secure_gate/traits/reveal_secret.rs
1//! Traits for controlled, polymorphic secret revelation.
2//!
3//! > **Import path:** `use secure_gate::RevealSecret;`
4//!
5//! This module defines the core `RevealSecret` trait. See
6//! [`revealed_secrets`](crate::traits::revealed_secrets) for the owned wrapper types
7//! [`InnerSecret<T>`](crate::InnerSecret) and [`EncodedSecret`](crate::EncodedSecret).
8//!
9//! The design ensures:
10//! - No implicit borrowing (`Deref`, `AsRef`, etc.) from the secret wrapper itself —
11//! the [`InnerSecret<T>`](crate::InnerSecret) returned by `into_inner` does deref,
12//! because extraction hands ownership to the caller
13//! - Scoped access is preferred (minimizes lifetime of exposed references)
14//! - Direct exposure is possible but clearly marked as an escape hatch
15//! - Owned consumption is available for FFI hand-off and type migration
16//! - Length metadata (`len`, `is_empty` via [`SecretLen`]) is available without
17//! exposing contents — though length itself can be sensitive; see [`SecretLen`]
18//!
19//! # Three-Tier Access Model
20//!
21//! All secret access follows an explicit hierarchy. Prefer tiers earlier in the list:
22//!
23//! | Tier | Method | When to use |
24//! |------|--------|-------------|
25//! | 1 — Scoped borrow (preferred) | `with_secret` / `with_secret_mut` | Almost all application code |
26//! | 2 — Direct reference (escape hatch) | `expose_secret` / `expose_secret_mut` | FFI, third-party APIs requiring `&T` |
27//! | 3 — Owned consumption | `into_inner` | FFI hand-off, type migration, APIs requiring `T` by value |
28//!
29//! **Audit note:** `into_inner` does not appear in an `expose_secret*` grep sweep —
30//! audit it separately. See the [`revealed_secrets`](crate::traits::revealed_secrets) module
31//! and SECURITY.md for the full list of auditable access surfaces.
32//!
33//! # Key Traits
34//!
35//! | Trait | Access | Preferred Method | Escape Hatch | Metadata | Feature |
36//! |------------------------|------------|---------------------------|--------------------------|-------------------|-------------|
37//! | [`RevealSecret`] | Read-only | `with_secret` (scoped) | `expose_secret` | — (see [`SecretLen`]) | Always |
38//! | [`crate::RevealSecretMut`] | Mutable | `with_secret_mut` (scoped)| `expose_secret_mut` | Inherits above | Always |
39//!
40//! # Security Model
41//!
42//! - **Core wrappers** (`Fixed<T>`, `Dynamic<T>`) implement both traits → full access.
43//! - **Read-only wrappers** (encoding wrappers, random types) implement only `RevealSecret` → mutation prevented.
44//! - **Zero-cost** — all methods are `#[inline(always)]` where possible.
45//! - **Scoped access preferred** — `with_secret` / `with_secret_mut` limit borrow lifetime, reducing leak risk.
46//! - **Direct exposure** (`expose_secret` / `expose_secret_mut`) is provided for legitimate needs (FFI, third-party APIs), but marked as an escape hatch.
47//! - **Owned consumption** (`into_inner`) is available when the secret must be moved out of the wrapper.
48//! Zeroization transfers to the returned [`crate::InnerSecret<T>`] — the caller must let it drop normally.
49//!
50//! # Note for `RevealSecret` Implementors
51//!
52//! Adding `into_inner` to this trait means every `RevealSecret` implementor must provide
53//! an owned-extraction implementation. For wrappers intentionally limited to borrowing
54//! semantics, implement `into_inner` with `unimplemented!()` or a compile-time guard, and
55//! document the design rationale clearly.
56//!
57//! # Usage Guidelines
58//!
59//! The preferred and recommended way to access secrets is the scoped `with_secret` /
60//! `with_secret_mut` methods. `expose_secret` / `expose_secret_mut` are escape hatches
61//! for rare cases and should be audited closely. `into_inner` is reserved for the uncommon
62//! case where ownership of the inner value is required.
63//!
64//! - **Always prefer scoped methods** (`with_secret`, `with_secret_mut`) in application code.
