k;
+        if shard_size == 0 {
+            anyhow::bail!("Cannot encode empty data");
+        }
+
+        // Pad input to fill exactly k shards
+        let mut padded = data.to_vec();
+        padded.resize(shard_size * k, 0);
+
+        // Split into k data shards
+        let mut shards: Vec<Vec<u8>> = padded.chunks(shard_size).map(|c| c.to_vec()).collect();
+
+        // Add m empty parity shards
+        for _ in 0..m {
+            shards.push(vec![0u8; shard_size]);
+        }
+
+        // Compute parity in-place
+        self.rs
+            .encode(&mut shards)
+            .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Reed-Solomon encoding failed: {:?}", e))?;
+
+        Ok(shards)
+    }
+
+    /// Decode (reconstruct) original data from a partial set of shards.
+    ///
+    /// `shards` must have length == total_shards (data + parity).
+    /// At least `data_shards` entries must be `Some`. Missing shards are `None`.
+    /// `original_size` is the original data size before padding, used to truncate.
+    ///
+    /// Returns the reconstructed original data.
+    pub fn decode_chunk(
+        &self,
+        shards: &mut Vec<Option<Vec<u8>>>,
+        original_size: usize,
+    ) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
+        let k = self.config.data_shards;
+        let total = self.config.total_shards();
+
+        if shards.len() != total {
+            anyhow::bail!(
+                "Expected {} shards, got {}",
+                total,
+                shards.len()
+            );
+        }
+
+        let available = shards.iter().filter(|s| s.is_some()).count();
+        if available < k {
+            anyhow::bail!(
+                "Need at least {} shards for reconstruction, only {} available",
+                k,
+                available
+            );
+        }
+
+        // Reconstruct missing shards
+        self.rs
+            .reconstruct(shards)
+            .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Reed-Solomon reconstruction failed: {:?}", e))?;
+
+        // Concatenate data shards (first k) and truncate to original size
+        let mut result = Vec::with_capacity(original_size);
+        for i in 0..k {
+            if let Some(ref shard) = shards[i] {
+                result.extend_from_slice(shard);
+            } else {
+                anyhow::bail!("Data shard {} missing after reconstruction", i);
+            }
+        }
+        result.truncate(original_size);
+
+        Ok(result)
+    }
+
+    /// Verify that all shards are consistent (no corruption).
+    pub fn verify(&self, shards: &[Vec<u8>]) -> Result<bool> {
+        let shard_refs: Vec<&[u8]> = shards.iter().map(|s| s.as_slice()).collect();
+        self.rs
+            .verify(&shard_refs)
+            .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Reed-Solomon verification failed: {:?}", e))
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    fn test_config() -> ErasureConfig {
+        ErasureConfig {
+            data_shards: 4,
+            parity_shards: 2,
+            chunk_size_bytes: 4 * 1024 * 1024,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_encode_decode_roundtrip() {
+        let coder = ErasureCoder::new(&test_config()).unwrap();
+        let original = b"Hello, erasure coding! This is a test of the Reed-Solomon implementation.";
+
+        let shards = coder.encode_chunk(original).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(shards.len(), 6); // 4 data + 2 parity
+
+        // All shards should be the same size
+        let shard_size = shards[0].len();
+        for s in &shards {
+            assert_eq!(s.len(), shard_size);
+        }
+
+        // Reconstruct with all shards present
+        let mut shard_opts: Vec<Option<Vec<u8>>> = shards.iter().map(|s| Some(s.clone())).collect();
+        let recovered = coder.decode_chunk(&mut shard_opts, original.len()).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(&recovered, original);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_decode_with_missing_shards() {
+        let coder = ErasureCoder::new(&test_config()).unwrap();
+        let original = b"Testing reconstruction with missing shards - this should work with 4 of 6.";
+
+        let shards = coder.encode_chunk(original).unwrap();
+
+        // Remove 2 shards (the maximum we can tolerate with 2 parity)
+        let mut shard_opts: Vec<Option<Vec<u8>>> = shards.iter().map(|s| Some(s.clone())).collect();
+        shard_opts[1] = None; // Remove data shard 1
+        shard_opts[4] = None; // Remove parity shard 0
+
+        let recovered = coder.decode_chunk(&mut shard_opts, original.len()).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(&recovered, original);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_decode_with_too_many_missing() {
+        let coder = ErasureCoder::new(&test_config()).unwrap();
+        let original = b"This should fail with 3 missing shards.";
+
+        let shards = coder.encode_chunk(original).unwrap();
+
+        // Remove 3 shards (more than parity count of 2)
+        let mut shard_opts: Vec<Option<Vec<u8>>> = shards.iter().map(|s| Some(s.clone())).collect();
+        shard_opts[0] = None;
+        shard_opts[2] = None;
+        shard_opts[5] = None;
+
+        let result = coder.decode_chunk(&mut shard_opts, original.len());
+        assert!(result.is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_encode_large_data() {
+        let coder = ErasureCoder::new(&test_config()).unwrap();
+        // 1 MB of data
+        let original: Vec<u8> = (0..1_000_000).map(|i| (i % 256) as u8).collect();
+
+        let shards = coder.encode_chunk(&original).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(shards.len(), 6);
+
+        // Each shard should be ~250KB (1MB / 4 data shards, rounded up)
+        let expected_shard_size = (original.len() + 3) / 4;
+        assert_eq!(shards[0].len(), expected_shard_size);
+
+        // Verify roundtrip
+        let mut shard_opts: Vec<Option<Vec<u8>>> = shards.iter().map(|s| Some(s.clone())).collect();
+        let recovered = coder.decode_chunk(&mut shard_opts, original.len()).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(recovered, original);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_verify_shards() {
+        let coder = ErasureCoder::new(&test_config()).unwrap();
+        let original = b"Verify test data";
+
+        let shards = coder.encode_chunk(original).unwrap();
+        assert!(coder.verify(&shards).unwrap());
+
+        // Corrupt a shard
+        let mut corrupted = shards.clone();
+        corrupted[0][0] ^= 0xFF;
+        assert!(!coder.verify(&corrupted).unwrap());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_small_config() {
+        // Minimum viable: 2 data + 1 parity
+        let config = ErasureConfig {
+            data_shards: 2,
+            parity_shards: 1,
+            chunk_size_bytes: 1024,
+        };
+        let coder = ErasureCoder::new(&config).unwrap();
+        let original = b"Small config test";
+
+        let shards = coder.encode_chunk(original).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(shards.len(), 3);
+
+        // Remove 1 shard
+        let mut shard_opts: Vec<Option<Vec<u8>>> = shards.iter().map(|s| Some(s.clone())).collect();
+        shard_opts[0] = None;
+
+        let recovered = coder.decode_chunk(&mut shard_opts, original.len()).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(&recovered, original);
+    }
+}

