# ma-did
A Rust implementation of the
[間 (`did:ma`) DID method](https://github.com/bahner/ma-spec)
— a modern, lean decentralized identifier method providing
secure identities as a foundation for secure messaging.
## What It Provides
- **DID parsing and validation** —
`did:ma:<ipns>` with optional `#fragment`
for sub-identities within a namespace
- **DID documents** —
`Document`, `VerificationMethod`, and `Proof` types
conforming to [W3C DID v1.1](https://www.w3.org/TR/did-1.1/)
- **Cryptographic key types** —
Ed25519 signing keys (`SigningKey`) and
X25519 encryption keys (`EncryptionKey`)
with `Multikey` encoding
- **Multiformat pipeline** —
multibase (Base58btc) + multicodec encoding/decoding
for public keys and signatures
- **Identity generation** —
one-call `generate_identity()` or
`generate_identity_from_secret()` produces keys,
verification methods, and a signed document
- **Document proofs** —
`MultiformatSignature2023` proof type
(BLAKE3 + Ed25519 over CBOR)
- **Signed messages** —
`Message` with BLAKE3 content hashing,
Ed25519 signature, TTL,
and replay-window freshness checks
- **Encrypted envelopes** —
`Envelope` using ephemeral X25519 key agreement
with XChaCha20-Poly1305 AEAD
- **Serialization** —
JSON (`marshal`/`unmarshal`) and
CBOR (`to_cbor`/`from_cbor`)
for both documents and messages
- **Method-specific extension** —
optional `ma` namespace on documents
for application-defined fields
- **WASM support** —
compiles to `wasm32-unknown-unknown`
with JS time sources
## Specification
This crate implements the formal `did:ma` method
specification documents at
[bahner/ma-spec](https://github.com/bahner/ma-spec):
- [DID Method Specification][method-spec] —
method syntax, CRUD operations, verifiable data registry
- [DID Document Format][doc-format] —
document structure, `Multikey` verification methods,
proof type
- [Extension Fields Format][fields-format] —
method-specific `ma` namespace
- [Messaging Format][msg-format] —
signed CBOR messages, encryption envelopes,
replay protection
[method-spec]: https://github.com/bahner/ma-spec/blob/main/did-method-spec.md
[doc-format]: https://github.com/bahner/ma-spec/blob/main/did-document-format.md
[fields-format]: https://github.com/bahner/ma-spec/blob/main/did-ma-fields-format.md
[msg-format]: https://github.com/bahner/ma-spec/blob/main/messaging-format.md
## References
- [W3C DID Core v1.1](https://www.w3.org/TR/did-1.1/) —
Decentralized Identifiers specification
- [Nano ID](https://github.com/ai/nanoid) —
DID URL fragment generation and validation
(`[A-Za-z0-9_-]+`)
- [Multibase][mb] / [Multicodec][mc] —
key and signature encoding
- [BLAKE3](https://github.com/BLAKE3-team/BLAKE3) —
content hashing for proofs and messages
- [IPNS](https://docs.ipfs.tech/concepts/ipns/) —
DID method-specific identifier
[mb]: https://github.com/multiformats/multibase
[mc]: https://github.com/multiformats/multicodec
## Project Layout
- `src/constants.rs`: method name, version, BLAKE3 labels
- `src/did.rs`: DID model and validation
- `src/doc.rs`: DID document, proof, and verification method model
- `src/error.rs`: crate error types
- `src/identity.rs`: key + document generation helper
- `src/key.rs`: key generation, multibase encoding, Ed25519/X25519 key types
- `src/lib.rs`: public exports
- `src/msg.rs`: message, headers, envelope, and replay guard
- `src/multiformat.rs`: multibase/multicodec encoding and decoding pipeline
## Build
```bash
cargo build
cargo test
```
## Usage
```toml
[dependencies]
ma-did = "0.5"
```
## Release Notes
### 0.5.0
- Improved API safety with `#[must_use]` on commonly dropped return values.
- Fixed message timestamp tests and aligned examples with current behavior.
- Internal multiformat encoding cleanup for clearer error boundaries.
### Migration Notes (0.4 -> 0.5)
- If your project uses `-D warnings`, new `#[must_use]` attributes may surface ignored-result warnings.
Update call sites to use, store, or explicitly discard return values as needed.
- Public crate API remains source-compatible for normal `ma_did` usage.
The `multiformat` module is internal (`mod multiformat`) and not exported from crate root.
### Identity and documents
```rust
use ma_did::{generate_identity_from_secret, Did};
// Generate a complete identity from an application-managed secret
let secret = [7u8; 32];
let identity = generate_identity_from_secret(secret).unwrap();
// The document is already signed and valid
identity.document.verify().unwrap();
identity.document.validate().unwrap();
// Serialize to JSON or CBOR
let json = identity.document.marshal().unwrap();
let cbor = identity.document.to_cbor().unwrap();
```
If you already have an IPNS identifier from elsewhere, you can still call
`generate_identity(ipns)` directly as the explicit lower-level path. If not,
let the application supply the secret and use
`generate_identity_from_secret(secret)` to derive it.
### DID validation
```rust
use ma_did::Did;
// Validate any DID (bare or URL)
Did::validate("did:ma:k51qzi5uqu5abc").unwrap();
Did::validate("did:ma:k51qzi5uqu5abc#lobby").unwrap();
// Validate specifically a bare DID identity (no fragment)
Did::validate_identity("did:ma:k51qzi5uqu5abc").unwrap();
// Validate specifically a DID URL (requires fragment)
Did::validate_url("did:ma:k51qzi5uqu5abc#lobby").unwrap();
```
### Messages
```rust
use ma_did::{generate_identity_from_secret, Message, SigningKey, Did};
let alice = generate_identity_from_secret([1u8; 32]).unwrap();
let bob = generate_identity_from_secret([2u8; 32]).unwrap();
// Reconstruct signing key from stored private key bytes
let alice_sign_url = Did::new_url(&alice.subject_url.ipns, None::<String>).unwrap();
let alice_signing_key = SigningKey::from_private_key_bytes(
alice_sign_url,
hex::decode(&alice.signing_private_key_hex).unwrap().try_into().unwrap(),
).unwrap();
// Create a signed message
let msg = Message::new(
alice.document.id.clone(),
bob.document.id.clone(),
"text/plain",
b"hello".to_vec(),
&alice_signing_key,
).unwrap();
// Verify message signature against sender's document
msg.verify_with_document(&alice.document).unwrap();
// Encrypt for recipient as an Envelope
let envelope = msg.enclose_for(&bob.document).unwrap();
```
## License
GPL-3.0-only