glm-5.2
7dda6eec68
Drops irpc from alknet-vault entirely. The vault's dispatch is now direct method calls on VaultServiceHandle — no VaultProtocol enum, no VaultMessage, no VaultServiceActor, no mpsc channel, no Service trait, no RemoteService trait, no postcard serialization. The vault is local-only by construction. The core security argument: irpc made the vault remote-capable by default (RemoteService generated unless no_rpc is passed). The IrohProtocol handler forwards all messages without auth. The docs framed 'register an ALPN' as a server-setup change. This is the default-insecure anti-pattern — security should be opt-in, not opt-out. ADR-025 inverts the default: local-only is the only mode, and remote access requires building a separate vault-server crate (a visible architectural act, not a flag flip). The actor path was already dead code — service.md said 'prefer VaultServiceHandle directly — no channel, no serialization.' The actor existed only to make irpc's Service trait work, which existed only to make RemoteService work, which was the footgun. VaultServiceHandle's Arc<RwLock> provides concurrent reads and exclusive writes — better throughput than the actor's sequential processing. DerivedKey serialization simplifies: always redact on serialize (for logging safety), reject '[REDACTED]' on deserialize with an error. No 'postcard preserves bytes' path. This resolves review #002 W8 (silent corruption on JSON-deserialized DerivedKey). Resolves: - OQ-21: remote vault access — resolved (not deferred). Not a vault crate feature; if needed, a separate vault-server crate with its own ADR. - C7: vault-server-crate question decided — not created now, not precluded. - C8: operation access policy table dissolved — all operations local-only by default; if a vault-server crate exposes some remotely, that crate defines the policy. - W8: DerivedKey JSON deserialization — resolved (reject redacted payloads). Amends ADR-005 (irpc remains for alknet-call, not for alknet-vault), ADR-018 (vault is even more standalone — zero RPC framework deps), ADR-019 (vault is the only layer, not just the only direct-caller layer), ADR-008 (vault integration point unchanged, but now local-only by construction).
112 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
112 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
---
|
||
status: draft
|
||
last_updated: 2026-06-22-20
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
# Alknet Architecture
|
||
|
||
## Current State
|
||
|
||
**Pre-implementation.** The project has completed a pivot from a three-layer model to an ALPN-as-service model. The greenfield workspace contains only `alknet-vault` (stable — implementation exists, pending ADR-025 refactor to drop irpc) and research/reference material. Foundational ADRs (001–025) are in place, including the BiStream type definition (ADR-007), vault integration (ADR-008), ALPN router/endpoint (ADR-010), AuthContext structure (ADR-011), call protocol stream model (ADR-012), Rust as canonical implementation language (ADR-013), secret material flow with capability injection (ADR-014), privilege model with authority context (ADR-015), abort cascade for nested calls (ADR-016), call protocol client and adapter contract (ADR-017), vault standalone crate (ADR-018), vault assembly-layer-only access (ADR-019), HD derivation for encryption keys (ADR-020), key rotation via version-indexed paths (ADR-021), handler registration, provenance, and composition authority (ADR-022), operation error schemas (ADR-023), operation registry layering (ADR-024), and vault local-only dispatch (ADR-025). ADR-024 resolves the registry mutability question (`from_call` imports require a runtime-mutable home) and the `OperationContext.env` type identity crisis (review #002 C6), by layering the registry by trust boundary and making `OperationEnv` a trait-object integration point. ADR-025 drops irpc from the vault, making it local-only by construction (inverting the security default from remote-capable-by-default to local-only-by-default) and resolving OQ-21, C7, C8, and W8. The alknet-core, alknet-call, and alknet-vault crate specs are in draft.
|
||
|
||
**Next step**: Continue working through review #002's remaining Tier 4 findings (vault security decisions, guard clauses, ADR-writing exercises, smaller spec decisions). All open questions for the core and call crates are resolved; the vault crate's OQ-21 (remote vault) is now resolved (ADR-025 — vault is local-only by construction).
