Quditto: Emulating and Orchestrating Distributed QKD Network Deployments

Abstract

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers information-theoretic security by leveraging quantum mechan- ics, yet the cost and complexity of dedicated hardware and fiber infrastructure have so far limited large- scale deployment and experimentation. In this paper, we introduce Quditto, an automated open-access emulation platform that combines configurable quantum-behavior modeling with a standardized key- delivery API, enabling users to deploy selected QKD models as operational emulated QKD networks and interact with them exactly as they would with real QKD hardware. Quditto modular design supports plug- gable protocol implementations, complex key management schemes, and configurable channel models, including variable attenuation and decoherence. We validate Quditto by deploying networks of various sizes and demonstrate its flexibility through two proof-of-concept scenarios featuring eavesdropper attacks and heterogeneous channel conditions.