hyper-custom-cert 0.1.8

A small, ergonomic HTTP client wrapper around hyper with optional support for custom Root CAs and a dev-only insecure mode for self-signed certificates.
Documentation
hyper-custom-cert-0.1.8 has been yanked.

hyper-custom-cert

Crates.io docs.rs CI

A reusable HTTP client builder API with clear, security‑focused feature flags for selecting your TLS backend and security posture.

This crate is derived from a reference implementation in this repository (under reference-implementation/), but is designed as a reusable library with a more robust and explicit configuration surface. Networking internals are intentionally abstracted for now; the focus is on a secure, ergonomic API.

Features and TLS strategy

  • Default: native-tls

    • Uses the operating system trust store via hyper-tls/native-tls.
    • Secure default for connecting to standard, publicly trusted endpoints.

  • Optional: rustls

    • Uses hyper-rustls.
    • Activates the with_root_ca_pem method on the builder, allowing you to trust a custom Root CA (recommended approach for custom/private CAs).

  • Optional: insecure-dangerous

    • Unlocks insecure_accept_invalid_certs(true) and HttpClient::with_self_signed_certs().
    • IMPORTANT: This is for local development/testing only and must NEVER be used in production.

See SECURITY.md for a thorough discussion of these modes and when to use them.

Quick start

  • Default (native-tls):

    cargo build -p hyper-custom-cert
cargo run -p hyper-custom-cert --example self-signed-certs

  • With rustls (custom Root CA support):

    cargo build -p hyper-custom-cert --no-default-features --features rustls
cargo run -p hyper-custom-cert --no-default-features --features rustls --example self-signed-certs

  • Insecure (dangerous, dev only):

    # With native-tls
cargo build -p hyper-custom-cert --features insecure-dangerous
cargo run -p hyper-custom-cert --features insecure-dangerous --example self-signed-certs

# With rustls
cargo build -p hyper-custom-cert --no-default-features --features rustls,insecure-dangerous
cargo run -p hyper-custom-cert --no-default-features --features rustls,insecure-dangerous --example self-signed-certs

Builder API overview

use hyper_custom_cert::HttpClient;
use std::time::Duration;
use std::collections::HashMap;

let mut headers = HashMap::new();
headers.insert("x-app".into(), "demo".into());

let mut builder = HttpClient::builder()
    .with_timeout(Duration::from_secs(10))
    .with_default_headers(headers);

// When the `rustls` feature is enabled, you can add a custom Root CA:
#[cfg(feature = "rustls")]
{
    // Option 1: Load CA certificate from raw PEM bytes
    builder = builder.with_root_ca_pem(include_bytes!("../examples-data/root-ca.pem"));
    
    // Option 2: Load CA certificate from a file path
    builder = builder.with_root_ca_file("path/to/root-ca.pem");
    
    // Option 3: Using std::path::Path
    use std::path::Path;
    let ca_path = Path::new("certs/custom-ca.pem");
    builder = builder.with_root_ca_file(ca_path);
    
    // Option 4: Certificate pinning for additional security
    let pin1: [u8; 32] = [
        0x12, 0x34, 0x56, 0x78, 0x9a, 0xbc, 0xde, 0xf0,
        0x11, 0x22, 0x33, 0x44, 0x55, 0x66, 0x77, 0x88,
        0x99, 0xaa, 0xbb, 0xcc, 0xdd, 0xee, 0xff, 0x00,
        0xa1, 0xb2, 0xc3, 0xd4, 0xe5, 0xf6, 0x07, 0x18
    ];
    let pin2: [u8; 32] = [
        0xf0, 0xe1, 0xd2, 0xc3, 0xb4, 0xa5, 0x96, 0x87,
        0x78, 0x69, 0x5a, 0x4b, 0x3c, 0x2d, 0x1e, 0x0f,
        0x00, 0x11, 0x22, 0x33, 0x44, 0x55, 0x66, 0x77,
        0x88, 0x99, 0xaa, 0xbb, 0xcc, 0xdd, 0xee, 0xff
    ];
    builder = builder.with_pinned_cert_sha256(vec![pin1, pin2]);
}

let client = builder.build();

// During local development only:
#[cfg(feature = "insecure-dangerous")]
{
    let dev_client = HttpClient::with_self_signed_certs();
    let dev_client2 = HttpClient::builder()
        .insecure_accept_invalid_certs(true)
        .build();
}

Selecting features

  • Native TLS (default):

    • cargo add hyper-custom-cert (or no extra flags if in this workspace)
    • cargo build

  • Rustls:

    • cargo build --no-default-features --features rustls

  • Insecure (dangerous, dev only):

    • With native TLS: cargo build --features insecure-dangerous
    • With rustls: cargo build --no-default-features --features rustls,insecure-dangerous

WASM Support

This library's WASM build is primarily intended for edge runtime environments such as Cloudflare Workers, Deno Deploy, Vercel Edge Functions, and similar serverless edge computing platforms.