|
||
|
||
## Architecture Documents
|
||
|
||
| Document | Status | Description |
|
||
|----------|--------|-------------|
|
||
| [overview.md](overview.md) | draft | Workspace-level overview, crate graph, shared types, design principles |
|
||
| [open-questions.md](open-questions.md) | draft | Centralized OQ tracker with door-type classifications |
|
||
| [crates/core/README.md](crates/core/README.md) | draft | alknet-core crate index |
|
||
| [crates/core/core-types.md](crates/core/core-types.md) | draft | ProtocolHandler, HandlerError, Connection, BiStream, StreamError |
|
||
| [crates/core/endpoint.md](crates/core/endpoint.md) | draft | ALPN router, HandlerRegistry, accept loop, shutdown |
|
||
| [crates/core/auth.md](crates/core/auth.md) | draft | AuthContext, Identity, IdentityProvider, AuthToken, resolution flow |
|
||
| [crates/core/config.md](crates/core/config.md) | draft | StaticConfig, DynamicConfig, ArcSwap, ConfigReloadHandle |
|
||
| [crates/call/README.md](crates/call/README.md) | draft | alknet-call crate index |
|
||
| [crates/call/call-protocol.md](crates/call/call-protocol.md) | draft | CallAdapter, EventEnvelope framing, stream model, PendingRequestMap, bidirectional calls, streaming subscribe example |
|
||
| [crates/call/operation-registry.md](crates/call/operation-registry.md) | draft | OperationSpec, Handler, OperationRegistry, AccessControl, capability injection, service discovery, irpc integration |
|
||
| [crates/vault/README.md](crates/vault/README.md) | draft | alknet-vault crate index |
|
||
| [crates/vault/mnemonic-derivation.md](crates/vault/mnemonic-derivation.md) | draft | BIP39, SLIP-0010, BIP-0032, derivation paths, key types |
|
||
| [crates/vault/encryption.md](crates/vault/encryption.md) | draft | AES-256-GCM, EncryptedData, key versioning, salt (Phase B reserved) |
|
||
| [crates/vault/service.md](crates/vault/service.md) | draft | VaultServiceHandle lifecycle, actor dispatch, cache, error model |
|
||
| [crates/vault/protocol.md](crates/vault/protocol.md) | draft | DerivedKey redaction, KeyType, serialization behavior |
|
||
|
||
## ADR Table
|
||
|
||
| ADR | Title | Status |
|
||
|-----|-------|--------|
|
||
| [001](decisions/001-alpn-protocol-dispatch.md) | ALPN-Based Protocol Dispatch | Accepted |
|
||
| [002](decisions/002-protocol-handler-trait.md) | ProtocolHandler Trait | Accepted |
|
||
| [003](decisions/003-crate-decomposition.md) | Crate Decomposition | Accepted |
|
||
| [004](decisions/004-auth-as-shared-core.md) | Auth as Shared Core (IdentityProvider) | Accepted |
|
||
| [005](decisions/005-irpc-as-call-protocol-foundation.md) | irpc as Call Protocol Foundation | Accepted |
|
||
| [006](decisions/006-alpn-convention-and-connection-model.md) | ALPN String Convention and Connection Model | Accepted |
|
||
| [007](decisions/007-bistream-type-definition.md) | BiStream Type Definition | Accepted |
|
||
| [008](decisions/008-secret-service-integration.md) | Vault Integration Point | Accepted |
|
||
| [009](decisions/009-one-way-door-decision-framework.md) | One-Way Door Decision Framework | Accepted |
|
||
| [010](decisions/010-alpn-router-and-endpoint.md) | ALPN Router and Endpoint | Accepted |
|
||
| [011](decisions/011-authcontext-structure.md) | AuthContext Structure and Resolution Flow | Accepted |
|
||
| [012](decisions/012-call-protocol-stream-model.md) | Call Protocol Stream Model | Accepted |
|
||
| [013](decisions/013-rust-canonical-implementation.md) | Rust as Canonical Implementation Language | Accepted |
|
||
| [014](decisions/014-secret-material-flow-and-capability-injection.md) | Secret Material Flow and Capability Injection | Accepted |
|
||
| [015](decisions/015-privilege-model-and-authority-context.md) | Privilege Model and Authority Context | Accepted |
|
||
| [016](decisions/016-abort-cascade-for-nested-calls.md) | Abort Cascade for Nested Calls | Accepted |
|
||
| [017](decisions/017-call-protocol-client-and-adapter-contract.md) | Call Protocol Client and Adapter Contract | Accepted |
|
||
| [018](decisions/018-vault-standalone-crate.md) | Vault as Standalone Crate | Accepted |
|
||
| [019](decisions/019-vault-assembly-layer-only.md) | Vault Assembly-Layer-Only Access | Accepted |
|
||
| [020](decisions/020-hd-derivation-for-encryption-keys.md) | HD Derivation for Encryption Keys | Accepted |
|
||
| [021](decisions/021-key-rotation-via-version-indexed-paths.md) | Key Rotation via Version-Indexed Paths | Accepted |
|
||
| [022](decisions/022-handler-registration-provenance-and-composition-authority.md) | Handler Registration, Provenance, and Composition Authority | Accepted |
|
||
| [023](decisions/023-operation-error-schemas.md) | Operation Error Schemas | Accepted |
|
||
| [024](decisions/024-operation-registry-layering.md) | Operation Registry Layering | Accepted |
|
||
| [025](decisions/025-vault-local-only-dispatch.md) | Vault Local-Only Dispatch | Accepted |
|
||
|
||
## Open Questions
|
||
|
||
See [open-questions.md](open-questions.md) for the full tracker.