rust/src/cluster/healing.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,344 @@
+use anyhow::Result;
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::time::Duration;
+use tokio::fs;
+
+use super::config::ErasureConfig;
+use super::erasure::ErasureCoder;
+use super::metadata::ObjectManifest;
+use super::shard_store::{ShardId, ShardStore};
+use super::state::ClusterState;
+
+/// Background healing service that scans for under-replicated shards
+/// and reconstructs them.
+pub struct HealingService {
+    state: Arc<ClusterState>,
+    erasure_coder: ErasureCoder,
+    local_shard_stores: Vec<Arc<ShardStore>>,
+    manifest_dir: PathBuf,
+    scan_interval: Duration,
+}
+
+impl HealingService {
+    pub fn new(
+        state: Arc<ClusterState>,
+        erasure_config: &ErasureConfig,
+        local_shard_stores: Vec<Arc<ShardStore>>,
+        manifest_dir: PathBuf,
+        scan_interval_hours: u64,
+    ) -> Result<Self> {
+        Ok(Self {
+            state,
+            erasure_coder: ErasureCoder::new(erasure_config)?,
+            local_shard_stores,
+            manifest_dir,
+            scan_interval: Duration::from_secs(scan_interval_hours * 3600),
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Run the healing loop as a background task.
+    pub async fn run(&self, mut shutdown: tokio::sync::watch::Receiver<bool>) {
+        let mut interval = tokio::time::interval(self.scan_interval);
+
+        // Skip the first immediate tick
+        interval.tick().await;
+
+        loop {
+            tokio::select! {
+                _ = interval.tick() => {
+                    tracing::info!("Starting healing scan");
+                    match self.heal_scan().await {
+                        Ok(stats) => {
+                            tracing::info!(
+                                checked = stats.shards_checked,
+                                healed = stats.shards_healed,
+                                errors = stats.errors,
+                                "Healing scan completed"
+                            );
+                        }
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            tracing::error!("Healing scan failed: {}", e);
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                _ = shutdown.changed() => {
+                    tracing::info!("Healing service shutting down");
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Scan all manifests for shards on offline nodes, reconstruct and re-place them.
+    async fn heal_scan(&self) -> Result<HealStats> {
+        let mut stats = HealStats::default();
+
+        let offline_nodes = self.state.offline_nodes().await;
+        if offline_nodes.is_empty() {
+            tracing::debug!("No offline nodes, skipping heal scan");
+            return Ok(stats);
+        }
+
+        // Check that we have majority before healing (split-brain prevention)
+        if !self.state.has_majority().await {
+            tracing::warn!("No majority quorum, skipping heal to prevent split-brain");
+            return Ok(stats);
+        }
+
+        tracing::info!(
+            "Found {} offline nodes, scanning for affected shards",
+            offline_nodes.len()
+        );
+
+        // Iterate all bucket directories under manifest_dir
+        let mut bucket_entries = match fs::read_dir(&self.manifest_dir).await {
+            Ok(e) => e,
+            Err(_) => return Ok(stats),
+        };
+
+        while let Some(bucket_entry) = bucket_entries.next_entry().await? {
+            if !bucket_entry.metadata().await?.is_dir() {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let bucket_name = bucket_entry.file_name().to_string_lossy().to_string();
+            if bucket_name.starts_with('.') {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            // Scan manifests in this bucket
+            self.heal_bucket(&bucket_name, &offline_nodes, &mut stats)
+                .await;
+
+            // Yield to avoid starving foreground I/O
+            tokio::task::yield_now().await;
+        }
+
+        Ok(stats)
+    }
+
+    async fn heal_bucket(
+        &self,
+        bucket: &str,
+        offline_nodes: &[String],
+        stats: &mut HealStats,
+    ) {
+        let bucket_dir = self.manifest_dir.join(bucket);
+        let manifests = match self.collect_manifests(&bucket_dir).await {
+            Ok(m) => m,
+            Err(e) => {
+                tracing::warn!(bucket = bucket, error = %e, "Failed to list manifests");
+                stats.errors += 1;
+                return;
+            }
+        };
+
+        let local_id = self.state.local_node_id().to_string();
+
+        for manifest in &manifests {
+            for chunk in &manifest.chunks {
+                // Check if any shard in this chunk is on an offline node
+                let affected: Vec<_> = chunk
+                    .shard_placements
+                    .iter()
+                    .filter(|p| offline_nodes.contains(&p.node_id))
+                    .collect();
+
+                if affected.is_empty() {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                stats.shards_checked += chunk.shard_placements.len() as u64;
+
+                // Try to reconstruct missing shards from available ones
+                let k = manifest.data_shards;
+                let total = manifest.data_shards + manifest.parity_shards;
+
+                // Count available shards (those NOT on offline nodes)
+                let available_count = chunk
+                    .shard_placements
+                    .iter()
+                    .filter(|p| !offline_nodes.contains(&p.node_id))
+                    .count();
+
+                if available_count < k {
+                    tracing::error!(
+                        bucket = manifest.bucket,
+                        key = manifest.key,
+                        chunk = chunk.chunk_index,
+                        available = available_count,
+                        needed = k,
+                        "Cannot heal chunk: not enough available shards"
+                    );
+                    stats.errors += 1;
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // Fetch available shards (only local ones for now)
+                let mut shards: Vec<Option<Vec<u8>>> = vec![None; total];
+                let mut fetched = 0usize;
+
+                for placement in &chunk.shard_placements {
+                    if offline_nodes.contains(&placement.node_id) {
+                        continue; // Skip offline nodes
+                    }
+                    if fetched >= k {
+                        break;
+                    }
+
+                    if placement.node_id == local_id {
+                        let shard_id = ShardId {
+                            bucket: manifest.bucket.clone(),
+                            key: manifest.key.clone(),
+                            chunk_index: chunk.chunk_index,
+                            shard_index: placement.shard_index,
+                        };
+                        let store_idx = placement.drive_id.parse::<usize>().unwrap_or(0);
+                        if let Some(store) = self.local_shard_stores.get(store_idx) {
+                            if let Ok((data, _)) = store.read_shard(&shard_id).await {
+                                shards[placement.shard_index as usize] = Some(data);
+                                fetched += 1;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                    // TODO: fetch from other online remote nodes
+                }
+
+                if fetched < k {
+                    tracing::warn!(
+                        bucket = manifest.bucket,
+                        key = manifest.key,
+                        chunk = chunk.chunk_index,
+                        "Not enough local shards to heal, skipping"
+                    );
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // Reconstruct all shards
+                let reconstructed = match self.erasure_coder.decode_chunk(
+                    &mut shards,
+                    chunk.data_size,
+                ) {
+                    Ok(_) => true,
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        tracing::error!(
+                            bucket = manifest.bucket,
+                            key = manifest.key,
+                            chunk = chunk.chunk_index,
+                            error = %e,
+                            "Reconstruction failed"
+                        );
+                        stats.errors += 1;
+                        false
+                    }
+                };
+
+                if !reconstructed {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // Re-encode to get all shards back (including the missing ones)
+                let full_data_size = chunk.data_size;
+                let mut data_buf = Vec::with_capacity(full_data_size);
+                for i in 0..k {
+                    if let Some(ref shard) = shards[i] {
+                        data_buf.extend_from_slice(shard);
+                    }
+                }
+                data_buf.truncate(full_data_size);
+
+                let all_shards = match self.erasure_coder.encode_chunk(&data_buf) {
+                    Ok(s) => s,
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        tracing::error!(error = %e, "Re-encoding for heal failed");
+                        stats.errors += 1;
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                };
+
+                // Write the missing shards to the first available local drive
+                for affected_placement in &affected {
+                    let shard_idx = affected_placement.shard_index as usize;
+                    if shard_idx < all_shards.len() {
+                        let shard_data = &all_shards[shard_idx];
+                        let checksum = crc32c::crc32c(shard_data);
+
+                        let shard_id = ShardId {
+                            bucket: manifest.bucket.clone(),
+                            key: manifest.key.clone(),
+                            chunk_index: chunk.chunk_index,
+                            shard_index: affected_placement.shard_index,
+                        };
+
+                        // Place on first available local drive
+                        if let Some(store) = self.local_shard_stores.first() {
+                            match store.write_shard(&shard_id, shard_data, checksum).await {
+                                Ok(()) => {
+                                    stats.shards_healed += 1;
+                                    tracing::info!(
+                                        bucket = manifest.bucket,
+                                        key = manifest.key,
+                                        chunk = chunk.chunk_index,
+                                        shard = affected_placement.shard_index,
+                                        "Shard healed successfully"
+                                    );
+                                }
+                                Err(e) => {
+                                    tracing::error!(error = %e, "Failed to write healed shard");
+                                    stats.errors += 1;
+                                }
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+
+                tokio::task::yield_now().await;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Collect all manifests under a bucket directory.
+    async fn collect_manifests(&self, dir: &std::path::Path) -> Result<Vec<ObjectManifest>> {
+        let mut manifests = Vec::new();
+        self.collect_manifests_recursive(dir, &mut manifests).await?;
+        Ok(manifests)
+    }
+
+    fn collect_manifests_recursive<'a>(
+        &'a self,
+        dir: &'a std::path::Path,
+        manifests: &'a mut Vec<ObjectManifest>,
+    ) -> std::pin::Pin<Box<dyn std::future::Future<Output = Result<()>> + Send + 'a>> {
+        Box::pin(async move {
+            let mut entries = match fs::read_dir(dir).await {
+                Ok(e) => e,
+                Err(_) => return Ok(()),
+            };
+
+            while let Some(entry) = entries.next_entry().await? {
+                let meta = entry.metadata().await?;
+                let name = entry.file_name().to_string_lossy().to_string();
+
+                if meta.is_dir() {
+                    self.collect_manifests_recursive(&entry.path(), manifests)
+                        .await?;
+                } else if name.ends_with(".manifest.json") {
+                    if let Ok(content) = fs::read_to_string(entry.path()).await {
+                        if let Ok(manifest) = serde_json::from_str::<ObjectManifest>(&content) {
+                            manifests.push(manifest);
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            Ok(())
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Default)]
+pub struct HealStats {
+    pub shards_checked: u64,
+    pub shards_healed: u64,
+    pub errors: u64,
+}

rust/src/cluster/membership.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+use anyhow::Result;
+use std::net::SocketAddr;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use tokio::sync::Mutex;
+
+use super::drive_manager::{DriveManager, DriveStatus};
+use super::protocol::{
+    ClusterRequest, ClusterResponse, DriveStateInfo, HeartbeatMessage, JoinRequestMessage,
+    NodeInfo,
+};
+use super::quic_transport::QuicTransport;
+use super::state::ClusterState;
+
+/// Manages cluster membership: heartbeating, joining, failure detection.
+pub struct MembershipManager {
+    state: Arc<ClusterState>,
+    transport: Arc<QuicTransport>,
+    heartbeat_interval: Duration,
+    local_node_info: NodeInfo,
+    drive_manager: Option<Arc<Mutex<DriveManager>>>,
+}
+
+impl MembershipManager {
+    pub fn new(
+        state: Arc<ClusterState>,
+        transport: Arc<QuicTransport>,
+        heartbeat_interval_ms: u64,
+        local_node_info: NodeInfo,
+    ) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            state,
+            transport,
+            heartbeat_interval: Duration::from_millis(heartbeat_interval_ms),
+            local_node_info,
+            drive_manager: None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Set the drive manager for health reporting in heartbeats.
+    pub fn with_drive_manager(mut self, dm: Arc<Mutex<DriveManager>>) -> Self {
+        self.drive_manager = Some(dm);
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Join the cluster by contacting seed nodes.
+    /// Sends a JoinRequest to each seed node until one accepts.
+    pub async fn join_cluster(&self, seed_nodes: &[String]) -> Result<()> {
+        if seed_nodes.is_empty() {
+            tracing::info!("No seed nodes configured, starting as initial cluster node");
+            self.state.add_node(self.local_node_info.clone()).await;
+            return Ok(());
+        }
+
+        for seed in seed_nodes {
+            let addr: SocketAddr = match seed.parse() {
+                Ok(a) => a,
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::warn!("Invalid seed node address '{}': {}", seed, e);
+                    continue;
+                }
+            };
+
+            tracing::info!("Attempting to join cluster via seed node {}", seed);
+
+            match self.try_join(addr).await {
+                Ok(()) => {
+                    tracing::info!("Successfully joined cluster via {}", seed);
+                    return Ok(());
+                }
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::warn!("Failed to join via {}: {}", seed, e);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        // If no seed responded, start as a new cluster
+        tracing::info!("Could not reach any seed nodes, starting as initial cluster node");
+        self.state.add_node(self.local_node_info.clone()).await;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    async fn try_join(&self, addr: SocketAddr) -> Result<()> {
+        let conn = self
+            .transport
+            .get_connection("seed", addr)
+            .await?;
+
+        let request = ClusterRequest::JoinRequest(JoinRequestMessage {
+            node_info: self.local_node_info.clone(),
+        });
+
+        let response = self.transport.send_request(&conn, &request).await?;
+
+        match response {
+            ClusterResponse::JoinResponse(join_resp) => {
+                if join_resp.accepted {
+                    if let Some(topology) = &join_resp.topology {
+                        self.state.apply_topology(topology).await;
+                        // Also register self
+                        self.state.add_node(self.local_node_info.clone()).await;
+                        tracing::info!(
+                            "Applied cluster topology (version {}, {} nodes, {} erasure sets)",
+                            topology.version,
+                            topology.nodes.len(),
+                            topology.erasure_sets.len(),
+                        );
+                    }
+                    Ok(())
+                } else {
+                    anyhow::bail!(
+                        "Join rejected: {}",
+                        join_resp.error.unwrap_or_default()
+                    )
+                }
+            }
+            ClusterResponse::Error(e) => {
+                anyhow::bail!("Join error: {} - {}", e.code, e.message)
+            }
+            _ => anyhow::bail!("Unexpected response to join request"),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Run the heartbeat loop. Sends heartbeats to all peers periodically.
+    pub async fn heartbeat_loop(self: Arc<Self>, mut shutdown: tokio::sync::watch::Receiver<bool>) {
+        let mut interval = tokio::time::interval(self.heartbeat_interval);
+
+        loop {
+            tokio::select! {
+                _ = interval.tick() => {
+                    self.send_heartbeats().await;
+                }
+                _ = shutdown.changed() => break,
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    async fn send_heartbeats(&self) {
+        let peers = self.state.online_peers().await;
+        let topology_version = self.state.version().await;
+        let mut responded = Vec::new();
+
+        // Collect drive health states
+        let drive_states = self.collect_drive_states().await;
+
+        for peer in &peers {
+            let addr: SocketAddr = match peer.quic_addr.parse() {
+                Ok(a) => a,
+                Err(_) => continue,
+            };
+
+            let heartbeat = ClusterRequest::Heartbeat(HeartbeatMessage {
+                node_id: self.local_node_info.node_id.clone(),
+                timestamp: chrono::Utc::now().to_rfc3339(),
+                drive_states: drive_states.clone(),
+                topology_version,
+            });
+
+            match tokio::time::timeout(
+                Duration::from_secs(5),
+                self.send_heartbeat_to_peer(&peer.node_id, addr, &heartbeat),
+            )
+            .await
+            {
+                Ok(Ok(())) => {
+                    responded.push(peer.node_id.clone());
+                }
+                Ok(Err(e)) => {
+                    tracing::debug!(
+                        peer = %peer.node_id,
+                        error = %e,
+                        "Heartbeat failed"
+                    );
+                }
+                Err(_) => {
+                    tracing::debug!(peer = %peer.node_id, "Heartbeat timed out");
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Update state based on responses
+        let status_changes = self.state.tick_heartbeats(&responded).await;
+        for (node_id, status) in &status_changes {
+            tracing::info!(node = %node_id, status = ?status, "Node status changed");
+        }
+    }
+
+    async fn send_heartbeat_to_peer(
+        &self,
+        node_id: &str,
+        addr: SocketAddr,
+        heartbeat: &ClusterRequest,
+    ) -> Result<()> {
+        let conn = self.transport.get_connection(node_id, addr).await?;
+        let _response = self.transport.send_request(&conn, heartbeat).await?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Collect drive health states from the DriveManager, if available.
+    async fn collect_drive_states(&self) -> Vec<DriveStateInfo> {
+        let dm = match &self.drive_manager {
+            Some(dm) => dm,
+            None => return Vec::new(),
+        };
+
+        let mut manager = dm.lock().await;
+        let results = manager.check_all_drives().await;
+
+        results
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|(idx, status)| {
+                let status_str = match status {
+                    DriveStatus::Online => "online",
+                    DriveStatus::Degraded => "degraded",
+                    DriveStatus::Offline => "offline",
+                    DriveStatus::Healing => "healing",
+                };
+                DriveStateInfo {
+                    drive_index: idx as u32,
+                    status: status_str.to_string(),
+                }
+            })
+            .collect()
+    }
+}

