readpassphrase_3/lib.rs
1// Copyright 2025
2// Steven Dee
3//
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5// modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
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22
23//! Lightweight, easy-to-use wrapper around the C [`readpassphrase(3)`][0] function.
24//!
25//! From the man page:
26//! > The `readpassphrase()` function displays a prompt to, and reads in a passphrase from,
27//! > `/dev/tty`. If this file is inaccessible and the [`RPP_REQUIRE_TTY`](Flags::REQUIRE_TTY) flag
28//! > is not set, `readpassphrase()` displays the prompt on the standard error output and reads
29//! > from the standard input.
30//!
31//! # Usage
32//! For the simplest of cases, where you would just like to read a password from the console into a
33//! [`String`] to use elsewhere, you can use [`getpass`]:
34//! ```no_run
35//! use readpassphrase_3::getpass;
36//! let _ = getpass(c"Enter your password: ").expect("failed reading password");
37//! ```
38//!
39//! If you need to pass [`Flags`] or to control the buffer size, then you can use
40//! [`readpassphrase`] or [`readpassphrase_owned`] depending on your ownership requirements:
41//! ```no_run
42//! let mut buf = vec![0u8; 256];
43//! use readpassphrase_3::{Flags, readpassphrase};
44//! let pass: &str = readpassphrase(c"Password: ", &mut buf, Flags::default()).unwrap();
45//!
46//! use readpassphrase_3::readpassphrase_owned;
47//! let pass: String = readpassphrase_owned(c"Pass: ", buf, Flags::FORCELOWER).unwrap();
48//! # _ = pass;
49//! ```
50//!
51//! # Security
52//! The [`readpassphrase(3)` man page][0] says:
53//! > The calling process should zero the passphrase as soon as possible to avoid leaving the
54//! > cleartext passphrase visible in the process's address space.
55//!
56//! It is your job to ensure that this is done with the data you own, i.e.
57//! any [`Vec`] passed to [`readpassphrase`] or any [`String`] received from [`getpass`] or
58//! [`readpassphrase_owned`].
59//!
60//! This crate ships with a minimal [`Zeroize`] trait that may be used for this purpose:
61//! ```no_run
62//! # use readpassphrase_3::{Flags, getpass, readpassphrase, readpassphrase_owned};
63//! use readpassphrase_3::Zeroize;
64//! let mut pass = getpass(c"password: ").unwrap();
65//! // do_something_with(&pass);
66//! pass.zeroize();
67//!
68//! let mut buf = vec![0u8; 256];
69//! let res = readpassphrase(c"password: ", &mut buf, Flags::empty());
70//! // match_something_on(res);
71//! buf.zeroize();
72//!
73//! let mut pass = readpassphrase_owned(c"password: ", buf, Flags::empty()).unwrap();
74//! // do_something_with(&pass);
75//! pass.zeroize();
76//! ```
77//!
78//! ## Zeroizing memory
79//! This crate works well with the [`zeroize`] crate. For example, [`zeroize::Zeroizing`] may be
80//! used to zero buffer contents regardless of a function’s control flow:
81//! ```no_run
82//! # use readpassphrase_3::{Error, Flags, PASSWORD_LEN, getpass, readpassphrase};
83//! use zeroize::Zeroizing;
84//! # fn main() -> Result<(), Error> {
85//! let mut buf = Zeroizing::new(vec![0u8; PASSWORD_LEN]);
86//! let pass = readpassphrase(c"pass: ", &mut buf, Flags::REQUIRE_TTY)?;
87//! // do_something_that_can_fail_with(pass)?;
88//!
89//! // Or alternatively:
90//! let pass = Zeroizing::new(getpass(c"pass: ")?);
91//! // do_something_that_can_fail_with(&pass)?;
92//! # Ok(())
93//! # }
94//! ```
95//!
96//! If this crate’s `zeroize` feature is enabled, then its [`Zeroize`] will be replaced by a
97//! re-export of the upstream [`zeroize::Zeroize`].
98//!
99//! # “Mismatched types” errors
100//! The prompt strings in this API are references to [CStr], not [str]. This is because the
101//! underlying C function assumes that the prompt is a null-terminated string; were we to take
102//! `&str` instead of `&CStr`, we would need to make a copy of the prompt on every call.