|
||
|
||
**Resolved one-way doors:**
|
||
- **OQ-01**: BiStream type — trait with Connection parameter (ADR-007)
|
||
- **OQ-02**: AuthContext timing — hybrid model (ADR-004)
|
||
- **OQ-03**: ALPN naming — `alknet/` prefix, no version (ADR-006)
|
||
- **OQ-05**: Multi-connectivity endpoint — quinn + iroh, both feature-gated (ADR-010)
|
||
- **OQ-06**: ALPN per connection, not per stream (ADR-006)
|
||
- **OQ-08**: Vault integration — CLI-embedded, assembly-layer only (ADR-008, ADR-014)
|
||
- **OQ-16**: Safe vault operations for call protocol exposure — none for now (ADR-014)
|
||
- **OQ-18**: Privilege model — `internal` = authority switch, External/Internal visibility, handler identity + scoped env (ADR-015)
|
||
- **OQ-17**: Abort cascade — `call.aborted` cascades to descendants; default `abort-dependents`, `continue-running` opt-in (ADR-016)
|
||
- **OQ-15**: Call protocol client and adapter contract — `CallClient` opens connections; `from_call` imports remote ops; connection direction independent of call direction (ADR-017)
|
||
|
||
**Resolved two-way doors:**
|
||
- **OQ-04**: Dynamic handler registration — static at startup (ADR-010); scoped to the `HandlerRegistry` (ALPN-level) by ADR-024, which governs `OperationRegistry` mutability separately
|
||
- **OQ-07**: Call protocol scope — bidirectional streams, EventEnvelope, ID-based correlation (ADR-012)
|
||
- **OQ-11**: Handler-level auth resolution observability — handlers store resolved identity on Connection (Option B); two identity scopes: connection-level (observability) and per-request (ACL)
|
||
- **OQ-12**: TLS identity provisioning — two use cases: RFC 7250 raw keys (default, P2P) and X.509 certs (domain-hosted, browsers). ACME is a proven pattern.
|
||
- **OQ-13**: Operation path format — `/{service}/{op}` is the correct design for alknet-call, not a simplification
|
||
- **OQ-14**: Batch operation semantics — multiple correlated `call.requested` events is the correct protocol design, not a simplification
|
||
- **OQ-19**: Session-scoped registries — agent-written operations via `OperationEnv` trait layering; protocol doesn't need changes; `OperationEnv` must remain a trait. Generalized by ADR-024 to cover connection-scoped overlays as well.
|
||
- **OQ-20**: Encryption key derivation — HD derivation from BIP39 seed, not PBKDF2; salt field unused in v2 (wire-format compat) (ADR-020)
|
||
- **OQ-21**: Remote vault access — resolved (ADR-025): vault is local-only by construction; remote access requires a separate vault-server crate with its own ADR
|
||
- **OQ-22**: Key rotation — version-indexed derivation paths; `rotate` method re-encrypts (ADR-021)
|
||
- **OQ-23**: Handler identity registration path — registration bundle with provenance, composition authority, scoped env, capabilities (ADR-022)
|
||
- **OQ-24**: Operation error schemas — declared domain errors with typed `details` payload; adapter fidelity for `from_openapi`/`to_openapi` (ADR-023)
|
||
|
||
**Deferred (not active):**
|
||
- **OQ-09**: WASM target boundaries — design constraint, not deliverable
|
||
- **OQ-10**: Git adapter scope — start with smart protocol, add ERC721 later
|
||
|
||
## Document Lifecycle
|
||
|
||
| Status | Meaning | Transitions |
|
||
|--------|---------|-------------|
|
||
| `draft` | Under active development. May change significantly. | → `reviewed` when open questions are resolved |
|
||
| `reviewed` | Architecture is final. Implementation may begin. Changes require review. | → `stable` when implementation is complete and verified |
|
||
| `stable` | Locked. Changes require review and may warrant an ADR. | → `deprecated` when superseded |
|
||
| `deprecated` | Superseded. Kept for reference. | Removed when no longer referenced |
|
||
|
||
## References
|
||
|
||
- Pivot proposal: `docs/research/pivot/alpn-service-architecture.md`
|
||
- Cleanup plan: `docs/research/pivot/cleanup-plan.md`
|
||
- SDD process: `docs/sdd_process.md`
|
||
- Reference implementation: `/workspace/@alkdev/alknet-main/` |