rust/src/cluster/metadata.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+/// Full manifest describing how an object is stored across erasure-coded shards.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct ObjectManifest {
+    /// Bucket name
+    pub bucket: String,
+    /// Object key
+    pub key: String,
+    /// Unique version ID for this write
+    pub version_id: String,
+    /// Total object size in bytes
+    pub size: u64,
+    /// MD5 hex digest of the complete object
+    pub content_md5: String,
+    /// Content type
+    pub content_type: String,
+    /// User metadata (x-amz-meta-*, content-type, etc.)
+    pub metadata: HashMap<String, String>,
+    /// When the object was created
+    pub created_at: String,
+    /// Last modified timestamp
+    pub last_modified: String,
+    /// Number of data shards used
+    pub data_shards: usize,
+    /// Number of parity shards used
+    pub parity_shards: usize,
+    /// Chunk size in bytes (last chunk may be smaller)
+    pub chunk_size: usize,
+    /// Per-chunk shard placement info
+    pub chunks: Vec<ChunkManifest>,
+}
+
+/// Describes the shards for a single chunk of an object.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct ChunkManifest {
+    /// Index of this chunk (0-based)
+    pub chunk_index: u32,
+    /// Actual data size of this chunk (before erasure coding)
+    pub data_size: usize,
+    /// Where each shard was placed
+    pub shard_placements: Vec<ShardPlacement>,
+}
+
+/// Describes where a specific shard is stored.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct ShardPlacement {
+    /// Shard index within the erasure set (0..data_shards+parity_shards)
+    pub shard_index: u32,
+    /// Node that holds this shard
+    pub node_id: String,
+    /// Drive ID on that node
+    pub drive_id: String,
+    /// CRC32C checksum of the shard data
+    pub checksum: u32,
+    /// Size of the shard data in bytes
+    pub shard_size: usize,
+}
+
+/// Manifest for a multipart upload in progress.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct MultipartUploadManifest {
+    pub upload_id: String,
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub key: String,
+    pub initiated: String,
+    pub metadata: HashMap<String, String>,
+    /// Per-part manifests, keyed by part number.
+    pub parts: HashMap<u32, PartManifest>,
+}
+
+/// Manifest for a single part of a multipart upload.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
+pub struct PartManifest {
+    pub part_number: u32,
+    pub size: u64,
+    pub md5: String,
+    pub chunks: Vec<ChunkManifest>,
+}

rust/src/cluster/mod.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+pub mod config;
+pub mod coordinator;
+pub mod drive_manager;
+pub mod erasure;
+pub mod healing;
+pub mod membership;
+pub mod metadata;
+pub mod placement;
+pub mod protocol;
+pub mod quic_transport;
+pub mod shard_store;
+pub mod state;

rust/src/cluster/placement.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+use xxhash_rust::xxh64::xxh64;
+
+/// Determines which erasure set an object belongs to, based on consistent hashing.
+///
+/// Uses xxhash64 of "{bucket}/{key}" to deterministically map objects to erasure sets.
+/// This is stateless — any node can independently compute the placement.
+pub fn erasure_set_for_object(bucket: &str, key: &str, num_erasure_sets: u32) -> u32 {
+    if num_erasure_sets == 0 {
+        return 0;
+    }
+    let hash_input = format!("{}/{}", bucket, key);
+    let hash = xxh64(hash_input.as_bytes(), 0);
+    (hash % num_erasure_sets as u64) as u32
+}
+
+/// Represents a drive location within the cluster topology.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct DriveLocation {
+    pub node_id: String,
+    pub drive_index: u32,
+}
+
+/// An erasure set: a fixed group of drives that together store one complete
+/// set of shards for any object placed on them.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct ErasureSet {
+    pub set_id: u32,
+    /// Ordered drives: index = shard_index
+    pub drives: Vec<DriveLocation>,
+}
+
+/// Form erasure sets from the available drives across all nodes.
+///
+/// Interleaves drives from different nodes for fault isolation:
+/// e.g., with 3 nodes x 4 drives and total_shards=6:
+///   Set 0: N0-D0, N1-D0, N2-D0, N0-D1, N1-D1, N2-D1
+///   Set 1: N0-D2, N1-D2, N2-D2, N0-D3, N1-D3, N2-D3
+pub fn form_erasure_sets(
+    nodes: &[(String, u32)], // (node_id, drive_count)
+    total_shards: usize,
+) -> Vec<ErasureSet> {
+    // Collect all drives as (node_id, drive_index), interleaved by node
+    let max_drives = nodes.iter().map(|(_, count)| *count).max().unwrap_or(0) as usize;
+    let mut all_drives: Vec<DriveLocation> = Vec::new();
+
+    for drive_idx in 0..max_drives {
+        for (node_id, drive_count) in nodes {
+            if (drive_idx as u32) < *drive_count {
+                all_drives.push(DriveLocation {
+                    node_id: node_id.clone(),
+                    drive_index: drive_idx as u32,
+                });
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Form sets of total_shards drives each
+    let num_sets = all_drives.len() / total_shards;
+    let mut sets = Vec::with_capacity(num_sets);
+
+    for set_idx in 0..num_sets {
+        let start = set_idx * total_shards;
+        let end = start + total_shards;
+        let drives = all_drives[start..end].to_vec();
+
+        sets.push(ErasureSet {
+            set_id: set_idx as u32,
+            drives,
+        });
+    }
+
+    sets
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_erasure_set_assignment_deterministic() {
+        let set_a = erasure_set_for_object("mybucket", "mykey", 4);
+        let set_b = erasure_set_for_object("mybucket", "mykey", 4);
+        assert_eq!(set_a, set_b);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_erasure_set_distribution() {
+        // Check that objects are distributed across sets
+        let num_sets = 4u32;
+        let mut counts = vec![0u32; num_sets as usize];
+        for i in 0..1000 {
+            let key = format!("key-{}", i);
+            let set = erasure_set_for_object("bucket", &key, num_sets);
+            assert!(set < num_sets);
+            counts[set as usize] += 1;
+        }
+        // Each set should have some objects (not all in one set)
+        for count in &counts {
+            assert!(*count > 100, "Expected >100, got {}", count);
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_form_erasure_sets_3x4() {
+        // 3 nodes, 4 drives each, 6 shards per set => 2 sets
+        let nodes = vec![
+            ("node1".to_string(), 4),
+            ("node2".to_string(), 4),
+            ("node3".to_string(), 4),
+        ];
+        let sets = form_erasure_sets(&nodes, 6);
+        assert_eq!(sets.len(), 2);
+
+        // Set 0 should interleave across nodes
+        let set0_nodes: Vec<&str> = sets[0].drives.iter().map(|d| d.node_id.as_str()).collect();
+        assert_eq!(set0_nodes, vec!["node1", "node2", "node3", "node1", "node2", "node3"]);
+
+        // Set 1 should also interleave
+        let set1_nodes: Vec<&str> = sets[1].drives.iter().map(|d| d.node_id.as_str()).collect();
+        assert_eq!(set1_nodes, vec!["node1", "node2", "node3", "node1", "node2", "node3"]);
+
+        // Drive indices should be different between sets
+        let set0_drives: Vec<u32> = sets[0].drives.iter().map(|d| d.drive_index).collect();
+        let set1_drives: Vec<u32> = sets[1].drives.iter().map(|d| d.drive_index).collect();
+        assert_eq!(set0_drives, vec![0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1]);
+        assert_eq!(set1_drives, vec![2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_form_erasure_sets_remainder() {
+        // 2 nodes, 3 drives each, 4 shards => 1 set (2 drives left over)
+        let nodes = vec![
+            ("a".to_string(), 3),
+            ("b".to_string(), 3),
+        ];
+        let sets = form_erasure_sets(&nodes, 4);
+        assert_eq!(sets.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(sets[0].drives.len(), 4);
+    }
+}

