diff --git a/dht/closest_nodes.go b/dht/closest_nodes.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2f98e6d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dht/closest_nodes.go
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+package dht
+
+import (
+	"container/heap"
+)
+
+type nodeMaxHeap struct {
+	IDs    []string
+	Target string
+}
+
+func (me nodeMaxHeap) Len() int { return len(me.IDs) }
+
+func (me nodeMaxHeap) Less(i, j int) bool {
+	return idDistance(me.IDs[i], me.Target) > idDistance(me.IDs[j], me.Target)
+}
+
+func (me *nodeMaxHeap) Pop() (ret interface{}) {
+	ret, me.IDs = me.IDs[len(me.IDs)-1], me.IDs[:len(me.IDs)-1]
+	return
+}
+func (me *nodeMaxHeap) Push(val interface{}) {
+	me.IDs = append(me.IDs, val.(string))
+}
+func (me nodeMaxHeap) Swap(i, j int) {
+	me.IDs[i], me.IDs[j] = me.IDs[i], me.IDs[j]
+}
+
+type closestNodesSelector struct {
+	closest nodeMaxHeap
+	k       int
+}
+
+func (me *closestNodesSelector) Push(id string) {
+	heap.Push(&me.closest, id)
+	if me.closest.Len() > me.k {
+		heap.Pop(&me.closest)
+	}
+}
+
+func (me *closestNodesSelector) IDs() []string {
+	return me.closest.IDs
+}
+
+func newKClosestNodesSelector(k int, targetID string) (ret closestNodesSelector) {
+	ret.k = k
+	ret.closest.Target = targetID
+	return
+}
diff --git a/dht/dht.go b/dht/dht.go
index 5235a72c..717c45ad 100644
--- a/dht/dht.go
+++ b/dht/dht.go
@@ -422,3 +422,29 @@ func (s *Server) GoodNodes() (nis []NodeInfo) {
 func (s *Server) StopServing() {
 	s.Socket.Close()
 }
+
+func idDistance(a, b string) (ret int) {
+	if len(a) != 20 {
+		panic(a)
+	}
+	if len(b) != 20 {
+		panic(b)
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < 20; i++ {
+		for j := uint(0); j < 8; j++ {
+			ret += int(a[i]>>j&1 ^ b[i]>>j&1)
+		}
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+// func (s *Server) closestNodes(k int) (ret *closestNodes) {
+// 	heap.Init(ret)
+// 	for _, node := range s.nodes {
+// 		heap.Push(ret, node)
+// 		if ret.Len() > k {
+// 			heap.Pop(ret)
+// 		}
+// 	}
+// 	return
+// }
diff --git a/dht/dht_test.go b/dht/dht_test.go
index 7a945f5f..050ced6a 100644
--- a/dht/dht_test.go
+++ b/dht/dht_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package dht
 
 import (
+	"math/rand"
 	"net"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -26,3 +27,65 @@ func TestMarshalCompactNodeInfo(t *testing.T) {
 		t.FailNow()
 	}
 }
+
+func recoverPanicOrDie(t *testing.T, f func()) {
+	defer func() {
+		r := recover()
+		if r == nil {
+			t.Fatal("expected panic")
+		}
+	}()
+	f()
+}
+
+const zeroID = "\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00"
+
+var testIDs = []string{
+	zeroID,
+	"\x03" + zeroID[1:],
+	"\x03" + zeroID[1:18] + "\x55\xf0",
+	"\x55" + zeroID[1:17] + "\xff\x55\x0f",
+}
+
+func TestBadIdStrings(t *testing.T) {
+	var a, b string
+	recoverPanicOrDie(t, func() {
+		idDistance(a, b)
+	})
+	recoverPanicOrDie(t, func() {
+		idDistance(a, zeroID)
+	})
+	recoverPanicOrDie(t, func() {
+		idDistance(zeroID, b)
+	})
+	if idDistance(zeroID, zeroID) != 0 {
+		t.FailNow()
+	}
+	a = "\x03" + zeroID[1:]
+	b = zeroID
+	if idDistance(a, b) != 2 {
+		t.FailNow()
+	}
+	a = "\x03" + zeroID[1:18] + "\x55\xf0"
+	b = "\x55" + zeroID[1:17] + "\xff\x55\x0f"
+	if c := idDistance(a, b); c != 20 {
+		t.Fatal(c)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestClosestNodes(t *testing.T) {
+	cn := newKClosestNodesSelector(2, zeroID)
+	for _, i := range rand.Perm(len(testIDs)) {
+		cn.Push(testIDs[i])
+	}
+	if len(cn.IDs()) != 2 {
+		t.FailNow()
+	}
+	m := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, id := range cn.IDs() {
+		m[id] = true
+	}
+	if !m[zeroID] || !m[testIDs[1]] {
+		t.FailNow()
+	}
+}