# Cryptographic providers
riptering selects document cryptography and network TLS independently at
compile time, as kryptering 0.5 introduced. It never falls back from one
provider to another.
See [ADR 0002](adr/0002-compile-time-provider-boundary.md) for the AWS-LC
selection rationale, the sealed provider-trait design, and the requirements
for adding future backends.
## Selection contract
| Document crypto | `rustcrypto`, `aws-lc` | exactly one |
| Network TLS | `tls-ring`, `tls-aws-lc` | at most one |
| Compliance | `fips` | incompatible with `rustcrypto` and `tls-ring` |
| HSM | `pkcs11` | orthogonal to the software provider |
AWS-LC is gated to x86_64/aarch64 on Linux, plus non-FIPS builds on macOS.
FIPS builds are Linux-only.
`--all-features` is an expected compile failure.
## Non-FIPS capability registry
This table describes provider operations implemented and exercised by the
backend test matrix. A parameter combination outside the row returns
`UnsupportedAlgorithm` before key material is parsed or used.
| RNG | yes | yes |
| SHA-2 / HMAC-SHA-2 | yes | yes |
| RSA PKCS#1/PSS signatures | broad legacy + modern set | SHA-256/384/512 signing |
| ECDSA | broad curve/hash set | verify: P-256/P-384 with SHA-256/384/512, P-521 with SHA-224/256/384/512; sign: P-256/SHA-256, P-384/SHA-384, P-521 with SHA-224/256/384/512 |
| Ed25519 | yes | yes |
| AES-CBC/GCM | 128/192/256 | 128/192/256 |
| AES-KW | 128/192/256 | 128/256 |
| RSA-OAEP | SHA-1/224/256/384/512 with independent MGF1; MD5/RIPEMD160 with `legacy` | SHA-1/256/384/512 when OAEP and MGF hashes match |
| ECDH | P-256/P-384/P-521 | P-256/P-384/P-521 |
| X25519 | yes | yes |
| finite-field X9.42 DH | neutral hazmat parameters | unsupported |
| HKDF/PBKDF2/ConcatKDF | yes | SHA-1/SHA-2 family; AWS-LC module KDFs for SHA-1/256/384/512 (PBKDF2, HKDF) and SHA-224/256/384/512 (ConcatKDF) |
| DSA signatures | with `legacy` | unsupported |
| 3DES-CBC / 3DES key wrap | with `legacy` | unsupported |
| ML-DSA / SLH-DSA | feature-dependent | unsupported by stable AWS-LC APIs |
| Composite ML-DSA (`draft-ietf-jose-pq-composite-sigs-03`) | all six variants with `post-quantum` | unsupported |
The authoritative queries are `supports(Operation)` for a single fully
parameterized operation and `capabilities()` for the complete tested registry.
The latter is generated from the same parameter registry used by capability
tests, rather than from a separately maintained list.
## Initialization and FIPS
Non-FIPS builds initialize ergonomically on first use. In a `fips` build,
`initialize_backend()` must succeed first; cryptographic operations and TLS
configuration otherwise return `BackendNotInitialized`.
The `fips` feature selects AWS-LC for document cryptography. AWS-LC
initialization calls `try_fips_mode()`; when TLS is enabled, `tls-aws-lc` is
the only permitted TLS provider and must independently report active FIPS mode.
Stable AWS-LC APIs require RSA public keys of at least 2048 bits. They also do
not expose non-default RSA-PSS salt lengths. Those salt declarations are
reported as `UnsupportedAlgorithm` when the verifier is constructed, before
signature verification uses the key.
Both providers accept the same ECDSA signature encodings on verification:
transport keys with them, reporting the key size. The RustCrypto provider
uses them only with the `legacy` feature, for interoperability with
historical signatures and encrypted documents; AWS-LC never does, and FIPS
builds refuse them already at import.
In a `fips` build:
- PBKDF2 requires a salt of at least 16 bytes, at least 1000 iterations, and a
password of at least 14 bytes (SP 800-132, as enforced by AWS-LC's approval
indicator).
- PBKDF2, HKDF and ConcatKDF run inside the AWS-LC module. SHA-224 PBKDF2 and
HKDF have no module implementation and are not approved.
- AES-128/256-GCM encryption uses a nonce generated inside the module.
AES-192-GCM encryption has no such construction in AWS-LC and is not
approved; AES-192-GCM decryption remains available.
FIPS capability reporting excludes unavailable or unapproved operations.
Building with the `fips` feature does not certify the consuming binary or its
deployment. AWS-LC FIPS builds additionally need the native toolchain required
by aws-lc-rs.
## Key migration
Provider-specific public key enums are replaced by the cloneable,
`Arc`-backed `SoftwareKey`. Import PKCS#8 private keys, SPKI public keys, raw
symmetric bytes, X25519 components, neutral finite-field DH parameters,
post-quantum DER, or aggregate raw composite ML-DSA keys through explicit
constructors. Use `algorithm()`, `has_private_key()`, and `public_component()`
for metadata; private export is explicit and returns a zeroizing buffer.
`Debug` never prints secret material.
Digest one-shot and streaming construction are fallible in 0.5 because
initialization or provider capability checks can fail.