rust/src/cluster/protocol.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,384 @@
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+use super::metadata::ObjectManifest;
+
+/// All inter-node cluster messages, serialized with bincode over QUIC streams.
+///
+/// Each message type gets its own bidirectional QUIC stream.
+/// For shard data transfers, the header is sent first (bincode),
+/// then raw shard bytes follow on the same stream.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub enum ClusterRequest {
+    // ============================
+    // Shard operations
+    // ============================
+
+    /// Write a shard to a specific drive on the target node.
+    /// Shard data follows after this header on the same stream.
+    ShardWrite(ShardWriteRequest),
+
+    /// Read a shard from the target node.
+    ShardRead(ShardReadRequest),
+
+    /// Delete a shard from the target node.
+    ShardDelete(ShardDeleteRequest),
+
+    /// Check if a shard exists and get its metadata.
+    ShardHead(ShardHeadRequest),
+
+    // ============================
+    // Manifest operations
+    // ============================
+
+    /// Store an object manifest on the target node.
+    ManifestWrite(ManifestWriteRequest),
+
+    /// Retrieve an object manifest from the target node.
+    ManifestRead(ManifestReadRequest),
+
+    /// Delete an object manifest from the target node.
+    ManifestDelete(ManifestDeleteRequest),
+
+    /// List all manifests for a bucket on the target node.
+    ManifestList(ManifestListRequest),
+
+    // ============================
+    // Cluster management
+    // ============================
+
+    /// Periodic heartbeat.
+    Heartbeat(HeartbeatMessage),
+
+    /// Request to join the cluster.
+    JoinRequest(JoinRequestMessage),
+
+    /// Synchronize cluster topology.
+    TopologySync(TopologySyncMessage),
+
+    // ============================
+    // Healing
+    // ============================
+
+    /// Request a shard to be reconstructed and placed on a target drive.
+    HealRequest(HealRequestMessage),
+}
+
+/// Responses to cluster requests.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub enum ClusterResponse {
+    // Shard ops
+    ShardWriteAck(ShardWriteAck),
+    ShardReadResponse(ShardReadResponse),
+    ShardDeleteAck(ShardDeleteAck),
+    ShardHeadResponse(ShardHeadResponse),
+
+    // Manifest ops
+    ManifestWriteAck(ManifestWriteAck),
+    ManifestReadResponse(ManifestReadResponse),
+    ManifestDeleteAck(ManifestDeleteAck),
+    ManifestListResponse(ManifestListResponse),
+
+    // Cluster mgmt
+    HeartbeatAck(HeartbeatAckMessage),
+    JoinResponse(JoinResponseMessage),
+    TopologySyncAck(TopologySyncAckMessage),
+
+    // Healing
+    HealResponse(HealResponseMessage),
+
+    // Error
+    Error(ErrorResponse),
+}
+
+// ============================
+// Shard operation messages
+// ============================
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ShardWriteRequest {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub key: String,
+    pub chunk_index: u32,
+    pub shard_index: u32,
+    pub shard_data_length: u64,
+    pub checksum: u32, // crc32c of shard data
+    pub object_metadata: HashMap<String, String>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ShardWriteAck {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub success: bool,
+    pub error: Option<String>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ShardReadRequest {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub key: String,
+    pub chunk_index: u32,
+    pub shard_index: u32,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ShardReadResponse {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub found: bool,
+    pub shard_data_length: u64,
+    pub checksum: u32,
+    // Shard data follows on the stream after this header
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ShardDeleteRequest {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub key: String,
+    pub chunk_index: u32,
+    pub shard_index: u32,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ShardDeleteAck {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub success: bool,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ShardHeadRequest {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub key: String,
+    pub chunk_index: u32,
+    pub shard_index: u32,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ShardHeadResponse {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub found: bool,
+    pub data_size: u64,
+    pub checksum: u32,
+}
+
+// ============================
+// Manifest operation messages
+// ============================
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ManifestWriteRequest {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub manifest: ObjectManifest,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ManifestWriteAck {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub success: bool,
+    pub error: Option<String>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ManifestReadRequest {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub key: String,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ManifestReadResponse {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub found: bool,
+    pub manifest: Option<ObjectManifest>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ManifestDeleteRequest {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub key: String,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ManifestDeleteAck {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub success: bool,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ManifestListRequest {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub prefix: Option<String>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ManifestListResponse {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub manifests: Vec<ObjectManifest>,
+}
+
+// ============================
+// Cluster management messages
+// ============================
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct DriveStateInfo {
+    pub drive_index: u32,
+    pub status: String, // "online", "degraded", "offline", "healing"
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct HeartbeatMessage {
+    pub node_id: String,
+    pub timestamp: String,
+    pub drive_states: Vec<DriveStateInfo>,
+    pub topology_version: u64,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct HeartbeatAckMessage {
+    pub node_id: String,
+    pub timestamp: String,
+    pub topology_version: u64,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct NodeInfo {
+    pub node_id: String,
+    pub quic_addr: String,
+    pub s3_addr: String,
+    pub drive_count: u32,
+    pub status: String,
+    pub version: String,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct JoinRequestMessage {
+    pub node_info: NodeInfo,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ClusterTopology {
+    pub version: u64,
+    pub cluster_id: String,
+    pub nodes: Vec<NodeInfo>,
+    pub erasure_sets: Vec<ErasureSetInfo>,
+    pub data_shards: usize,
+    pub parity_shards: usize,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ErasureSetInfo {
+    pub set_id: u32,
+    pub drives: Vec<DriveLocationInfo>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct DriveLocationInfo {
+    pub node_id: String,
+    pub drive_index: u32,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct JoinResponseMessage {
+    pub accepted: bool,
+    pub topology: Option<ClusterTopology>,
+    pub error: Option<String>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct TopologySyncMessage {
+    pub topology: ClusterTopology,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct TopologySyncAckMessage {
+    pub accepted: bool,
+    pub current_version: u64,
+}
+
+// ============================
+// Healing messages
+// ============================
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct HealRequestMessage {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub key: String,
+    pub chunk_index: u32,
+    pub shard_index: u32,
+    pub target_node_id: String,
+    pub target_drive_index: u32,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct HealResponseMessage {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub success: bool,
+    pub error: Option<String>,
+}
+
+// ============================
+// Error response
+// ============================
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ErrorResponse {
+    pub request_id: String,
+    pub code: String,
+    pub message: String,
+}
+
+// ============================
+// Wire format helpers
+// ============================
+
+/// Serialize a request to bincode bytes with a 4-byte length prefix.
+pub fn encode_request(req: &ClusterRequest) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<u8>> {
+    let payload = bincode::serialize(req)?;
+    let mut buf = Vec::with_capacity(4 + payload.len());
+    buf.extend_from_slice(&(payload.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
+    buf.extend_from_slice(&payload);
+    Ok(buf)
+}
+
+/// Serialize a response to bincode bytes with a 4-byte length prefix.
+pub fn encode_response(resp: &ClusterResponse) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<u8>> {
+    let payload = bincode::serialize(resp)?;
+    let mut buf = Vec::with_capacity(4 + payload.len());
+    buf.extend_from_slice(&(payload.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
+    buf.extend_from_slice(&payload);
+    Ok(buf)
+}
+
+/// Read a length-prefixed bincode message from raw bytes.
+/// Returns (decoded message, bytes consumed).
+pub fn decode_request(data: &[u8]) -> anyhow::Result<(ClusterRequest, usize)> {
+    if data.len() < 4 {
+        anyhow::bail!("Not enough data for length prefix");
+    }
+    let len = u32::from_le_bytes([data[0], data[1], data[2], data[3]]) as usize;
+    if data.len() < 4 + len {
+        anyhow::bail!("Not enough data for message body");
+    }
+    let msg: ClusterRequest = bincode::deserialize(&data[4..4 + len])?;
+    Ok((msg, 4 + len))
+}
+
+/// Read a length-prefixed bincode response from raw bytes.
+pub fn decode_response(data: &[u8]) -> anyhow::Result<(ClusterResponse, usize)> {
+    if data.len() < 4 {
+        anyhow::bail!("Not enough data for length prefix");
+    }
+    let len = u32::from_le_bytes([data[0], data[1], data[2], data[3]]) as usize;
+    if data.len() < 4 + len {
+        anyhow::bail!("Not enough data for message body");
+    }
+    let msg: ClusterResponse = bincode::deserialize(&data[4..4 + len])?;
+    Ok((msg, 4 + len))
+}

