1. A computer-implemented method for initializing a connection in a peer-to-peer replication environment, comprising: responsive to a request to add a target node to a data replication group, receiving a first message, at the target node, from an initiator node within the data replication group, indicating that the initiator node will begin replicating changes to the target node without waiting for any acknowledgements relating to the first message, wherein the changes are applied to a first instance of a data entity on the initiator node; upon receiving the first message indicating that the initiator node will begin replicating changes, transmitting a second message, from the target node, to at least one other member in the data replication group, announcing that the target node is joining the data replication group; receiving a plurality of replicated changes, at the target node, from at least one member of the data replication group; determining whether the target node contains a base copy of the data entity, which if updated by application of the plurality of replicated changes would be synchronized with the first instance of the data entity on the initiator node; upon determining the target node does not contain the base copy of the data entity, performing one or more load operations to create a second instance of the data entity on the target node; and upon performing the one or more load operations, processing each received replicated change in the plurality of replicated changes against the second instance of the data entity, by operation of one or more computer processors.