65//! - Use direct exposure only when necessary (e.g., passing raw pointer + length to C FFI).
66//! - Audit every `expose_secret*` call — they should be rare and well-justified.
67//! - Audit every `into_inner` call — it transfers ownership out of the wrapper's protection.
68//!
69//! # Examples
70//!
71//! Scoped (recommended):
72//!
73//! ```rust
74//! use secure_gate::{Fixed, RevealSecret};
75//!
76//! let secret = Fixed::new([42u8; 4]);
77//! let sum: u32 = secret.with_secret(|bytes| bytes.iter().map(|&b| b as u32).sum());
78//! assert_eq!(sum, 42 * 4);
79//! ```
80//!
81//! Direct (escape hatch – use with caution):
82//!
83//! ```rust
84//! use secure_gate::{Fixed, RevealSecret};
85//!
86//! let secret = Fixed::new([42u8; 4]);
87//!
88//! // Example: FFI call needing raw pointer + length
89//! // unsafe {
90//! // c_function(secret.expose_secret().as_ptr(), secret.len());
91//! // }
92//! ```
93//!
94//! Mutable scoped:
95//!
96//! ```rust
97//! use secure_gate::{Fixed, RevealSecret, RevealSecretMut};
98//!
99//! let mut secret = Fixed::new([0u8; 4]);
100//! secret.with_secret_mut(|bytes| bytes[0] = 99);
101//! assert_eq!(secret.expose_secret()[0], 99);
102//! ```
103//!
104//! Owned consumption (into_inner):
105//!
106//! ```rust
107//! use secure_gate::{Fixed, RevealSecret};
108//!
109//! let key = Fixed::new([0xABu8; 16]);
110//! // Consumes `key`; zeroization transfers to the returned InnerSecret<[u8; 16]>.
111//! let owned: secure_gate::InnerSecret<[u8; 16]> = key.into_inner();
112//! assert_eq!(*owned, [0xABu8; 16]);
113//! assert_eq!(format!("{:?}", owned), "[REDACTED]");
114//! // `owned` zeroizes its bytes when it drops.
115//! ```
116//!
117//! Polymorphic generic code:
118//!
119//! ```rust
120//! use secure_gate::SecretLen;
121//!
122//! fn print_length<S: SecretLen>(secret: &S) {
123//! println!("Length: {} bytes", secret.len());
124//! }
125//! ```
126//!
127//! These traits are the foundation of secure-gate's security model: all secret access is
128//! explicit, auditable, and controlled. Prefer scoped methods in nearly all cases.
129//!
130//! # Implementation Notes
131//!
132//! Long-lived `expose_secret()` references can defeat scoping — the borrow outlives the
133//! call site and the compiler cannot enforce that the secret is not retained. This is an
134//! intentional escape hatch for FFI and legacy APIs; audit every call site.
135
136/// Read-only access to a wrapped secret.
137///
138/// Implemented for **all** [`Fixed<T>`](crate::Fixed) and [`Dynamic<T>`](crate::Dynamic),
139/// whatever the inner type — length metadata lives in the narrower [`SecretLen`].
140/// Prefer the scoped [`with_secret`](Self::with_secret) method; use
141/// [`expose_secret`](Self::expose_secret) only when a long-lived reference is
142/// unavoidable. See [`RevealSecretMut`](crate::RevealSecretMut) for the mutable
143/// counterpart.
144pub trait RevealSecret {
145 /// The inner secret type being revealed.
146 ///
147 /// This can be a sized type (e.g. `[u8; N]`, `u32`) or unsized (e.g. `str`, `[u8]`).
148 type Inner: ?Sized;
149
150 /// Provides scoped (recommended) read-only access to the secret.
151 ///
152 /// The closure receives a reference that cannot escape — the borrow ends when
153 /// the closure returns, minimizing the lifetime of the exposed secret.
154 /// Prefer this over [`expose_secret`](Self::expose_secret) in all application code.