rust/src/cluster/quic_transport.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,455 @@
+use anyhow::Result;
+use dashmap::DashMap;
+use quinn::{ClientConfig, Endpoint, ServerConfig as QuinnServerConfig};
+use rustls::pki_types::{CertificateDer, PrivateKeyDer, PrivatePkcs8KeyDer};
+use std::net::SocketAddr;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use tokio::io::{AsyncReadExt, AsyncWriteExt};
+
+use super::protocol::{
+    self, ClusterRequest, ClusterResponse, ShardReadResponse, ShardWriteAck, ShardWriteRequest,
+};
+use super::shard_store::{ShardId, ShardStore};
+
+/// QUIC transport layer for inter-node communication.
+///
+/// Manages a QUIC endpoint for both sending and receiving cluster messages.
+/// Uses self-signed TLS certificates generated at init time.
+/// Maintains a connection pool to peer nodes.
+pub struct QuicTransport {
+    endpoint: Endpoint,
+    /// Cached connections to peer nodes: node_id -> Connection
+    connections: Arc<DashMap<String, quinn::Connection>>,
+    local_node_id: String,
+}
+
+impl QuicTransport {
+    /// Create a new QUIC transport, binding to the specified address.
+    pub async fn new(bind_addr: SocketAddr, local_node_id: String) -> Result<Self> {
+        let (server_config, client_config) = Self::generate_tls_configs()?;
+
+        let endpoint = Endpoint::server(server_config, bind_addr)?;
+
+        // Also configure the endpoint for client connections
+        let mut endpoint_client = endpoint.clone();
+        endpoint_client.set_default_client_config(client_config);
+
+        Ok(Self {
+            endpoint,
+            connections: Arc::new(DashMap::new()),
+            local_node_id,
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Get or establish a connection to a peer node.
+    pub async fn get_connection(
+        &self,
+        node_id: &str,
+        addr: SocketAddr,
+    ) -> Result<quinn::Connection> {
+        // Check cache first
+        if let Some(conn) = self.connections.get(node_id) {
+            if conn.close_reason().is_none() {
+                return Ok(conn.clone());
+            }
+            // Connection is closed, remove from cache
+            drop(conn);
+            self.connections.remove(node_id);
+        }
+
+        // Establish new connection
+        let conn = self
+            .endpoint
+            .connect(addr, "smartstorage")?
+            .await?;
+
+        self.connections
+            .insert(node_id.to_string(), conn.clone());
+
+        Ok(conn)
+    }
+
+    /// Send a cluster request and receive the response.
+    pub async fn send_request(
+        &self,
+        conn: &quinn::Connection,
+        request: &ClusterRequest,
+    ) -> Result<ClusterResponse> {
+        let (mut send, mut recv) = conn.open_bi().await?;
+
+        // Encode and send request
+        let encoded = protocol::encode_request(request)?;
+        send.write_all(&encoded).await?;
+        send.finish()?;
+
+        // Read response
+        let response_data = recv.read_to_end(64 * 1024 * 1024).await?; // 64MB max
+        let (response, _) = protocol::decode_response(&response_data)?;
+
+        Ok(response)
+    }
+
+    /// Send a shard write request with streaming data.
+    ///
+    /// Sends the request header first, then streams the shard data bytes.
+    pub async fn send_shard_write(
+        &self,
+        conn: &quinn::Connection,
+        request: ShardWriteRequest,
+        shard_data: &[u8],
+    ) -> Result<ShardWriteAck> {
+        let (mut send, mut recv) = conn.open_bi().await?;
+
+        // Send request header
+        let encoded = protocol::encode_request(&ClusterRequest::ShardWrite(request))?;
+        send.write_all(&encoded).await?;
+
+        // Stream shard data
+        send.write_all(shard_data).await?;
+        send.finish()?;
+
+        // Read ack
+        let response_data = recv.read_to_end(1024).await?;
+        let (response, _) = protocol::decode_response(&response_data)?;
+
+        match response {
+            ClusterResponse::ShardWriteAck(ack) => Ok(ack),
+            ClusterResponse::Error(e) => {
+                anyhow::bail!("Shard write error: {} - {}", e.code, e.message)
+            }
+            other => anyhow::bail!("Unexpected response to shard write: {:?}", other),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Send a shard read request and receive the shard data.
+    ///
+    /// Returns (shard_data, checksum).
+    pub async fn send_shard_read(
+        &self,
+        conn: &quinn::Connection,
+        request: &ClusterRequest,
+    ) -> Result<Option<(Vec<u8>, u32)>> {
+        let (mut send, mut recv) = conn.open_bi().await?;
+
+        // Send request
+        let encoded = protocol::encode_request(request)?;
+        send.write_all(&encoded).await?;
+        send.finish()?;
+
+        // Read response header
+        let mut header_len_buf = [0u8; 4];
+        recv.read_exact(&mut header_len_buf).await?;
+        let header_len = u32::from_le_bytes(header_len_buf) as usize;
+
+        let mut header_buf = vec![0u8; header_len];
+        recv.read_exact(&mut header_buf).await?;
+        let response: ClusterResponse = bincode::deserialize(&header_buf)?;
+
+        match response {
+            ClusterResponse::ShardReadResponse(read_resp) => {
+                if !read_resp.found {
+                    return Ok(None);
+                }
+                // Read shard data that follows
+                let mut shard_data = vec![0u8; read_resp.shard_data_length as usize];
+                recv.read_exact(&mut shard_data).await?;
+                Ok(Some((shard_data, read_resp.checksum)))
+            }
+            ClusterResponse::Error(e) => {
+                anyhow::bail!("Shard read error: {} - {}", e.code, e.message)
+            }
+            other => anyhow::bail!("Unexpected response to shard read: {:?}", other),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Accept incoming connections and dispatch to the handler.
+    pub async fn accept_loop(
+        self: Arc<Self>,
+        shard_store: Arc<ShardStore>,
+        mut shutdown: tokio::sync::watch::Receiver<bool>,
+    ) {
+        loop {
+            tokio::select! {
+                incoming = self.endpoint.accept() => {
+                    match incoming {
+                        Some(incoming_conn) => {
+                            let transport = self.clone();
+                            let store = shard_store.clone();
+                            tokio::spawn(async move {
+                                match incoming_conn.await {
+                                    Ok(conn) => {
+                                        transport.handle_connection(conn, store).await;
+                                    }
+                                    Err(e) => {
+                                        tracing::error!("Failed to accept QUIC connection: {}", e);
+                                    }
+                                }
+                            });
+                        }
+                        None => break,
+                    }
+                }
+                _ = shutdown.changed() => break,
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Handle a single QUIC connection (may have multiple streams).
+    async fn handle_connection(
+        &self,
+        conn: quinn::Connection,
+        shard_store: Arc<ShardStore>,
+    ) {
+        loop {
+            match conn.accept_bi().await {
+                Ok((send, recv)) => {
+                    let store = shard_store.clone();
+                    tokio::spawn(async move {
+                        if let Err(e) = Self::handle_stream(send, recv, store).await {
+                            tracing::error!("Stream handler error: {}", e);
+                        }
+                    });
+                }
+                Err(quinn::ConnectionError::ApplicationClosed(_)) => break,
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::error!("Connection error: {}", e);
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Handle a single bidirectional stream (one request-response exchange).
+    async fn handle_stream(
+        mut send: quinn::SendStream,
+        mut recv: quinn::RecvStream,
+        shard_store: Arc<ShardStore>,
+    ) -> Result<()> {
+        // Read the length-prefixed request header
+        let mut len_buf = [0u8; 4];
+        recv.read_exact(&mut len_buf).await?;
+        let msg_len = u32::from_le_bytes(len_buf) as usize;
+
+        let mut msg_buf = vec![0u8; msg_len];
+        recv.read_exact(&mut msg_buf).await?;
+        let request: ClusterRequest = bincode::deserialize(&msg_buf)?;
+
+        match request {
+            ClusterRequest::ShardWrite(write_req) => {
+                // Read shard data from the stream
+                let mut shard_data = vec![0u8; write_req.shard_data_length as usize];
+                recv.read_exact(&mut shard_data).await?;
+
+                let shard_id = ShardId {
+                    bucket: write_req.bucket,
+                    key: write_req.key,
+                    chunk_index: write_req.chunk_index,
+                    shard_index: write_req.shard_index,
+                };
+
+                let result = shard_store
+                    .write_shard(&shard_id, &shard_data, write_req.checksum)
+                    .await;
+
+                let ack = ShardWriteAck {
+                    request_id: write_req.request_id,
+                    success: result.is_ok(),
+                    error: result.err().map(|e| e.to_string()),
+                };
+                let response = protocol::encode_response(&ClusterResponse::ShardWriteAck(ack))?;
+                send.write_all(&response).await?;
+                send.finish()?;
+            }
+
+            ClusterRequest::ShardRead(read_req) => {
+                let shard_id = ShardId {
+                    bucket: read_req.bucket,
+                    key: read_req.key,
+                    chunk_index: read_req.chunk_index,
+                    shard_index: read_req.shard_index,
+                };
+
+                match shard_store.read_shard(&shard_id).await {
+                    Ok((data, checksum)) => {
+                        let header = ShardReadResponse {
+                            request_id: read_req.request_id,
+                            found: true,
+                            shard_data_length: data.len() as u64,
+                            checksum,
+                        };
+                        // Send header
+                        let header_bytes = bincode::serialize(&ClusterResponse::ShardReadResponse(header))?;
+                        send.write_all(&(header_bytes.len() as u32).to_le_bytes()).await?;
+                        send.write_all(&header_bytes).await?;
+                        // Send shard data
+                        send.write_all(&data).await?;
+                        send.finish()?;
+                    }
+                    Err(_) => {
+                        let header = ShardReadResponse {
+                            request_id: read_req.request_id,
+                            found: false,
+                            shard_data_length: 0,
+                            checksum: 0,
+                        };
+                        let header_bytes = bincode::serialize(&ClusterResponse::ShardReadResponse(header))?;
+                        send.write_all(&(header_bytes.len() as u32).to_le_bytes()).await?;
+                        send.write_all(&header_bytes).await?;
+                        send.finish()?;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            ClusterRequest::ShardDelete(del_req) => {
+                let shard_id = ShardId {
+                    bucket: del_req.bucket,
+                    key: del_req.key,
+                    chunk_index: del_req.chunk_index,
+                    shard_index: del_req.shard_index,
+                };
+                let result = shard_store.delete_shard(&shard_id).await;
+                let ack = protocol::ClusterResponse::ShardDeleteAck(protocol::ShardDeleteAck {
+                    request_id: del_req.request_id,
+                    success: result.is_ok(),
+                });
+                let response = protocol::encode_response(&ack)?;
+                send.write_all(&response).await?;
+                send.finish()?;
+            }
+
+            ClusterRequest::ShardHead(head_req) => {
+                let shard_id = ShardId {
+                    bucket: head_req.bucket,
+                    key: head_req.key,
+                    chunk_index: head_req.chunk_index,
+                    shard_index: head_req.shard_index,
+                };
+                let resp = match shard_store.head_shard(&shard_id).await {
+                    Ok(Some(meta)) => protocol::ShardHeadResponse {
+                        request_id: head_req.request_id,
+                        found: true,
+                        data_size: meta.data_size,
+                        checksum: meta.checksum,
+                    },
+                    _ => protocol::ShardHeadResponse {
+                        request_id: head_req.request_id,
+                        found: false,
+                        data_size: 0,
+                        checksum: 0,
+                    },
+                };
+                let response =
+                    protocol::encode_response(&ClusterResponse::ShardHeadResponse(resp))?;
+                send.write_all(&response).await?;
+                send.finish()?;
+            }
+
+            // Heartbeat, Join, TopologySync, Heal, and Manifest operations
+            // will be handled by the membership and coordinator modules.
+            // For now, send a generic ack.
+            _ => {
+                let response_data = recv.read_to_end(0).await.unwrap_or_default();
+                drop(response_data);
+                let err = protocol::ErrorResponse {
+                    request_id: String::new(),
+                    code: "NotImplemented".to_string(),
+                    message: "This cluster operation is not yet implemented".to_string(),
+                };
+                let response = protocol::encode_response(&ClusterResponse::Error(err))?;
+                send.write_all(&response).await?;
+                send.finish()?;
+            }
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Generate self-signed TLS certificates for cluster-internal communication.
+    fn generate_tls_configs() -> Result<(QuinnServerConfig, ClientConfig)> {
+        // Generate self-signed certificate
+        let cert = rcgen::generate_simple_self_signed(vec!["smartstorage".to_string()])?;
+        let cert_der = CertificateDer::from(cert.cert);
+        let key_der = PrivateKeyDer::Pkcs8(PrivatePkcs8KeyDer::from(cert.key_pair.serialize_der()));
+
+        // Server config
+        let mut server_crypto = rustls::ServerConfig::builder()
+            .with_no_client_auth()
+            .with_single_cert(vec![cert_der.clone()], key_der.clone_key())?;
+        server_crypto.alpn_protocols = vec![b"smartstorage".to_vec()];
+        let server_config = QuinnServerConfig::with_crypto(Arc::new(
+            quinn::crypto::rustls::QuicServerConfig::try_from(server_crypto)?,
+        ));
+
+        // Client config: skip server certificate verification (cluster-internal)
+        let mut client_crypto = rustls::ClientConfig::builder()
+            .dangerous()
+            .with_custom_certificate_verifier(Arc::new(SkipServerVerification))
+            .with_no_client_auth();
+        client_crypto.alpn_protocols = vec![b"smartstorage".to_vec()];
+        let client_config = ClientConfig::new(Arc::new(
+            quinn::crypto::rustls::QuicClientConfig::try_from(client_crypto)?,
+        ));
+
+        Ok((server_config, client_config))
+    }
+
+    /// Close the QUIC endpoint gracefully.
+    pub fn close(&self) {
+        self.endpoint
+            .close(quinn::VarInt::from_u32(0), b"shutdown");
+    }
+
+    /// Get the local node ID.
+    pub fn local_node_id(&self) -> &str {
+        &self.local_node_id
+    }
+}
+
+/// Certificate verifier that skips verification (for cluster-internal self-signed certs).
+#[derive(Debug)]
+struct SkipServerVerification;
+
+impl rustls::client::danger::ServerCertVerifier for SkipServerVerification {
+    fn verify_server_cert(
+        &self,
+        _end_entity: &CertificateDer<'_>,
+        _intermediates: &[CertificateDer<'_>],
+        _server_name: &rustls::pki_types::ServerName<'_>,
+        _ocsp_response: &[u8],
+        _now: rustls::pki_types::UnixTime,
+    ) -> Result<rustls::client::danger::ServerCertVerified, rustls::Error> {
+        Ok(rustls::client::danger::ServerCertVerified::assertion())
+    }
+
+    fn verify_tls12_signature(
+        &self,
+        _message: &[u8],
+        _cert: &CertificateDer<'_>,
+        _dss: &rustls::DigitallySignedStruct,
+    ) -> Result<rustls::client::danger::HandshakeSignatureValid, rustls::Error> {
+        Ok(rustls::client::danger::HandshakeSignatureValid::assertion())
+    }
+
+    fn verify_tls13_signature(
+        &self,
+        _message: &[u8],
+        _cert: &CertificateDer<'_>,
+        _dss: &rustls::DigitallySignedStruct,
+    ) -> Result<rustls::client::danger::HandshakeSignatureValid, rustls::Error> {
+        Ok(rustls::client::danger::HandshakeSignatureValid::assertion())
+    }
+
+    fn supported_verify_schemes(&self) -> Vec<rustls::SignatureScheme> {
+        vec![
+            rustls::SignatureScheme::RSA_PKCS1_SHA256,
+            rustls::SignatureScheme::RSA_PKCS1_SHA384,
+            rustls::SignatureScheme::RSA_PKCS1_SHA512,
+            rustls::SignatureScheme::ECDSA_NISTP256_SHA256,
+            rustls::SignatureScheme::ECDSA_NISTP384_SHA384,
+            rustls::SignatureScheme::ED25519,
+            rustls::SignatureScheme::RSA_PSS_SHA256,
+            rustls::SignatureScheme::RSA_PSS_SHA384,
+            rustls::SignatureScheme::RSA_PSS_SHA512,
+        ]
+    }
+}

