mediocregopher/dehub
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Projects Releases Wiki Activity

Re-organize and flesh-out documentation, including writing the tutorials

Browse Source 
---
type: change
description: Re-organize and flesh-out documentation, including writing the tutorials
fingerprint: AP5oeODaJO4eq84LRE3rlFgEVGyPa3OywpyftSgsrx13
credentials:
- type: pgp_signature
  pub_key_id: 95C46FA6A41148AC
  body: 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
  account: mediocregopher
This commit is contained in:
mediocregopher 2020-06-01 12:13:11 -06:00
parent a1579dcc96
commit a709a43696
7 changed files with 954 additions and 123 deletions
Show Stats Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

55
README.md
View File

@ -9,11 +9,12 @@ they do, and fine-grained control over which users can do what.
**Pull requests and issues** - Facilitation of discussion via comment commits, **Pull requests and issues** - Facilitation of discussion via comment commits,
and fine-grained (down to the file level) sign-off requirements. and fine-grained (down to the file level) sign-off requirements.
**Tags and releases**\* - Mark releases in the repo itself, and provide **Tags and releases** - Mark releases in the repo itself, and provide
immutable and verifiable git tags so there's never any funny business. immutable and verifiable git tags so there's never any funny business. (Not yet
implemented)
**Plugins**\*: Extend all aspects of dehub functionality via executables managed **Plugins**: Extend all aspects of dehub functionality via executables managed
in the repo itself (in the same style as git hooks). in the repo itself (in the same style as git hooks). (Not yet implemented)
## Key Concepts ## Key Concepts
@ -26,10 +27,10 @@ to the configuration of its parent in order to be considered _verifiable_. The
configuration file is committed to the repo like any other file would be, and so configuration file is committed to the repo like any other file would be, and so
is even able to define the access controls on itself. is even able to define the access controls on itself.
Second, the commit message of every dehub commit contains YAML encoded metadata, Second, the commit message of every dehub commit contains a YAML encoded
which allows dehub to extend git and provide multiple commit types, each with payload, which allows dehub to extend git and provide multiple commit types,
its own capabilities and restrictions. Some example dehub commit types are each with its own capabilities and restrictions. Some example dehub commit types
`change` commits, `comment` commits, and `credential` commits. are `change` commits, `comment` commits, and `credential` commits.
## Infrastructure (or lack thereof) ## Infrastructure (or lack thereof)
@ -40,17 +41,20 @@ infrastructure can be used to host any dehub project:
* The most barebones [git * The most barebones [git
daemon](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-on-the-Server-Git-Daemon) server daemon](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-on-the-Server-Git-Daemon) server
(with a simple pre-receive hook set up). (with a simple pre-receive hook set up).
* A remote SSH endpoint. * A remote SSH endpoint.
* A mailing list (aka the old school way). * A mailing list (aka the old school way).
* Network file syncing utilities such as dropbox, * Network file syncing utilities such as dropbox,
[syncthing](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing), or [syncthing](https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing), or
[NFS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_File_System). [NFS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_File_System).
* Existing git project hosts like GitHub, Bitbucket, or Keybase. * Existing git project hosts like GitHub, Bitbucket, or Keybase.
* Decentralized filesystems such as IPFS\*.
_\* Planned feature, but not yet implemented._ * Decentralized filesystems such as IPFS. (Not yet implemented)
# Getting Started ## Getting Started {#getting-started}
The dehub project itself can be found by cloning The dehub project itself can be found by cloning
`https://dehub.dev/src/dehub.git`. `https://dehub.dev/src/dehub.git`.
@ -58,7 +62,7 @@ The dehub project itself can be found by cloning
Installation of the dehub tool is currently done via the `go get` command: Installation of the dehub tool is currently done via the `go get` command:
``` ```
go get dehub.dev/src/dehub.git/cmd/dehub go get -u -v dehub.dev/src/dehub.git/cmd/dehub
``` ```
This will install the binary to your `$GOBIN` path, which you'll want to put in This will install the binary to your `$GOBIN` path, which you'll want to put in
@ -68,28 +72,33 @@ Once installed, running `dehub -h` should show you the help output of the
command. You can continue on to the tutorials if you're not sure where to go command. You can continue on to the tutorials if you're not sure where to go
from here. from here.
## Tutorials ### Tutorials {#tutorials}
The following tutorials will guide you through the basic usage of dehub. As The following tutorials will guide you through the basic usage of dehub. Note
dehub is still very much in development a high level of git and PGP profiency is that dehub is in the infancy of its development, and so a certain level of
still required in order to use dehub effectively. profiency with git and PGP is required in order to follow these tutorials.
TODO * [Tutorial 0: Say Hello!](/docs/tut0.html)
* [Tutorial 1: Create Your Own Project](/docs/tut1.html)
* [Tutorial 2: Access Controls](/docs/tut2.html)
* [Tutorial 3: Commit Sign-Off](/docs/tut3.html)
## Documentation ### Documentation
The [SPEC](/SPEC.html) is the best place to see every possible nitty-gritty The [SPEC](/docs/SPEC.html) is the best place to see every possible nitty-gritty
detail of how dehub works. It attempts to be both human-readable and exhaustive detail of how dehub works. It attempts to be both human-readable and exhaustive
in its coverage. in its coverage.
## Other links ### Other links
[ROADMAP](/ROADMAP.html) documents upcoming features and other work required on [ROADMAP](/docs/ROADMAP.html) documents upcoming features and other work
the project. If you're looking to contribute, this is a great place to start. required on the project. If you're looking to contribute, this is a great place
to start.
[dehub-remote](/cmd/dehub-remote/) is a simple docker image which can be used to [dehub-remote](/cmd/dehub-remote/) is a simple docker image which can be used to
host a remote dehub project over http(s). The endpoint will automatically verify host a remote dehub project over http(s). The endpoint will automatically verify
all pushed commits. all pushed commits. [Tutorial 4](#tutorials) provides a brief walkthrough on
using it.
[git-http-server](/cmd/git-http-server/) is a small server which makes a git [git-http-server](/cmd/git-http-server/) is a small server which makes a git
repo's file tree available via http. It will automatically render markdown files repo's file tree available via http. It will automatically render markdown files