103//!
104//! Most of the time, your prompts will be string literals; you can ask Rust to give you a `&CStr`
105//! literal by simply prepending `c` to the string:
106//! ```no_run
107//! # use readpassphrase_3::{Error, getpass};
108//! # fn main() -> Result<(), Error> {
109//! let _ = getpass(c"pass: ")?;
110//! // ^
111//! // |
112//! // like this
113//! # Ok(())
114//! # }
115//! ```
116//!
117//! If you need a dynamic prompt, look at [`CString`](std::ffi::CString).
118//!
119//! # Windows Limitations
120//! The Windows implementation of `readpassphrase(3)` that we are using does not yet support UTF-8
121//! in prompts; they must be ASCII. It also does not yet support flags, and always behaves as
122//! though called with [`Flags::empty()`].
123//!
124//! [0]: https://man.openbsd.org/readpassphrase
125
126use std::{
127 error,
128 ffi::CStr,
129 fmt::{self, Display},
130 io, mem,
131 str::Utf8Error,
132};
133
134use bitflags::bitflags;
135#[cfg(any(docsrs, not(feature = "zeroize")))]
136pub use our_zeroize::Zeroize;
137#[cfg(all(not(docsrs), feature = "zeroize"))]
138pub use zeroize::Zeroize;
139
140/// Size of buffer used in [`getpass`].
141///
142/// Because `readpassphrase(3)` null-terminates its string, the actual maximum password length for
143/// [`getpass`] is 255.
144pub const PASSWORD_LEN: usize = 256;
145
146bitflags! {
147 /// Flags for controlling readpassphrase.
148 ///
149 /// The default flag `ECHO_OFF` is not represented here because `bitflags` [recommends against
150 /// zero-bit flags][0]; it may be specified as either [`Flags::empty()`] or
151 /// [`Flags::default()`].
152 ///
153 /// Note that the Windows `readpassphrase(3)` implementation always acts like it has been
154 /// passed `ECHO_OFF`, i.e., the flags are ignored.
155 ///
156 /// [0]: https://docs.rs/bitflags/latest/bitflags/#zero-bit-flags
157 #[derive(Default)]
158 pub struct Flags: i32 {
159 /// Leave echo on.
160 const ECHO_ON = 0x01;
161 /// Fail if there is no tty.
162 const REQUIRE_TTY = 0x02;
163 /// Force input to lower case.
164 const FORCELOWER = 0x04;
165 /// Force input to upper case.
166 const FORCEUPPER = 0x08;
167 /// Strip the high bit from input.
168 const SEVENBIT = 0x10;
169 /// Read from stdin, not `/dev/tty`.
170 const STDIN = 0x20;
171 }
172}
173
174/// Errors that can occur in readpassphrase.
175#[derive(Debug)]
176pub enum Error {
177 /// `readpassphrase(3)` itself encountered an error.
178 Io(io::Error),
179 /// The entered password was not UTF-8.
180 Utf8(Utf8Error),
181}
182
183/// Reads a passphrase using `readpassphrase(3)`, returning a [`&str`](str).
184///
185/// This function reads a password of up to `buf.len() - 1` bytes into `buf`. If the entered
186/// password is longer, it is truncated to the maximum length. If `readpasspharse(3)` itself fails,
187/// or if the entered password is not valid UTF-8, then [`Error`] is returned.
188///
189/// # Security
190/// The passed buffer might contain sensitive data, even if this function returns an error.
