Files
alknet/docs/architecture/decisions/035-streaminterface-messageinterface-split.md
glm-5.1 cfc44008d3 Sync architecture specs with Phase 2 research findings
- Add definitions.md: normative terminology disambiguation (Interface, Service,
  Transport, Token, Identity, Domain, Scope, CredentialProvider, etc.)
- Add credentials.md: CredentialProvider trait and CredentialSet enum for
  outbound auth, mirroring IdentityProvider pattern for inbound auth
- Rewrite interface.md: StreamInterface/MessageInterface split (ADR-035),
  InterfaceRequest/InterfaceResponse, HttpInterface/DnsInterface stubs,
  ListenerConfig with Stream/Http/Dns variants, credential presentation table
- Update auth.md: API keys in DynamicConfig (ADR-037), credential presentation
  per (Transport, Interface) pair, ApiKeyEntry struct in AuthPolicy
- Update configuration.md: API keys, ListenerConfig with Http/Dns variants,
  expanded TOML config examples
- Update call-protocol.md: resolve OQ-IF-01 (InterfaceEvent carries
  EventEnvelope + Identity), add MessageInterface awareness to protocol
  adapter layer
- Update overview.md: three-layer model now includes StreamInterface/
  MessageInterface, CredentialProvider/CredentialSet exports, definitions.md
  reference, ADRs 035-037
- Update open-questions.md: resolve OQ-IF-01, OQ-IF-02, add OQ-P2-01
  through OQ-P2-04, add OQ-CP-01 through OQ-CP-04, add OQ-DEF-01,
  OQ-DEF-03, OQ-DEF-08
- Update README.md: add definitions.md, credentials.md, ADRs 035-037,
  phase2 research docs, current state description

Key architectural decisions:
- ADR-035: StreamInterface/MessageInterface split (two Layer 2 traits)
- ADR-036: CredentialProvider as core type (outbound auth, alknet_core::credentials)
- ADR-037: API keys as DynamicConfig auth (hash-verified bearer tokens)
2026-06-09 08:09:45 +00:00

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4.0 KiB
Markdown

# ADR-035: StreamInterface and MessageInterface Split
## Status
Accepted
## Context
The `Interface` trait (ADR-026) assumes a persistent byte stream from a `Transport`. It produces a `Session` that yields `InterfaceEvent` frames. This works for SSH and raw framing — both run over duplex streams.
However, HTTP and DNS do not fit this model. They handle individual request/response pairs, not persistent sessions. HTTP runs over a TLS connection after byte-peek protocol detection (extending the existing stealth mode pattern). DNS runs its own server on port 53. Both are stateless per-request, not session-oriented.
The three-layer model (Transport, Interface, Protocol) remains correct. The issue is that Layer 2 has two distinct patterns: stream-based (SSH, raw framing) where the transport provides a continuous byte stream, and message-based (HTTP, DNS) where the interface manages its own transport and handles discrete requests.
## Decision
Split the `Interface` trait into two independent traits:
1. **`StreamInterface`** — consumes a `TransportStream`, produces a long-lived `Session` that yields `InterfaceEvent` frames. Existing `SshInterface` and `RawFramingInterface` become `StreamInterface` implementations.
2. **`MessageInterface`** — handles individual `InterfaceRequest``InterfaceResponse` pairs. Manages its own transport (HTTP server, DNS server). `HttpInterface` and `DnsInterface` are `MessageInterface` implementations.
The traits are independent. They have different signatures (`accept(stream)` vs `handle_request(req)`), different lifecycles (long-lived session vs stateless per-request), and different transport ownership (provided by caller vs self-managed).
`ListenerConfig` gains variants for both:
```rust
pub enum ListenerConfig {
Stream {
transport: TransportKind,
interface: StreamInterfaceKind,
},
Http {
bind_addr: SocketAddr,
tls: bool,
stealth: bool,
},
Dns {
bind_addr: SocketAddr,
tls: bool,
},
}
```
`TransportKind::Dns` is removed. DNS is a `MessageInterface` that manages its own transport (UDP/TCP port 53), not a transport variant.
The call protocol handler (Layer 3) is interface-agnostic: it processes `InterfaceEvent` frames from `StreamInterface` sessions and `InterfaceRequest``InterfaceResponse` from `MessageInterface` handlers. The dispatch logic is the same — only the framing differs.
## Consequences
**Positive**: HTTP and DNS are first-class interfaces with proper type signatures. No forcing stateless protocols into a session model. The existing stealth mode byte-peek pattern naturally extends to `HttpInterface`. The `InterfaceRequest` / `InterfaceResponse` types normalize calls across message-based interfaces.
**Positive**: Removing `TransportKind::Dns` prevents a breaking change later — code should never depend on DNS as a transport variant.
**Positive**: `ListenerConfig` correctly models the server's accept loop: stream listeners spawn one accept loop per (transport, interface) pair, while HTTP and DNS listeners each manage their own server.
**Negative**: Two traits where there was one. But they serve fundamentally different purposes. A common super-trait would add complexity (`accept_stream` + `handle_request` + `transport_kind`) without practical benefit — implementations satisfy one trait or the other, never both.
**Negative**: The `accept()` method on the current `Interface` trait needs to be renamed. This is a rename of an existing method signature, not a semantic change — `SshInterface` and `RawFramingInterface` implementations become `StreamInterface` implementations with the same `accept()` logic.
## References
- ADR-026 (transport/interface separation — updated by this ADR)
- [interface.md](../interface.md) — Interface layer spec
- [research/phase2/interface-model.md](../../research/phase2/interface-model.md) — Full analysis
- [research/phase2/tls-transport.md](../../research/phase2/tls-transport.md) — HTTP interface, ListenerConfig