1
ROADMAP.md → docs/ROADMAP.md
View File

@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ Must be able to feel good about showing the project publicly, as well as be able
to accept help from people asking to help. to accept help from people asking to help.
* Figure out commit range syntax, use that everywhere. * Figure out commit range syntax, use that everywhere.
* Tutorials
* Maybe move external host? * Maybe move external host?
## Milestone: IPFS support ## Milestone: IPFS support

209
SPEC.md → docs/SPEC.md
View File

@ -7,12 +7,14 @@ and in practical use of the git tool. All references to a git-specific concept
retain their meaning; dehub concepts build upon git concepts, but do not retain their meaning; dehub concepts build upon git concepts, but do not
override them. override them.
## dehub Project ## Project {#project}
A dehub project is comprised of: A dehub project is comprised of:
* A collection of files and directories. * A collection of files and directories.
* Meta actions related to those files, e.g. discussion, proposed changes, etc. * Meta actions related to those files, e.g. discussion, proposed changes, etc.
* Configuration defining which meta actions are allowed under which * Configuration defining which meta actions are allowed under which
circumstances. circumstances.
@ -20,11 +22,11 @@ All of these components are housed in a git repository. A dehub project does not
require a central repository location (a "remote"), though it may use one if require a central repository location (a "remote"), though it may use one if
desired. desired.
## Commit Payload ## Commit Payload {#payload}
All commits in a dehub project contain a payload. The payload is encoded into All commits in a dehub [project](#project) contain a payload. The payload is
the commit message as a YAML object. Here is the general structure of a commit encoded into the commit message as a YAML object. Here is the general structure
message containing a payload: of a commit message containing a payload:
``` ```
Human readable message head Human readable message head
@ -44,18 +46,18 @@ The message head is a human readable description of what is being committed, and
is terminated at the first newline. Everything after the message head must be is terminated at the first newline. Everything after the message head must be
valid YAML which encodes the payload. valid YAML which encodes the payload.
### Fingerprint ### Fingerprint {#fingerprint}
Each payload object contains a `fingerprint` field. The fingerprint is an opaque Each [payload](#payload) object contains a `fingerprint` field. The fingerprint
byte string encoded using standard base-64. The algorithm used to generate the is an opaque byte string encoded using standard base-64. The algorithm used to
fingerprint will depend on the payload type, and can be found in each type's generate the fingerprint will depend on the payload type, and can be found in
sub-section in this document. each type's sub-section in this document.
### Credential ### Credential {#credential}
The `credentials` field is not requires, but in practice will be found on almost The `credentials` field is not required, but in practice will be found on almost
every payload. The field's value will be an array of credential objects. Only every [payload](#payload). The field's value will be an array of credential
one credential object is currently supported, `pgp_signature`: objects. Only one credential object is currently supported, `pgp_signature`:
```yaml ```yaml
type: pgp_signature type: pgp_signature
@ -75,13 +77,13 @@ pub_key_id: XXX
body: std-base-64 signature body: std-base-64 signature
``` ```
### Payload Types ### Payload Types {#payload-types}
#### Change Payload #### Change Payload {#change-payload}
A change payload encompasses a set of changes to the files in the project. To A change [payload](#payload) encompasses a set of changes to the files in the
construct the change payload one must reference the file tree of the commit project. To construct the change payload one must reference the file tree of the
which houses the payload as well as the file tree of its parent commit; commit which houses the payload as well as the file tree of its parent commit;
specifically one must take the difference between them. specifically one must take the difference between them.
A change payload looks like this: A change payload looks like this:
@ -98,9 +100,10 @@ description: |-
made to the project's files. made to the project's files.
``` ```
##### Change Payload Fingerprint ##### Change Payload Fingerprint {#change-payload-fingerprint}
The unencoded fingerprint of a change payload is calculated as follows: The unencoded [fingerprint](#fingerprint) of a [change payload](#change-payload)