rust/src/cluster/shard_store.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+use anyhow::Result;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use tokio::fs;
+use tokio::io::AsyncWriteExt;
+
+/// Identifies a specific shard on disk.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
+pub struct ShardId {
+    pub bucket: String,
+    pub key: String,
+    pub chunk_index: u32,
+    pub shard_index: u32,
+}
+
+/// Per-shard metadata stored alongside shard data.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ShardMeta {
+    pub shard_index: u32,
+    pub chunk_index: u32,
+    pub data_size: u64,
+    pub checksum: u32, // crc32c
+}
+
+/// Manages shard storage on a single drive.
+///
+/// Layout on disk:
+/// ```text
+/// {base_path}/.smartstorage/data/{bucket}/{key_prefix}/{key}/
+///   chunk-{N}/shard-{M}.dat    (shard data)
+///   chunk-{N}/shard-{M}.meta   (shard metadata JSON)
+/// ```
+pub struct ShardStore {
+    base_path: PathBuf,
+}
+
+impl ShardStore {
+    pub fn new(base_path: PathBuf) -> Self {
+        Self { base_path }
+    }
+
+    /// Write a shard to disk atomically (write to temp file, then rename).
+    pub async fn write_shard(
+        &self,
+        shard_id: &ShardId,
+        data: &[u8],
+        checksum: u32,
+    ) -> Result<()> {
+        let shard_path = self.shard_data_path(shard_id);
+        let meta_path = self.shard_meta_path(shard_id);
+
+        // Ensure parent directory exists
+        if let Some(parent) = shard_path.parent() {
+            fs::create_dir_all(parent).await?;
+        }
+
+        // Write data atomically via temp file + rename
+        let temp_data_path = shard_path.with_extension("dat.tmp");
+        {
+            let mut file = fs::File::create(&temp_data_path).await?;
+            file.write_all(data).await?;
+            file.flush().await?;
+            file.sync_all().await?;
+        }
+        fs::rename(&temp_data_path, &shard_path).await?;
+
+        // Write metadata
+        let meta = ShardMeta {
+            shard_index: shard_id.shard_index,
+            chunk_index: shard_id.chunk_index,
+            data_size: data.len() as u64,
+            checksum,
+        };
+        let meta_json = serde_json::to_string(&meta)?;
+        let temp_meta_path = meta_path.with_extension("meta.tmp");
+        fs::write(&temp_meta_path, meta_json).await?;
+        fs::rename(&temp_meta_path, &meta_path).await?;
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Read a shard's data from disk.
+    pub async fn read_shard(&self, shard_id: &ShardId) -> Result<(Vec<u8>, u32)> {
+        let shard_path = self.shard_data_path(shard_id);
+        let meta_path = self.shard_meta_path(shard_id);
+
+        let data = fs::read(&shard_path).await?;
+        let meta_json = fs::read_to_string(&meta_path).await?;
+        let meta: ShardMeta = serde_json::from_str(&meta_json)?;
+
+        Ok((data, meta.checksum))
+    }
+
+    /// Check if a shard exists and return its metadata.
+    pub async fn head_shard(&self, shard_id: &ShardId) -> Result<Option<ShardMeta>> {
+        let meta_path = self.shard_meta_path(shard_id);
+        if !meta_path.exists() {
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+        let meta_json = fs::read_to_string(&meta_path).await?;
+        let meta: ShardMeta = serde_json::from_str(&meta_json)?;
+        Ok(Some(meta))
+    }
+
+    /// Delete a shard and its metadata.
+    pub async fn delete_shard(&self, shard_id: &ShardId) -> Result<()> {
+        let shard_path = self.shard_data_path(shard_id);
+        let meta_path = self.shard_meta_path(shard_id);
+
+        let _ = fs::remove_file(&shard_path).await;
+        let _ = fs::remove_file(&meta_path).await;
+
+        // Clean up empty parent directories
+        self.cleanup_empty_dirs(shard_id).await;
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// List all shard IDs for a given bucket and key (across all chunks).
+    pub async fn list_shards_for_object(
+        &self,
+        bucket: &str,
+        key: &str,
+    ) -> Result<Vec<ShardId>> {
+        let key_dir = self.key_dir(bucket, key);
+        if !key_dir.exists() {
+            return Ok(Vec::new());
+        }
+
+        let mut result = Vec::new();
+        let mut entries = fs::read_dir(&key_dir).await?;
+
+        while let Some(entry) = entries.next_entry().await? {
+            let name = entry.file_name().to_string_lossy().to_string();
+            if !name.starts_with("chunk-") || !entry.metadata().await?.is_dir() {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            let chunk_index: u32 = match name.strip_prefix("chunk-").and_then(|s| s.parse().ok()) {
+                Some(idx) => idx,
+                None => continue,
+            };
+
+            let mut chunk_entries = fs::read_dir(entry.path()).await?;
+            while let Some(shard_entry) = chunk_entries.next_entry().await? {
+                let shard_name = shard_entry.file_name().to_string_lossy().to_string();
+                if shard_name.starts_with("shard-") && shard_name.ends_with(".dat") {
+                    let shard_index: u32 = match shard_name
+                        .strip_prefix("shard-")
+                        .and_then(|s| s.strip_suffix(".dat"))
+                        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+                    {
+                        Some(idx) => idx,
+                        None => continue,
+                    };
+
+                    result.push(ShardId {
+                        bucket: bucket.to_string(),
+                        key: key.to_string(),
+                        chunk_index,
+                        shard_index,
+                    });
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        result.sort_by(|a, b| {
+            a.chunk_index
+                .cmp(&b.chunk_index)
+                .then(a.shard_index.cmp(&b.shard_index))
+        });
+
+        Ok(result)
+    }
+
+    // ============================
+    // Path helpers
+    // ============================
+
+    fn data_root(&self) -> PathBuf {
+        self.base_path.join(".smartstorage").join("data")
+    }
+
+    fn key_prefix(key: &str) -> String {
+        // Use first 2 hex chars of a simple hash for directory fan-out
+        let hash = xxhash_rust::xxh64::xxh64(key.as_bytes(), 0);
+        format!("{:02x}", hash & 0xFF)
+    }
+
+    fn key_dir(&self, bucket: &str, key: &str) -> PathBuf {
+        self.data_root()
+            .join(bucket)
+            .join(Self::key_prefix(key))
+            .join(key)
+    }
+
+    fn chunk_dir(&self, shard_id: &ShardId) -> PathBuf {
+        self.key_dir(&shard_id.bucket, &shard_id.key)
+            .join(format!("chunk-{}", shard_id.chunk_index))
+    }
+
+    fn shard_data_path(&self, shard_id: &ShardId) -> PathBuf {
+        self.chunk_dir(shard_id)
+            .join(format!("shard-{}.dat", shard_id.shard_index))
+    }
+
+    fn shard_meta_path(&self, shard_id: &ShardId) -> PathBuf {
+        self.chunk_dir(shard_id)
+            .join(format!("shard-{}.meta", shard_id.shard_index))
+    }
+
+    async fn cleanup_empty_dirs(&self, shard_id: &ShardId) {
+        // Try to remove chunk dir if empty
+        let chunk_dir = self.chunk_dir(shard_id);
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir(&chunk_dir).await; // fails silently if not empty
+
+        // Try to remove key dir if empty
+        let key_dir = self.key_dir(&shard_id.bucket, &shard_id.key);
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir(&key_dir).await;
+
+        // Try to remove prefix dir if empty
+        if let Some(prefix_dir) = key_dir.parent() {
+            let _ = fs::remove_dir(prefix_dir).await;
+        }
+    }
+}

rust/src/cluster/state.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,291 @@
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use tokio::sync::RwLock;
+
+use super::placement::{DriveLocation, ErasureSet};
+use super::protocol::{ClusterTopology, ErasureSetInfo, DriveLocationInfo, NodeInfo};
+
+/// Node status for tracking liveness.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum NodeStatus {
+    Online,
+    Suspect,  // missed 2+ heartbeats
+    Offline,  // missed 5+ heartbeats
+}
+
+/// Tracked state for a peer node.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct NodeState {
+    pub info: NodeInfo,
+    pub status: NodeStatus,
+    pub missed_heartbeats: u32,
+    pub last_heartbeat: chrono::DateTime<chrono::Utc>,
+}
+
+/// Shared cluster state, protected by RwLock for concurrent access.
+pub struct ClusterState {
+    inner: Arc<RwLock<ClusterStateInner>>,
+    local_node_id: String,
+}
+
+struct ClusterStateInner {
+    cluster_id: String,
+    version: u64,
+    nodes: HashMap<String, NodeState>,
+    erasure_sets: Vec<ErasureSet>,
+    data_shards: usize,
+    parity_shards: usize,
+}
+
+impl ClusterState {
+    pub fn new(
+        local_node_id: String,
+        cluster_id: String,
+        data_shards: usize,
+        parity_shards: usize,
+    ) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            inner: Arc::new(RwLock::new(ClusterStateInner {
+                cluster_id,
+                version: 0,
+                nodes: HashMap::new(),
+                erasure_sets: Vec::new(),
+                data_shards,
+                parity_shards,
+            })),
+            local_node_id,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn local_node_id(&self) -> &str {
+        &self.local_node_id
+    }
+
+    /// Register a node in the cluster.
+    pub async fn add_node(&self, info: NodeInfo) {
+        let mut inner = self.inner.write().await;
+        let node_id = info.node_id.clone();
+        inner.nodes.insert(
+            node_id,
+            NodeState {
+                info,
+                status: NodeStatus::Online,
+                missed_heartbeats: 0,
+                last_heartbeat: chrono::Utc::now(),
+            },
+        );
+        inner.version += 1;
+    }
+
+    /// Remove a node from the cluster.
+    pub async fn remove_node(&self, node_id: &str) {
+        let mut inner = self.inner.write().await;
+        inner.nodes.remove(node_id);
+        inner.version += 1;
+    }
+
+    /// Update heartbeat for a node (reset missed count).
+    pub async fn record_heartbeat(&self, node_id: &str) {
+        let mut inner = self.inner.write().await;
+        if let Some(node) = inner.nodes.get_mut(node_id) {
+            node.missed_heartbeats = 0;
+            node.status = NodeStatus::Online;
+            node.last_heartbeat = chrono::Utc::now();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Increment missed heartbeat count for all nodes, updating status.
+    /// Called by the heartbeat checker when a round completes.
+    pub async fn tick_heartbeats(&self, responded_nodes: &[String]) -> Vec<(String, NodeStatus)> {
+        let mut inner = self.inner.write().await;
+        let mut status_changes = Vec::new();
+
+        for (node_id, node) in inner.nodes.iter_mut() {
+            if *node_id == self.local_node_id {
+                continue; // Don't track self
+            }
+
+            if responded_nodes.contains(node_id) {
+                node.missed_heartbeats = 0;
+                if node.status != NodeStatus::Online {
+                    node.status = NodeStatus::Online;
+                    status_changes.push((node_id.clone(), NodeStatus::Online));
+                }
+            } else {
+                node.missed_heartbeats += 1;
+                let new_status = if node.missed_heartbeats >= 5 {
+                    NodeStatus::Offline
+                } else if node.missed_heartbeats >= 2 {
+                    NodeStatus::Suspect
+                } else {
+                    NodeStatus::Online
+                };
+
+                if new_status != node.status {
+                    node.status = new_status.clone();
+                    status_changes.push((node_id.clone(), new_status));
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        status_changes
+    }
+
+    /// Set erasure sets (typically done once during cluster formation).
+    pub async fn set_erasure_sets(&self, sets: Vec<ErasureSet>) {
+        let mut inner = self.inner.write().await;
+        inner.erasure_sets = sets;
+        inner.version += 1;
+    }
+
+    /// Get the erasure set for a given object based on consistent hashing.
+    pub async fn get_erasure_set_for_object(&self, bucket: &str, key: &str) -> Option<ErasureSet> {
+        let inner = self.inner.read().await;
+        if inner.erasure_sets.is_empty() {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let set_idx = super::placement::erasure_set_for_object(
+            bucket,
+            key,
+            inner.erasure_sets.len() as u32,
+        );
+        inner.erasure_sets.get(set_idx as usize).cloned()
+    }
+
+    /// Get all erasure sets.
+    pub async fn erasure_sets(&self) -> Vec<ErasureSet> {
+        self.inner.read().await.erasure_sets.clone()
+    }
+
+    /// Get current topology version.
+    pub async fn version(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.inner.read().await.version
+    }
+
+    /// Get all online node IDs (excluding self).
+    pub async fn online_peers(&self) -> Vec<NodeInfo> {
+        let inner = self.inner.read().await;
+        inner
+            .nodes
+            .values()
+            .filter(|n| n.status == NodeStatus::Online && n.info.node_id != self.local_node_id)
+            .map(|n| n.info.clone())
+            .collect()
+    }
+
+    /// Get all nodes.
+    pub async fn all_nodes(&self) -> Vec<NodeState> {
+        self.inner.read().await.nodes.values().cloned().collect()
+    }
+
+    /// Get node info by ID.
+    pub async fn get_node(&self, node_id: &str) -> Option<NodeInfo> {
+        self.inner
+            .read()
+            .await
+            .nodes
+            .get(node_id)
+            .map(|n| n.info.clone())
+    }
+
+    /// Get offline node IDs.
+    pub async fn offline_nodes(&self) -> Vec<String> {
+        self.inner
+            .read()
+            .await
+            .nodes
+            .values()
+            .filter(|n| n.status == NodeStatus::Offline)
+            .map(|n| n.info.node_id.clone())
+            .collect()
+    }
+
+    /// Check if a majority of nodes are reachable (for split-brain prevention).
+    pub async fn has_majority(&self) -> bool {
+        let inner = self.inner.read().await;
+        let total = inner.nodes.len();
+        if total == 0 {
+            return true;
+        }
+        let online = inner
+            .nodes
+            .values()
+            .filter(|n| n.status == NodeStatus::Online)
+            .count();
+        online > total / 2
+    }
+
+    /// Export the current topology as a protocol message.
+    pub async fn to_topology(&self) -> ClusterTopology {
+        let inner = self.inner.read().await;
+        ClusterTopology {
+            version: inner.version,
+            cluster_id: inner.cluster_id.clone(),
+            nodes: inner.nodes.values().map(|n| n.info.clone()).collect(),
+            erasure_sets: inner
+                .erasure_sets
+                .iter()
+                .map(|set| ErasureSetInfo {
+                    set_id: set.set_id,
+                    drives: set
+                        .drives
+                        .iter()
+                        .map(|d| DriveLocationInfo {
+                            node_id: d.node_id.clone(),
+                            drive_index: d.drive_index,
+                        })
+                        .collect(),
+                })
+                .collect(),
+            data_shards: inner.data_shards,
+            parity_shards: inner.parity_shards,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Import topology from a protocol message (e.g., received from a peer during join).
+    pub async fn apply_topology(&self, topology: &ClusterTopology) {
+        let mut inner = self.inner.write().await;
+
+        // Only apply if newer
+        if topology.version <= inner.version {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        inner.cluster_id = topology.cluster_id.clone();
+        inner.version = topology.version;
+        inner.data_shards = topology.data_shards;
+        inner.parity_shards = topology.parity_shards;
+
+        // Update nodes
+        for node_info in &topology.nodes {
+            if !inner.nodes.contains_key(&node_info.node_id) {
+                inner.nodes.insert(
+                    node_info.node_id.clone(),
+                    NodeState {
+                        info: node_info.clone(),
+                        status: NodeStatus::Online,
+                        missed_heartbeats: 0,
+                        last_heartbeat: chrono::Utc::now(),
+                    },
+                );
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Update erasure sets
+        inner.erasure_sets = topology
+            .erasure_sets
+            .iter()
+            .map(|set| ErasureSet {
+                set_id: set.set_id,
+                drives: set
+                    .drives
+                    .iter()
+                    .map(|d| DriveLocation {
+                        node_id: d.node_id.clone(),
+                        drive_index: d.drive_index,
+                    })
+                    .collect(),
+            })
+            .collect();
+    }
+}

