feat: Implement Random walk in py-libp2p

[sumanjeet0012]

What was wrong?

Fixes #788

Random Walk Module was not present in py-libp2p. The py-libp2p library lacked a Random Walk mechanism for its DHT implementation, which is essential for continuous peer discovery and maintaining a healthy routing table in dynamic peer-to-peer networks.

How was it fixed?

Implemented Random Walk module in py-libp2p with the following key components:

1. Core Module Implementation

• Created libp2p/discovery/random_walk/ directory with:
  • random_walk.py: Main RandomWalkDiscovery class that performs periodic random peer lookups
  • utils.py: Random peer ID generation and lookup utilities
  • __init__.py: Module exports

2. DHT Integration

• Added random walk functionality to DHT implementation
• Modified DHT classes to support background peer discovery
• Integrated with existing routing table refresh mechanisms

3. Key Features

• Periodically generates random peer IDs and performs FIND_NODE queries
• Refreshes routing table by discovering new peers and validating existing ones
• Configurable options including:
  • Walk interval: How frequently random walks occur
  • Concurrency: Number of walks to run in parallel
  • Timeouts: Maximum time for each lookup
• Prevents routing table staleness in networks with high churn
• Improves overall DHT performance and peer discovery success rates
• Brings py-libp2p closer to feature parity with Go-libp2p and JS-libp2p

4. Background Process Management

• Implements non-blocking background task execution
• Graceful shutdown and cleanup mechanisms
• Error handling for failed lookups and network issues

5. Examples and Tests

• Created comprehensive example demonstrating random walk functionality
• Added integration tests to verify continuous peer discovery
• Performance benchmarks for different configuration options

To-Do

• Clean up commit history
• Add or update documentation related to these changes
• Add entry to the release notes

Cute Animal Picture

[seetadev]

@sumanjeet0012 : Great progress on the Random Walk module! 🎉

The approach you’ve taken makes the module clean, extensible, and in line with the existing py-libp2p architecture. I especially appreciate:

Alignment with specs – You’ve kept the implementation true to libp2p’s discovery goals, which will help ensure compatibility across implementations.

Incremental progress – You’re clearly testing and refining as you go, which shows a disciplined approach to development.

The random walk module is going to be a great step forward for py-libp2p’s peer discovery capabilities. Once it’s fully integrated, it will enhance the robustness and adaptability of the network layer — something that will benefit many projects using py-libp2p.

Keep up the momentum! 🚀 Your work here is making py-libp2p stronger and more feature-complete, and it’s exciting to see it coming together.

[sumanjeet0012]

@seetadev The Random walk module is now working as expected.
I will shortly add some test cases and a screencast video.

This PR is now ready for review.