155 ///
156 /// # Examples
157 ///
158 /// ```rust
159 /// use secure_gate::{Fixed, RevealSecret};
160 ///
161 /// let secret = Fixed::new([42u8; 4]);
162 /// let sum: u32 = secret.with_secret(|bytes| bytes.iter().map(|&b| b as u32).sum());
163 /// assert_eq!(sum, 42 * 4);
164 /// ```
165 fn with_secret<F, R>(&self, f: F) -> R
166 where
167 F: FnOnce(&Self::Inner) -> R;
168
169 /// Returns a direct (auditable) read-only reference to the secret.
170 ///
171 /// Long-lived `expose_secret()` references can defeat scoping — prefer
172 /// [`with_secret`](Self::with_secret) in application code. Use this only when
173 /// a long-lived reference is unavoidable (e.g. FFI, third-party APIs).
174 ///
175 /// # Examples
176 ///
177 /// ```rust
178 /// use secure_gate::{Fixed, RevealSecret};
179 ///
180 /// let secret = Fixed::new([42u8; 4]);
181 ///
182 /// // Auditable escape hatch — FFI use case:
183 /// // unsafe { c_fn(secret.expose_secret().as_ptr(), secret.len()); }
184 /// let _ = secret.expose_secret();
185 /// ```
186 fn expose_secret(&self) -> &Self::Inner;
187
188 /// Consumes the wrapper and returns the inner value wrapped in [`InnerSecret`],
189 /// preserving automatic zeroization on drop.
190 ///
191 /// This is the safe, idiomatic path when ownership of the secret is required — for
192 /// example, to hand the value to an API that takes `T` by value, to move between
193 /// wrapper types, or at FFI boundaries where the callee takes ownership.
194 ///
195 /// The zeroization contract transfers to the caller: when the returned
196 /// `InnerSecret<Self::Inner>` drops, it calls `Self::Inner::zeroize()` automatically,
197 /// exactly as the wrapper's own `Drop` impl would have.
198 ///
199 /// # Availability
200 ///
201 /// Only callable when `Self::Inner: Sized + SentinelValue + Zeroize`. The
202 /// [`SentinelValue`](crate::SentinelValue) bound is required to construct the inert
203 /// placeholder that the wrapper's `Drop` impl runs on after the real secret is moved
204 /// out. (A plain `Default` bound is deliberately **not** used: the standard library
205 /// only implements `Default` for arrays up to 32 elements, which would make
206 /// `into_inner` unusable for `[u8; 64]` and other common key sizes.) The `Zeroize`
207 /// bound is required so the returned `InnerSecret<T>` can call `zeroize()` on drop.
208 /// For custom inner types that intentionally omit `SentinelValue` (e.g. key types
209 /// where no safe placeholder value exists), `into_inner` is not callable — use
210 /// `with_secret` or `expose_secret` instead.
211 ///
212 /// The three concrete implementations in this crate all satisfy the bounds:
213 /// - `Fixed<[u8; N]>` — `[u8; N]: SentinelValue + Zeroize` for **any** `N` ✓
214 /// - `Dynamic<String>` — `String: SentinelValue + Zeroize` ✓
215 /// - `Dynamic<Vec<T>>` — `Vec<T>: SentinelValue + Zeroize` ✓
216 ///
217 /// # Debug Behavior
218 ///
219 /// The returned [`crate::InnerSecret<T>`] always redacts `Debug` as `[REDACTED]`, preserving
220 /// the wrapper-level redaction invariant after ownership transfer.
221 ///
222 /// # Allocation Behavior
223 ///
224 /// `Fixed::into_inner` is zero-cost (no allocation). The `Dynamic::into_inner`
225 /// impls allocate one small `Box<T>` sentinel (24 bytes on 64-bit) before swapping
226 /// out the real secret; if that allocation panics (OOM), the original `inner` is
227 /// untouched and `Dynamic::drop` zeroizes the secret during unwind. Confidentiality
228 /// is preserved on the panic path. See the per-impl docs on
229 /// [`Dynamic`](crate::Dynamic) for the exact pattern.
230 ///
231 /// # Examples
232 ///
233 /// ```rust
234 /// use secure_gate::{Fixed, RevealSecret};
235 ///
236 /// let key = Fixed::new([0xABu8; 16]);
237 /// let owned: secure_gate::InnerSecret<[u8; 16]> = key.into_inner();
238 /// // `owned` zeroizes its 16 bytes when it drops — same guarantee as Fixed<[u8; 16]>.