rust/src/config.rs

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 
+use crate::cluster::config::ClusterConfig;
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
 pub struct SmartStorageConfig {
@@ -10,6 +12,8 @@ pub struct SmartStorageConfig {
     pub logging: LoggingConfig,
     pub limits: LimitsConfig,
     pub multipart: MultipartConfig,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub cluster: Option<ClusterConfig>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]

rust/src/main.rs

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 mod action;
 mod auth;
+mod cluster;
 mod config;
 mod management;
 mod policy;

rust/src/management.rs

@@ -140,6 +140,15 @@ pub async fn management_loop() -> Result<()> {
                     }
                 }
             }
+            "clusterStatus" => {
+                send_response(
+                    id,
+                    serde_json::json!({
+                        "status": "ok",
+                        "message": "Cluster status endpoint ready"
+                    }),
+                );
+            }
             _ => {
                 send_error(id, format!("Unknown method: {}", method));
             }

rust/src/server.rs

@@ -23,25 +23,35 @@ use crate::auth::{self, AuthenticatedIdentity};
 use crate::config::SmartStorageConfig;
 use crate::policy::{self, PolicyDecision, PolicyStore};
 use crate::error::StorageError;
-use crate::storage::FileStore;
+use crate::cluster::coordinator::DistributedStore;
+use crate::cluster::config::ErasureConfig;
+use crate::cluster::drive_manager::DriveManager;
+use crate::cluster::membership::MembershipManager;
+use crate::cluster::placement;
+use crate::cluster::protocol::NodeInfo;
+use crate::cluster::quic_transport::QuicTransport;
+use crate::cluster::shard_store::ShardStore;
+use crate::cluster::state::ClusterState;
+use crate::storage::{FileStore, StorageBackend};
 use crate::xml_response;
 
 pub struct StorageServer {
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     shutdown_tx: watch::Sender<bool>,
     server_handle: tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>,
 }
 
 impl StorageServer {
     pub async fn start(config: SmartStorageConfig) -> Result<Self> {
-        let store = Arc::new(FileStore::new(config.storage.directory.clone().into()));
-
-        // Initialize or reset storage
-        if config.storage.clean_slate {
-            store.reset().await?;
+        let store: Arc<StorageBackend> = if let Some(ref cluster_config) = config.cluster {
+            if cluster_config.enabled {
+                Self::start_clustered(&config, cluster_config).await?
+            } else {
+                Self::start_standalone(&config).await?
+            }
         } else {
-            store.initialize().await?;
-        }
+            Self::start_standalone(&config).await?
+        };
 
         // Initialize policy store
         let policy_store = Arc::new(PolicyStore::new(store.policies_dir()));
@@ -119,9 +129,153 @@ impl StorageServer {
         let _ = self.server_handle.await;
     }
 
-    pub fn store(&self) -> &FileStore {
+    pub fn store(&self) -> &StorageBackend {
         &self.store
     }
+
+    async fn start_standalone(config: &SmartStorageConfig) -> Result<Arc<StorageBackend>> {
+        let store = Arc::new(StorageBackend::Standalone(
+            FileStore::new(config.storage.directory.clone().into()),
+        ));
+        if config.storage.clean_slate {
+            store.reset().await?;
+        } else {
+            store.initialize().await?;
+        }
+        Ok(store)
+    }
+
+    async fn start_clustered(
+        config: &SmartStorageConfig,
+        cluster_config: &crate::cluster::config::ClusterConfig,
+    ) -> Result<Arc<StorageBackend>> {
+        let erasure_config = cluster_config.erasure.clone();
+        let node_id = cluster_config
+            .node_id
+            .clone()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| uuid::Uuid::new_v4().to_string());
+
+        // Determine drive paths
+        let drive_paths: Vec<std::path::PathBuf> = if cluster_config.drives.paths.is_empty() {
+            // Default: use storage directory as a single drive
+            vec![std::path::PathBuf::from(&config.storage.directory)]
+        } else {
+            cluster_config
+                .drives
+                .paths
+                .iter()
+                .map(std::path::PathBuf::from)
+                .collect()
+        };
+
+        // Ensure directories exist
+        let manifest_dir = std::path::PathBuf::from(&config.storage.directory).join(".manifests");
+        let buckets_dir = std::path::PathBuf::from(&config.storage.directory).join(".buckets");
+        tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&manifest_dir).await?;
+        tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&buckets_dir).await?;
+        for path in &drive_paths {
+            tokio::fs::create_dir_all(path.join(".smartstorage")).await?;
+        }
+
+        // Initialize QUIC transport
+        let quic_addr: SocketAddr =
+            format!("{}:{}", config.server.address, cluster_config.quic_port).parse()?;
+        let transport = Arc::new(QuicTransport::new(quic_addr, node_id.clone()).await?);
+
+        // Initialize cluster state
+        let cluster_state = Arc::new(ClusterState::new(
+            node_id.clone(),
+            uuid::Uuid::new_v4().to_string(),
+            erasure_config.data_shards,
+            erasure_config.parity_shards,
+        ));
+
+        // Form erasure sets from local drives (single-node for now)
+        let nodes = vec![(node_id.clone(), drive_paths.len() as u32)];
+        let erasure_sets =
+            placement::form_erasure_sets(&nodes, erasure_config.total_shards());
+
+        if erasure_sets.is_empty() {
+            tracing::warn!(
+                "Not enough drives ({}) for erasure set size ({}). \
+                 Need at least {} drives.",
+                drive_paths.len(),
+                erasure_config.total_shards(),
+                erasure_config.total_shards(),
+            );
+        }
+
+        cluster_state.set_erasure_sets(erasure_sets).await;
+
+        // Register self as a node
+        let local_node_info = NodeInfo {
+            node_id: node_id.clone(),
+            quic_addr: quic_addr.to_string(),
+            s3_addr: format!("{}:{}", config.server.address, config.server.port),
+            drive_count: drive_paths.len() as u32,
+            status: "online".to_string(),
+            version: env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION").to_string(),
+        };
+        cluster_state.add_node(local_node_info.clone()).await;
+
+        // Initialize drive manager for health monitoring
+        let drive_manager = Arc::new(tokio::sync::Mutex::new(
+            DriveManager::new(&cluster_config.drives).await?,
+        ));
+
+        // Join cluster if seed nodes are configured
+        let membership = Arc::new(
+            MembershipManager::new(
+                cluster_state.clone(),
+                transport.clone(),
+                cluster_config.heartbeat_interval_ms,
+                local_node_info,
+            )
+            .with_drive_manager(drive_manager),
+        );
+        membership
+            .join_cluster(&cluster_config.seed_nodes)
+            .await?;
+
+        // Start QUIC accept loop for incoming connections
+        let shard_store_for_accept = Arc::new(ShardStore::new(drive_paths[0].clone()));
+        let (quic_shutdown_tx, quic_shutdown_rx) = watch::channel(false);
+        let transport_clone = transport.clone();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            transport_clone
+                .accept_loop(shard_store_for_accept, quic_shutdown_rx)
+                .await;
+        });
+
+        // Start heartbeat loop
+        let membership_clone = membership.clone();
+        let (hb_shutdown_tx, hb_shutdown_rx) = watch::channel(false);
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            membership_clone.heartbeat_loop(hb_shutdown_rx).await;
+        });
+
+        // Create distributed store
+        let distributed_store = DistributedStore::new(
+            cluster_state,
+            transport,
+            erasure_config,
+            drive_paths,
+            manifest_dir,
+            buckets_dir,
+        )?;
+
+        let store = Arc::new(StorageBackend::Clustered(distributed_store));
+
+        if !config.server.silent {
+            tracing::info!(
+                "Cluster mode enabled (node_id={}, quic_port={})",
+                node_id,
+                cluster_config.quic_port
+            );
+        }
+
+        Ok(store)
+    }
 }
 
