alknet/docs/architecture/crates/core/config.md

status, last_updated

status	last_updated
draft	2026-06-22-21

Configuration

StaticConfig, DynamicConfig, ArcSwap, and ConfigReloadHandle.

StaticConfig

Immutable configuration resolved at startup. Cannot be changed without restarting the endpoint.

pub struct StaticConfig {
    /// Bind address for the quinn endpoint (e.g., "0.0.0.0:4433").
    /// None if the quinn endpoint is not configured (iroh-only node).
    pub listen_addr: Option<SocketAddr>,

    /// TLS identity mode for the quinn endpoint.
    /// Required if listen_addr is Some.
    pub tls_identity: Option<TlsIdentity>,

    /// iroh relay URL (e.g., "https://relay.iroh.network/").
    /// None if the iroh endpoint is not configured.
    pub iroh_relay: Option<RelayUrl>,

    /// Drain timeout for graceful shutdown (default: 2 seconds).
    pub drain_timeout: Duration,
}

/// TLS identity configuration for the quinn endpoint.
pub enum TlsIdentity {
    /// X.509 certificate for domain-facing identity.
    /// Required for browser/WebTransport clients.
    X509 {
        cert: PathBuf,
        key: PathBuf,
    },

    /// RFC 7250 raw Ed25519 public key.
    /// No domain, no CA, no cert renewal. Key = identity.
    /// Same model as iroh's NodeId, but for direct QUIC connections.
    RawKey(SecretKey),

    /// Self-signed X.509 cert for development.
    /// Generated on startup, not validated by external clients.
    SelfSigned,
}

Why TlsIdentity instead of tls_cert/tls_key options

TLS identity in alknet has two distinct use cases, not one. The original tls_cert: Option<PathBuf> / tls_key: Option<PathBuf> assumed X.509 was the only TLS identity model. RFC 7250 raw public keys (used by iroh, supported by rustls) provide a fundamentally different mode: Ed25519 key as identity, no X.509, no CA, no domain. This is the default for most alknet nodes — it works natively with SSH auth and git. X.509 certs are for domain-hosted services and browser/WebTransport clients, which don't support RFC 7250.

The TlsIdentity enum captures both use cases plus a development mode. See OQ-12 for the full rationale.

Key differences from reference implementation

The reference StaticConfig (in alknet-main/crates/alknet-core/src/config/static_config.rs) is SSH-centric: it holds host_key, host_key_algorithm, proxy_config, stealth, transport_mode, and listeners. The new model removes all of these:

• No host_key/host_key_algorithm: SSH host keys are managed by the SSH handler, not by core config. The endpoint uses TLS certs, not SSH host keys.
• No proxy_config: Outbound proxy is an SSH-specific concern (SOCKS5/HTTP CONNECT forwarding). Not in core config.
• No stealth: ALPN eliminates the need for stealth/byte-peeking. See ADR-001.
• No transport_mode/listeners: The old ServeTransportMode and ListenerConfig enum are replaced by listen_addr (quinn) and iroh_relay (iroh). Both are optional — a node can use either or both. See ADR-010.

Construction

StaticConfig is constructed by the CLI binary from CLI arguments or a config file. The exact shape of StartupOptions (or whatever the CLI uses) is a CLI concern, not a core concern. alknet-core provides StaticConfig as a data structure; the CLI is responsible for populating it.

// The CLI binary constructs StaticConfig from its own options/config.
// StartupOptions is NOT a core type — it belongs to the alknet CLI binary.
// alknet-core receives a fully populated StaticConfig.

// P2P / key-based identity (default for most nodes)
let p2p_config = StaticConfig {
    listen_addr: Some("0.0.0.0:4433".parse()?),
    tls_identity: Some(TlsIdentity::RawKey(SecretKey::generate())),
    iroh_relay: None,
    drain_timeout: Duration::from_secs(2),
};

// Domain-hosted service (relays, public services, browsers)
let domain_config = StaticConfig {
    listen_addr: Some("0.0.0.0:4433".parse()?),
    tls_identity: Some(TlsIdentity::X509 {
        cert: "/path/to/cert.pem".into(),
        key: "/path/to/key.pem".into(),
    }),
    iroh_relay: None,
    drain_timeout: Duration::from_secs(2),
};

DynamicConfig

Runtime-reloadable configuration. Hot-reloaded via ArcSwap without restarting the endpoint.

#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub struct DynamicConfig {
    pub auth: AuthPolicy,
    pub rate_limits: RateLimitConfig,
}

AuthPolicy

Authorization policy derived from authorized keys, certificate authorities, and API keys.

pub struct AuthPolicy {
    /// SHA-256 fingerprints of authorized keys (SSH keys, TLS client certs).
    /// Stored as strings to avoid russh dependency in core.
    pub authorized_fingerprints: HashSet<String>,

    /// API keys for token-based auth.
    pub api_keys: Vec<ApiKeyEntry>,
}

Certificate authority entries for cert-based auth will be added when alknet-ssh is implemented. The cert_authorities field is omitted from v1 to avoid referencing an undefined type. Adding it back is additive (a new field on AuthPolicy is non-breaking for existing config files that don't use it). alknet-ssh will define CertAuthorityEntry with the necessary fields (public key, principals, options).

