Desktop SDK

The Kape Desktop SDK is the .NET member of the Platform SDK family. It provides the same client types as the iOS and Android SDKs — KapeSdkHandle, KapeAuthClient, KapeVpnManager, KapeLocationService — for building VPN-enabled desktop applications on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Unlike the mobile SDKs, the desktop library embeds no VPN logic. It connects to the Kape daemon — a privileged system service that owns all VPN operations — receives a live stream of state updates, and issues control commands. Your application never touches network interfaces, firewall rules, or kernel drivers.

Status: In active development. The API is taking shape but some areas — including daemon installation and platform-specific configuration — are still being finalised. Guidance on those topics will be added as it is ready.

How It Works

Your Application (C# / .NET)
        │
        ▼
   Kape.PlatformSdk
   (IPC client)
        │ Named Pipe (Windows) · Unix socket (macOS, Linux)
        ▼
   Kape Daemon (system service)
   - manages the VPN tunnel
   - handles firewall rules and kill switch
   - owns and configures platform drivers
   - tracks and broadcasts connection state

Namespaces

Namespace	Purpose
Kape.Core	KapeSdkHandle (the daemon connection) and KapeError
Kape.Auth	KapeAuthClient — login, logout, authentication state
Kape.Vpn	KapeVpnManager, KapeLocationService and the VPN models

They mirror the mobile modules (KapeCore, KapeAuth, KapeVPN); all three ship in the one Kape.PlatformSdk package.

Platforms

Platform	Transport
Windows	Named Pipe
macOS	Unix socket
Linux	Unix socket

info

Building a native Swift macOS or iOS app? Use the iOS SDK instead — it embeds VPN logic directly via the Low Level SDK and NetworkExtension. The Desktop SDK is for non-Apple-framework apps (.NET / MAUI, etc.).

Quick Example

using Kape.Auth;
using Kape.Core;
using Kape.Vpn;

await using var handle = await KapeSdkHandle.CreateAsync();

var auth = new KapeAuthClient(handle);
if (auth.AuthState == KapeAuthState.Unauthenticated)
    await auth.LoginAsync(activationCode);

var locations = new KapeLocationService(handle);
var location = (await locations.FetchLocationsAsync()).First(l => !l.Offline);

var vpn = new KapeVpnManager(handle);
vpn.ConnectionStatusChanged += status => Console.WriteLine($"VPN: {status}");

await vpn.ConnectAsync(location);

Guides

• Installation — requirements, daemon prerequisite, package setup
• Getting Started — connect to the daemon and control the VPN
• Authentication — daemon-owned login
• VPN — connecting, protocols, server locations, network protection, split tunnel