191/// Therefore it should be zeroed as soon as possible. This can be achieved, for example, with
192/// [`zeroize::Zeroizing`]:
193/// ```no_run
194/// # use readpassphrase_3::{PASSWORD_LEN, Error, Flags, readpassphrase};
195/// use zeroize::Zeroizing;
196/// # fn main() -> Result<(), Error> {
197/// let mut buf = Zeroizing::new(vec![0u8; PASSWORD_LEN]);
198/// let pass = readpassphrase(c"Pass: ", &mut buf, Flags::default())?;
199/// # Ok(())
200/// # }
201/// ```
202pub fn readpassphrase<'a>(
203 prompt: &CStr,
204 buf: &'a mut [u8],
205 flags: Flags,
206) -> Result<&'a str, Error> {
207 unsafe {
208 let res = ffi::readpassphrase(
209 prompt.as_ptr(),
210 buf.as_mut_ptr().cast(),
211 buf.len(),
212 flags.bits(),
213 );
214 if res.is_null() {
215 return Err(io::Error::last_os_error().into());
216 }
217 }
218 Ok(CStr::from_bytes_until_nul(buf).unwrap().to_str()?)
219}
220
221/// Reads a passphrase using `readpassphrase(3)`, returning a [`String`].
222///
223/// Internally, this function uses a buffer of [`PASSWORD_LEN`] bytes, allowing for passwords up to
224/// `PASSWORD_LEN - 1` characters (accounting for the C null terminator.) If the entered passphrase
225/// is longer, it will be truncated to the maximum length.
226///
227/// # Security
228/// The returned `String` is owned by the caller, and therefore it is the caller’s responsibility
229/// to clear it when you are done with it:
230/// ```no_run
231/// # use readpassphrase_3::{Error, Zeroize, getpass};
232/// # fn main() -> Result<(), Error> {
233/// let mut pass = getpass(c"Pass: ")?;
234/// _ = pass;
235/// pass.zeroize();
236/// # Ok(())
237/// # }
238/// ```
239pub fn getpass(prompt: &CStr) -> Result<String, Error> {
240 Ok(readpassphrase_owned(
241 prompt,
242 vec![0u8; PASSWORD_LEN],
243 Flags::empty(),
244 )?)
245}
246
247/// An [`Error`] from [`readpassphrase_owned`] containing the passed buffer.
248///
249/// The buffer is accessible via [`OwnedError::take`]. If [`take`](OwnedError::take) is not called,
250/// the buffer is automatically zeroed on drop.
251#[derive(Debug)]
252pub struct OwnedError(Error, Option<Vec<u8>>);
253
254/// Reads a passphrase using `readpassphrase(3)`, returning `buf` as a [`String`].
255///
256/// This function reads a passphrase of up to `buf.capacity() - 1` bytes. If the entered passphrase
257/// is longer, it will be truncated.
258///
259/// The returned [`String`] reuses `buf`’s memory; no copies are made. On error, the original
260/// buffer is instead returned via [`OwnedError`] and may be reused. `OwnedError` converts to
261/// [`Error`], so the `?` operator may be used with functions that return `Error`.
262///
263/// **NB**. Sometimes in Rust the capacity of a vector may be larger than you expect; if you need a
264/// precise limit on the length of the entered password, either use [`readpassphrase`] or truncate
265/// the returned string.
266///
267/// # Security
268/// The returned `String` is owned by the caller, and it is the caller’s responsibility to clear
269/// it. This can be done via [`Zeroize`], e.g.:
270/// ```no_run
271/// # use readpassphrase_3::{
272/// # PASSWORD_LEN,
273/// # Error,
274/// # Flags,
275/// # readpassphrase_owned,
276/// # };
277/// # use readpassphrase_3::Zeroize;
278/// # fn main() -> Result<(), Error> {
279/// let buf = vec![0u8; PASSWORD_LEN];
280/// let mut pass = readpassphrase_owned(c"Pass: ", buf, Flags::default())?;
281/// _ = pass;
282/// pass.zeroize();
283/// # Ok(())
284/// # }
285/// ```
286pub fn readpassphrase_owned(
287 prompt: &CStr,
288 mut buf: Vec<u8>,
289 flags: Flags,
290) -> Result<String, OwnedError> {
291 readpassphrase_mut(prompt, &mut buf, flags).map_err(|e| {
292 buf.clear();
293 OwnedError(e, Some(buf))
294 })
295}
296
297// Reads a passphrase into `buf`’s maybe-uninitialized capacity and returns it as a `String`
298// reusing `buf`’s memory on success. This function serves to make it possible to write
299// `readpassphrase_owned` without either pre-initializing the buffer or invoking undefined
300// behavior by constructing a maybe-uninitialized slice.