This replaces the reference implementation's AuthPolicy which depended on russh::keys::PublicKey. The new version stores fingerprints as strings, not russh types. This removes the russh dependency from alknet-core.

ApiKeyEntry

pub struct ApiKeyEntry {
    /// Key prefix (first 8 chars of the key). Used for O(1) lookup.
    pub prefix: String,

    /// SHA-256 hash of the full key. Used for verification.
    pub hash: String,

    /// Authorization scopes granted by this key.
    pub scopes: Vec<String>,

    /// Human-readable description.
    pub description: String,

    /// Unix timestamp when the key expires. None = never expires.
    pub expires_at: Option<u64>,
}

Carries forward from the reference implementation with no changes.

RateLimitConfig

pub struct RateLimitConfig {
    pub max_connections_per_ip: usize,
    pub max_auth_attempts: usize,
}

Carries forward from the reference implementation. Rate limits are entirely dynamic — StaticConfig does not contain rate limit fields. The CLI binary sets initial RateLimitConfig values when constructing the initial DynamicConfig. Hot-reloading via ConfigReloadHandle replaces rate limits immediately without restart.

ArcSwap Pattern

DynamicConfig is wrapped in Arc<ArcSwap<DynamicConfig>> for lock-free reads and atomic swaps.

let dynamic = Arc::new(ArcSwap::new(Arc::new(DynamicConfig::default())));

• Reads: dynamic.load() returns Arc<DynamicConfig>. Multiple readers can hold references simultaneously without blocking.
• Writes: dynamic.store(Arc::new(new_config)) atomically replaces the config. All subsequent reads see the new config.
• No locks: ArcSwap uses atomic operations. No reader is ever blocked by a writer.

This pattern carries forward directly from the reference implementation (alknet-main/crates/alknet-core/src/config/dynamic_config.rs).

ConfigReloadHandle

pub struct ConfigReloadHandle {
    dynamic: Arc<ArcSwap<DynamicConfig>>,
}

impl ConfigReloadHandle {
    pub fn reload(&self, new_config: DynamicConfig);
    pub fn dynamic(&self) -> Arc<DynamicConfig>;
}

• reload(): Atomically replaces the dynamic config. All subsequent reads (including in-flight IdentityProvider calls) see the new config.
• dynamic(): Returns the current config as Arc<DynamicConfig>.

The CLI binary creates a ConfigReloadHandle and passes it to a config watcher (file watcher, SIGHUP handler, or call protocol operation) that calls reload() when config changes are detected.

Config reload is a privilege-escalation path. ConfigIdentityProvider reads from ArcSwap<DynamicConfig>, so a reload that adds an authorized fingerprint or API key grants access immediately. A malicious reload is equivalent to root-level privilege grant. The reload trigger must be authenticated/local-only: SIGHUP (local signal), local file watch, or an admin call protocol operation with the same auth treatment as any other mutation (requires admin scope, ADR-015). The implementation must not ship a reload endpoint with no auth "for convenience."

ConfigError

pub enum ConfigError {
    InvalidFlag { name: String },
    KeyFileNotFound { path: String },
    BindFailed(io::Error),
    TlsConfig(io::Error),
    IncompatibleOptions,
}

Simplified from the reference implementation. Removes proxy-specific errors (now an SSH concern) and listener validation errors (no more ListenerConfig enum).

Key Differences from Reference Implementation

Aspect	Reference	New Model
StaticConfig fields	SSH host key, stealth, transport_mode, listeners, proxy	listen_addr, TLS cert/key, drain_timeout
DynamicConfig.auth	HashSet<PublicKey> (russh types)	HashSet<String> (fingerprint strings)
ListenerConfig	Enum with Stream/Http/Dns variants	Eliminated — single endpoint, ALPN dispatch
TransportMode	Tcp/Tls/Iroh	Eliminated — always QUIC+TLS
Stealth mode	Byte-peeking HTTP/SSH detection	Eliminated — ALPN handles protocol detection
ForwardingPolicy	In DynamicConfig	Moved to handler-specific config (SSH)

Design Decisions

Decision	ADR	Summary
No russh dependency in core	ADR-003	Core is ALPN-agnostic; russh is an alknet-ssh dependency
ArcSwap for dynamic config	Carry-forward from reference	Lock-free reads, atomic swaps
No ListenerConfig	ADR-001	Single endpoint, ALPN replaces multiple listener types