Module traits 

Core traits for wrapper polymorphism - always available. Traits for polymorphic secret handling.

Note: All traits in this module are re-exported at the crate root (secure_gate::RevealSecret, not secure_gate::traits::RevealSecret). You should never need to import from secure_gate::traits::* directly.

This module defines the core traits that enable generic, zero-cost, and secure operations across different secret wrapper types (Fixed<T>, Dynamic<T>, etc.). These traits allow writing polymorphic code that preserves strong security invariants: explicit access, controlled mutability, timing safety, and opt-in risk features.

Core Traits

Trait	Purpose	Requires Feature	Notes
RevealSecret	Read-only scoped / direct access + metadata	Always available	Preferred: with_secret (scoped); escape hatch: expose_secret
RevealSecretMut	Mutable scoped / direct access	Always available	Same preference: with_secret_mut over expose_secret_mut
ConstantTimeEq	Deterministic constant-time equality	ct-eq	Timing-attack resistant byte comparison
CloneableSecret	Opt-in marker for safe cloning	cloneable	Requires explicit impl on inner type; zeroize preserved. See SECURITY.md for opt-in risk details.
SerializableSecret	Opt-in marker for Serde serialization	serde-serialize	Serialization exposes secret — use with extreme caution. See SECURITY.md for opt-in risk details.
SecureEncoding	Marker + blanket impl for encoding traits	Any encoding-*	Enables ToHex, ToBase64Url, ToBech32, ToBech32m
SecureDecoding	Marker + blanket impl for decoding traits	Any encoding-*	Enables FromHexStr, FromBase64UrlStr, FromBech32Str, etc.

Security Guarantees

• No implicit access — All secret data access requires explicit trait methods
• Scoped preference — with_secret / with_secret_mut limit borrow lifetime
• Zero-cost — All methods use #[inline(always)] where possible
• Timing safety — ConstantTimeEq provides constant-time equality
• Opt-in risk — Cloning and serialization require deliberate marker impls
• Read-only enforcement — Encoding wrappers and random types only expose immutable access

Feature Gates

Some traits are only available when their corresponding Cargo features are enabled:

• ct-eq → ConstantTimeEq
• cloneable → CloneableSecret
• serde-serialize→ SerializableSecret
• encoding-* → SecureEncoding, SecureDecoding, and per-format traits

The encoding traits (ToHex, FromHexStr, etc.) are re-exported from submodules for convenience.

See individual trait docs for detailed usage and examples.

Re-exports

pub use revealed_secrets::InnerSecret;

pub use revealed_secrets::EncodedSecret;

pub use reveal_secret::RevealSecret;

pub use reveal_secret_mut::RevealSecretMut;

pub use constant_time_eq::ConstantTimeEq;

pub use decoding::FromBase64UrlStr;

pub use decoding::FromBech32Str;

pub use decoding::FromBech32mStr;

pub use decoding::FromHexStr;

pub use encoding::ToBase64Url;

pub use encoding::ToBech32;

pub use encoding::ToBech32m;

pub use encoding::ToHex;

pub use cloneable_secret::CloneableSecret;

pub use serializable_secret::SerializableSecret;

Modules

cloneable_secret

Opt-in marker trait for safe, explicit cloning of secrets.

constant_time_eq

Constant-time equality comparison for cryptographic secrets.

decoding

Decoding traits for explicit string-to-bytes conversion.

encoding

Encoding traits for explicit secret-to-string conversion.

reveal_secret

Traits for controlled, polymorphic secret revelation.

reveal_secret_mut

Traits for mutable secret revelation.

revealed_secrets

Owned wrapper types that complete the reveal model (Tier 3 owned consumption).

serializable_secret

Opt-in marker trait for safe, explicit Serde serialization of secrets.

Traits

SecureDecoding

Marker trait for types that support secure decoding operations.

SecureEncoding

Marker trait for types that support secure encoding operations.