 impl SmartStorageConfig {
@@ -204,7 +358,7 @@ fn storage_error_response(err: &StorageError, request_id: &str) -> Response<BoxB
 
 async fn handle_request(
     req: Request<Incoming>,
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     config: SmartStorageConfig,
     policy_store: Arc<PolicyStore>,
 ) -> Result<Response<BoxBody>, std::convert::Infallible> {
@@ -325,7 +479,7 @@ async fn authorize_request(
 
 async fn route_request(
     req: Request<Incoming>,
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     _config: &SmartStorageConfig,
     request_id: &str,
     policy_store: &Arc<PolicyStore>,
@@ -430,7 +584,7 @@ async fn route_request(
 // ============================
 
 async fn handle_list_buckets(
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     request_id: &str,
 ) -> Result<Response<BoxBody>> {
     let buckets = store.list_buckets().await?;
@@ -439,7 +593,7 @@ async fn handle_list_buckets(
 }
 
 async fn handle_create_bucket(
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     request_id: &str,
 ) -> Result<Response<BoxBody>> {
@@ -448,7 +602,7 @@ async fn handle_create_bucket(
 }
 
 async fn handle_delete_bucket(
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     request_id: &str,
     policy_store: &Arc<PolicyStore>,
@@ -460,7 +614,7 @@ async fn handle_delete_bucket(
 }
 
 async fn handle_head_bucket(
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     request_id: &str,
 ) -> Result<Response<BoxBody>> {
@@ -472,7 +626,7 @@ async fn handle_head_bucket(
 }
 
 async fn handle_list_objects(
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     query: &HashMap<String, String>,
     request_id: &str,
@@ -501,7 +655,7 @@ async fn handle_list_objects(
 
 async fn handle_put_object(
     req: Request<Incoming>,
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     key: &str,
     request_id: &str,
@@ -523,7 +677,7 @@ async fn handle_put_object(
 
 async fn handle_get_object(
     req: Request<Incoming>,
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     key: &str,
     request_id: &str,
@@ -576,7 +730,7 @@ async fn handle_get_object(
 }
 
 async fn handle_head_object(
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     key: &str,
     request_id: &str,
@@ -608,7 +762,7 @@ async fn handle_head_object(
 }
 
 async fn handle_delete_object(
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     key: &str,
     request_id: &str,
@@ -619,7 +773,7 @@ async fn handle_delete_object(
 
 async fn handle_copy_object(
     req: Request<Incoming>,
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     dest_bucket: &str,
     dest_key: &str,
     request_id: &str,
@@ -688,7 +842,7 @@ async fn handle_get_bucket_policy(
 
 async fn handle_put_bucket_policy(
     req: Request<Incoming>,
-    store: &Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: &Arc<StorageBackend>,
     policy_store: &Arc<PolicyStore>,
     bucket: &str,
     request_id: &str,
@@ -732,7 +886,7 @@ async fn handle_delete_bucket_policy(
 
 async fn handle_initiate_multipart(
     req: Request<Incoming>,
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     key: &str,
     request_id: &str,
@@ -745,7 +899,7 @@ async fn handle_initiate_multipart(
 
 async fn handle_upload_part(
     req: Request<Incoming>,
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     query: &HashMap<String, String>,
     request_id: &str,
 ) -> Result<Response<BoxBody>> {
@@ -774,7 +928,7 @@ async fn handle_upload_part(
 
 async fn handle_complete_multipart(
     req: Request<Incoming>,
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     key: &str,
     upload_id: &str,
@@ -794,7 +948,7 @@ async fn handle_complete_multipart(
 }
 
 async fn handle_abort_multipart(
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     upload_id: &str,
     request_id: &str,
 ) -> Result<Response<BoxBody>> {
@@ -803,7 +957,7 @@ async fn handle_abort_multipart(
 }
 
 async fn handle_list_multipart_uploads(
-    store: Arc<FileStore>,
+    store: Arc<StorageBackend>,
     bucket: &str,
     request_id: &str,
 ) -> Result<Response<BoxBody>> {

rust/src/storage.rs

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use tokio::fs;
 use tokio::io::{AsyncReadExt, AsyncSeekExt, AsyncWriteExt, BufWriter};
 use uuid::Uuid;
 
+use crate::cluster::coordinator::DistributedStore;
 use crate::error::StorageError;
 
 // ============================
@@ -795,6 +796,200 @@ impl FileStore {
     }
 }
 
+// ============================
+// StorageBackend enum
+// ============================
+
+/// Unified storage backend that dispatches to either standalone (FileStore)
+/// or clustered (DistributedStore) storage.
+pub enum StorageBackend {
+    Standalone(FileStore),
+    Clustered(DistributedStore),
+}
+
+impl StorageBackend {
+    pub fn policies_dir(&self) -> std::path::PathBuf {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.policies_dir(),
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.policies_dir(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn initialize(&self) -> Result<()> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.initialize().await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => {
+                // Ensure policies directory exists
+                tokio::fs::create_dir_all(ds.policies_dir()).await?;
+                Ok(())
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn reset(&self) -> Result<()> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.reset().await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(_) => Ok(()), // TODO: cluster reset
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn list_buckets(&self) -> Result<Vec<BucketInfo>> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.list_buckets().await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.list_buckets().await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn bucket_exists(&self, bucket: &str) -> bool {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.bucket_exists(bucket).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.bucket_exists(bucket).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn create_bucket(&self, bucket: &str) -> Result<()> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.create_bucket(bucket).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.create_bucket(bucket).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn delete_bucket(&self, bucket: &str) -> Result<()> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.delete_bucket(bucket).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.delete_bucket(bucket).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn put_object(
+        &self,
+        bucket: &str,
+        key: &str,
+        body: Incoming,
+        metadata: HashMap<String, String>,
+    ) -> Result<PutResult> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.put_object(bucket, key, body, metadata).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.put_object(bucket, key, body, metadata).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn get_object(
+        &self,
+        bucket: &str,
+        key: &str,
+        range: Option<(u64, u64)>,
+    ) -> Result<GetResult> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.get_object(bucket, key, range).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.get_object(bucket, key, range).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn head_object(&self, bucket: &str, key: &str) -> Result<HeadResult> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.head_object(bucket, key).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.head_object(bucket, key).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn delete_object(&self, bucket: &str, key: &str) -> Result<()> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.delete_object(bucket, key).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.delete_object(bucket, key).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn copy_object(
+        &self,
+        src_bucket: &str,
+        src_key: &str,
+        dest_bucket: &str,
+        dest_key: &str,
+        metadata_directive: &str,
+        new_metadata: Option<HashMap<String, String>>,
+    ) -> Result<CopyResult> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => {
+                fs.copy_object(src_bucket, src_key, dest_bucket, dest_key, metadata_directive, new_metadata).await
+            }
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => {
+                ds.copy_object(src_bucket, src_key, dest_bucket, dest_key, metadata_directive, new_metadata).await
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn list_objects(
+        &self,
+        bucket: &str,
+        prefix: &str,
+        delimiter: &str,
+        max_keys: usize,
+        continuation_token: Option<&str>,
+    ) -> Result<ListObjectsResult> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => {
+                fs.list_objects(bucket, prefix, delimiter, max_keys, continuation_token).await
+            }
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => {
+                ds.list_objects(bucket, prefix, delimiter, max_keys, continuation_token).await
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn initiate_multipart(
+        &self,
+        bucket: &str,
+        key: &str,
+        metadata: HashMap<String, String>,
+    ) -> Result<String> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.initiate_multipart(bucket, key, metadata).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.initiate_multipart(bucket, key, metadata).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn upload_part(
+        &self,
+        upload_id: &str,
+        part_number: u32,
+        body: Incoming,
+    ) -> Result<(String, u64)> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.upload_part(upload_id, part_number, body).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.upload_part(upload_id, part_number, body).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn complete_multipart(
+        &self,
+        upload_id: &str,
+        parts: &[(u32, String)],
+    ) -> Result<CompleteMultipartResult> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.complete_multipart(upload_id, parts).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.complete_multipart(upload_id, parts).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn abort_multipart(&self, upload_id: &str) -> Result<()> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.abort_multipart(upload_id).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.abort_multipart(upload_id).await,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn list_multipart_uploads(
+        &self,
+        bucket: &str,
+    ) -> Result<Vec<MultipartUploadInfo>> {
+        match self {
+            StorageBackend::Standalone(fs) => fs.list_multipart_uploads(bucket).await,
+            StorageBackend::Clustered(ds) => ds.list_multipart_uploads(bucket).await,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 // ============================
 // Key encoding (identity on Linux)
 // ============================

ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@
  */
 export const commitinfo = {
   name: '@push.rocks/smartstorage',
-  version: '6.0.0',
+  version: '6.2.0',
   description: 'A Node.js TypeScript package to create a local S3-compatible storage server using mapped local directories for development and testing purposes.'
 }

ts/index.ts

@@ -69,6 +69,36 @@ export interface IStorageConfig {
   cleanSlate?: boolean;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Erasure coding configuration
+ */
+export interface IErasureConfig {
+  dataShards?: number;
+  parityShards?: number;
+  chunkSizeBytes?: number;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Drive configuration for multi-drive support
+ */
+export interface IDriveConfig {
+  paths: string[];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Cluster configuration for distributed mode
+ */
+export interface IClusterConfig {
+  enabled: boolean;
+  nodeId?: string;
+  quicPort?: number;
+  seedNodes?: string[];
+  erasure?: IErasureConfig;
+  drives?: IDriveConfig;
+  heartbeatIntervalMs?: number;
+  heartbeatTimeoutMs?: number;
+}
+
 /**
  * Complete smartstorage configuration
  */
@@ -80,6 +110,7 @@ export interface ISmartStorageConfig {
   logging?: ILoggingConfig;
   limits?: ILimitsConfig;
   multipart?: IMultipartConfig;
+  cluster?: IClusterConfig;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -163,7 +194,8 @@ function mergeConfig(userConfig: ISmartStorageConfig): Required<ISmartStorageCon
       ...DEFAULT_CONFIG.multipart!,
       ...(userConfig.multipart || {}),
     },
-  };
+    ...(userConfig.cluster ? { cluster: userConfig.cluster } : {}),
+  } as Required<ISmartStorageConfig>;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -196,8 +228,6 @@ export class SmartStorage {
       binaryName: 'ruststorage',
       localPaths: [
         plugins.path.join(paths.packageDir, 'dist_rust', 'ruststorage'),
-        plugins.path.join(paths.packageDir, 'rust', 'target', 'release', 'ruststorage'),
-        plugins.path.join(paths.packageDir, 'rust', 'target', 'debug', 'ruststorage'),
       ],
       readyTimeoutMs: 30000,
       requestTimeoutMs: 300000,