Edge Runtime Usage (Primary Use Case)

Edge runtimes provide a more capable WASM environment compared to browsers, often supporting custom certificate configuration and advanced TLS features:

Capabilities in Edge Runtimes:

  • Custom Root CA Support: Methods like with_root_ca_pem() and with_root_ca_file() are typically supported
  • Certificate Pinning: The with_pinned_cert_sha256() method may be available depending on the runtime
  • Flexible TLS Configuration: Full control over certificate validation and TLS settings
  • No Same-Origin Policy: Direct network access without browser security restrictions

Recommended Approach for Edge Runtimes:

#[cfg(target_arch = "wasm32")]
{
    // For edge runtimes, full custom CA support is typically available
    #[cfg(feature = "rustls")]
    let client = HttpClient::builder()
        .with_timeout(Duration::from_secs(10))
        .with_root_ca_pem(include_bytes!("../certs/root-ca.pem"))
        .build();
    
    // Certificate pinning for additional security
    let pin: [u8; 32] = [/* your certificate SHA-256 hash */];
    let client_with_pinning = HttpClient::builder()
        .with_pinned_cert_sha256(vec![pin])
        .build();
}

Popular Edge Runtime Platforms:

  • Cloudflare Workers: Full WASM support with network capabilities
  • Deno Deploy: TypeScript/JavaScript runtime with WASM modules
  • Vercel Edge Functions: Next.js edge runtime environment
  • Fastly Compute@Edge: High-performance edge computing platform
  • AWS Lambda@Edge: Serverless edge functions

Browser Usage (Limited Support)

When running in browser environments, WASM operates under significant security restrictions:

Browser Limitations:

  • No Custom Root CA Support: Methods like with_root_ca_pem() and with_root_ca_file() may return WasmNotImplemented errors
  • No Certificate Pinning: The with_pinned_cert_sha256() method is not available in browser environments
  • Browser-Controlled Trust: All certificate validation is handled by the browser's built-in certificate store
  • Same-Origin Policy: Cross-origin requests are subject to CORS policies and browser security models

Browser Development Guidance:

#[cfg(target_arch = "wasm32")]
{
    // For browser WASM, rely on browser's built-in certificate validation
    let client = HttpClient::builder()
        .with_timeout(Duration::from_secs(10))
        .build();
}

For development with self-signed certificates in browsers, you'll need to install certificates in the browser's certificate store rather than configuring them programmatically.

Environment Detection

To handle both edge runtime and browser environments gracefully:

#[cfg(target_arch = "wasm32")]
{
    // Attempt edge runtime configuration, fall back to basic setup
    let mut builder = HttpClient::builder()
        .with_timeout(Duration::from_secs(10));
    
    #[cfg(feature = "rustls")]
    {
        // Try to use custom CA - this will work in edge runtimes
        // but may fail in browsers
        match std::panic::catch_unwind(|| {
            builder.with_root_ca_pem(include_bytes!("../certs/root-ca.pem"))
        }) {
            Ok(configured_builder) => builder = configured_builder,
            Err(_) => {
                // Fallback for browser environments
                eprintln!("Custom CA configuration not supported in this WASM environment");
            }
        }
    }
    
    let client = builder.build();
}

Production Considerations

For Edge Runtimes:

  • Leverage full TLS configuration capabilities available in your edge platform
  • Use custom CAs and certificate pinning for enhanced security
  • Test certificate handling across different edge runtime providers
  • Consider platform-specific TLS optimizations

For Browser Applications:

  • Always use proper SSL/TLS certificates from trusted CAs
  • Consider using Let's Encrypt or other automated certificate management solutions
  • Document any certificate requirements clearly for end users
  • Plan for browser security policy limitations

Security Notes

  • Prefer the default native-tls or the rustls feature for production.
  • The insecure-dangerous feature must never be enabled in production; it bypasses certificate validation and exposes you to active MITM risk.
  • On WASM platforms, certificate handling varies by environment: edge runtimes typically support full custom CA configuration, while browser environments manage certificate validation through built-in certificate stores.