239 /// assert_eq!(*owned, [0xABu8; 16]);
240 /// assert_eq!(format!("{:?}", owned), "[REDACTED]");
241 /// ```
242 ///
243 /// ```rust
244 /// # #[cfg(feature = "alloc")]
245 /// # {
246 /// use secure_gate::{Dynamic, RevealSecret};
247 ///
248 /// let pw = Dynamic::<String>::new("hunter2".to_string());
249 /// let owned: secure_gate::InnerSecret<String> = pw.into_inner();
250 /// assert_eq!(*owned, "hunter2");
251 /// // `owned` zeroizes its heap buffer when it drops.
252 /// # }
253 /// ```
254 fn into_inner(self) -> crate::InnerSecret<Self::Inner>
255 where
256 Self: Sized,
257 Self::Inner: Sized + crate::SentinelValue + zeroize::Zeroize;
258}
259
260/// Length metadata for secrets whose inner type has a meaningful length.
261///
262/// Separated from [`RevealSecret`] so the core access trait can be implemented
263/// for **every** inner type — including local user-defined ones (see the
264/// [`CloneableSecret`](crate::CloneableSecret) newtype pattern), which have no
265/// meaningful `len()`. Implemented for `Fixed<[T; N]>`, `Dynamic<String>`, and
266/// `Dynamic<Vec<T>>`.
267///
268/// # Security
269///
270/// These methods do not expose secret **contents** — but that is not the same
271/// as length being harmless, and the distinction matters:
272///
273/// - For `Fixed<[u8; N]>`, `len()` is `N`: a compile-time constant already
274/// visible in the type. Nothing is revealed.
275/// - For variable-length secrets (`Dynamic<String>`, `Dynamic<Vec<u8>>`),
276/// length **can be sensitive**. A password's length narrows a brute-force
277/// search; a token's length can fingerprint its issuer. Treat it as metadata
278/// *about* a secret, not as public data: validate against it (minimum-length
279/// checks, buffer sizing) but never log it, put it in an error message that
280/// leaves the process, or persist it next to an identifier.
281///
282/// This trait is deliberately separate from [`RevealSecret`] so that measuring
283/// a secret is a visible choice. `use secure_gate::SecretLen;` is an audit
284/// marker — `grep SecretLen` finds every module that measures secrets — and
285/// generic code bounded only on `RevealSecret` cannot call `len()`. The other
286/// route, `with_secret(|s| s.len())`, needs no trait but surfaces in the
287/// `with_secret` audit sweep instead. Neither is prevented; both are greppable.
288/// This is accident-prevention, not a barrier.
289///
290/// Constant-time comparison is **not** length-hiding: `ConstantTimeEq` on
291/// variable-length secrets delegates to `subtle`, whose slice comparison
292/// short-circuits when lengths differ, so length *inequality* is observable
293/// through timing whether or not `len()` is ever called. Lengths are usually
294/// public in the protocols where that matters; for password verification, be
295/// aware of it.
296///
297/// # Examples
298///
299/// ```rust
300/// use secure_gate::{Fixed, SecretLen};
301///
302/// let key = Fixed::new([0u8; 32]);
303/// assert_eq!(key.len(), 32);
304/// assert_eq!(key.byte_len(), 32);
305/// assert!(!key.is_empty());
306/// ```
307pub trait SecretLen: RevealSecret {
308 /// Returns the number of elements in the secret, matching the underlying
309 /// container's `len()` — element count for `Vec<T>` and `[T; N]`, byte
310 /// count for `String` (where the element is a byte).
311 fn len(&self) -> usize;
312
313 /// Returns the total size of the secret in bytes.
314 ///
315 /// For single-byte element types (`Vec<u8>`, `String`, `[u8; N]`) this
316 /// equals `len()`. Implementations for multi-byte element types override
317 /// this to return `len() * core::mem::size_of::<T>()`.
318 #[inline(always)]
319 fn byte_len(&self) -> usize {
320 self.len()
321 }
322
323 /// Returns `true` if the secret is empty.
324 #[inline(always)]
325 fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
326 self.len() == 0
327 }
328}