301fn readpassphrase_mut(prompt: &CStr, buf: &mut Vec<u8>, flags: Flags) -> Result<String, Error> {
302 unsafe {
303 let res = ffi::readpassphrase(
304 prompt.as_ptr(),
305 buf.as_mut_ptr().cast(),
306 buf.capacity(),
307 flags.bits(),
308 );
309 if res.is_null() {
310 return Err(io::Error::last_os_error().into());
311 }
312 let res = CStr::from_ptr(res).to_str()?;
313 buf.set_len(res.len());
314 Ok(String::from_utf8_unchecked(mem::take(buf)))
315 }
316}
317
318impl OwnedError {
319 /// Take `buf` out of the error.
320 ///
321 /// Returns empty [`Vec`] after the first call.
322 pub fn take(&mut self) -> Vec<u8> {
323 self.1.take().unwrap_or_default()
324 }
325}
326
327impl Drop for OwnedError {
328 fn drop(&mut self) {
329 self.1.take().as_mut().map(Zeroize::zeroize);
330 }
331}
332
333impl From<OwnedError> for Error {
334 fn from(mut value: OwnedError) -> Self {
335 mem::replace(&mut value.0, Error::Io(io::ErrorKind::Other.into()))
336 }
337}
338
339impl From<io::Error> for Error {
340 fn from(value: io::Error) -> Self {
341 Error::Io(value)
342 }
343}
344
345impl From<Utf8Error> for Error {
346 fn from(value: Utf8Error) -> Self {
347 Error::Utf8(value)
348 }
349}
350
351impl error::Error for OwnedError {
352 fn source(&self) -> Option<&(dyn error::Error + 'static)> {
353 Some(&self.0)
354 }
355}
356
357impl Display for OwnedError {
358 fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
359 self.0.fmt(f)
360 }
361}
362
363impl error::Error for Error {
364 fn source(&self) -> Option<&(dyn error::Error + 'static)> {
365 Some(match self {
366 Error::Io(e) => e,
367 Error::Utf8(e) => e,
368 })
369 }
370}
371
372impl Display for Error {
373 fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
374 match self {
375 Error::Io(e) => e.fmt(f),
376 Error::Utf8(e) => e.fmt(f),
377 }
378 }
379}
380
381#[cfg(any(docsrs, not(feature = "zeroize")))]
382mod our_zeroize {
383 use std::{arch::asm, mem::MaybeUninit};
384
385 /// A minimal in-crate implementation of a subset of [`zeroize::Zeroize`].
386 ///
387 /// This provides compile-fenced memory zeroing for [`String`]s and [`Vec`]s without needing to
388 /// depend on the `zeroize` crate.
389 ///
390 /// If the optional `zeroize` feature is enabled, then the trait is replaced with a re-export of
391 /// `zeroize::Zeroize` itself.
392 pub trait Zeroize {
393 fn zeroize(&mut self);
394 }
395
396 impl Zeroize for Vec<u8> {
397 fn zeroize(&mut self) {
398 self.clear();
399 let buf = self.spare_capacity_mut();
400 buf.fill(MaybeUninit::zeroed());
401 compile_fence(buf);
402 }
403 }
404
405 impl Zeroize for String {
406 fn zeroize(&mut self) {
407 unsafe { self.as_mut_vec() }.zeroize();
408 }
409 }
410
411 impl Zeroize for [u8] {
412 fn zeroize(&mut self) {
413 self.fill(0);
414 compile_fence(self);
415 }
416 }
417
418 fn compile_fence<T>(buf: &[T]) {
419 unsafe {
420 asm!(
421 "/* {ptr} */",
422 ptr = in(reg) buf.as_ptr(),
423 options(nostack, preserves_flags, readonly)
424 );
425 }
426 }
427}
428
429mod ffi {
430 use std::ffi::{c_char, c_int};
431
432 extern "C" {
433 pub(crate) fn readpassphrase(
434 prompt: *const c_char,
435 buf: *mut c_char,
436 bufsiz: usize,
437 flags: c_int,
438 ) -> *mut c_char;
439 }
440}