is calculated as follows:
* Concatenate the following: * Concatenate the following:
* A uvarint indicating the number of bytes in the description string. * A uvarint indicating the number of bytes in the description string.
@ -124,12 +127,12 @@ The unencoded fingerprint of a change payload is calculated as follows:
* Prepend a 0 byte to the result of the SHA-256 hash. * Prepend a 0 byte to the result of the SHA-256 hash.
This unencoded fingerprint is then standard base-64 encoded, and that is used as This unencoded fingerprint is then standard base-64 encoded, and that is used as
the value of the fingerprint field. the value of the `fingerprint` field.
#### Comment Payload #### Comment Payload {#comment-payload}
A comment payload encompasses no file changes, and is used only to contain a A comment [payload](#payload) encompasses no file changes, and is used only to
comment made by a single user. contain a comment made by a single user.
A comment payload looks like this: A comment payload looks like this:
@ -146,9 +149,10 @@ comment: |-
The message head of a comment payload will generally be a truncated form of the The message head of a comment payload will generally be a truncated form of the
comment itself. comment itself.
##### Comment Payload Fingerprint ##### Comment Payload Fingerprint {#comment-payload-fingerprint}
The unencoded fingerprint of a comment payload is calculated as follows: The unencoded [fingerprint](#fingerprint) of a [comment
payload](#comment-payload) is calculated as follows:
* Concatenate the following: * Concatenate the following:
* A uvarint indicating the number of bytes in the comment string. * A uvarint indicating the number of bytes in the comment string.
@ -157,13 +161,14 @@ The unencoded fingerprint of a comment payload is calculated as follows:
* Prepend a 0 byte to the result of the SHA-256 hash. * Prepend a 0 byte to the result of the SHA-256 hash.
This unencoded fingerprint is then standard base-64 encoded, and that is used as This unencoded fingerprint is then standard base-64 encoded, and that is used as
the value of the fingerprint field. the value of the `fingerprint` field.
#### Credential Payload #### Credential Payload
A credential payload contains only one or more credentials for an arbitrary A credential [payload](#payload) contains only one or more credentials for an
fingerprint. Credential payloads can be combined with other payloads of the same arbitrary [fingerprint](#fingerprint). Credential payloads can be combined with
fingerprint to create a new payload with many credentials. other payloads of the same fingerprint to create a new payload with many
credentials.
A credential payload looks like this: A credential payload looks like this:
@ -184,13 +189,13 @@ commits:
change_description: blah blah blah change_description: blah blah blah
``` ```
## Project Configuration ## Project Configuration {#project-configuration}
The `.dehub` directory contains all meta information related to the dehub The `.dehub` directory contains all meta information related to the dehub
project. All files within `.dehub` are tracked by the git repo like any other [project](#project). All files within `.dehub` are tracked by the git repo like
files in the project. any other files in the project.
### config.yml ### config.yml {#config-yml}
The `.dehub/config.yml` file contains a yaml encoded configuration object: The `.dehub/config.yml` file contains a yaml encoded configuration object:
@ -201,10 +206,10 @@ access_controls: [...]
Both fields are described in their own sub-section below. Both fields are described in their own sub-section below.
#### Account #### Account {#account}
An account defines a specific user of the project. Every account has an ID; no An account defines a specific user of a [project](#project). Every account has
two accounts within a project may share the same ID. an ID; no two accounts within a project may share the same ID.
An account looks like this: An account looks like this:
@ -213,11 +218,12 @@ id: some_string
signifiers: [...] signifiers: [...]
``` ```
##### Signifier ##### Signifier {#signifier}
A signifier is used to signify that an account has taken some action. The most A signifier is used to signify that an [account](#account) has taken some
common use-case is to prove that an account created a particular credential. An action. The most common use-case is to prove that an account created a
account may have more than one signifier. particular [credential](#credential). An account may have more than one
signifier.
Currently there is only one signifier type, `pgp_public_key`: Currently there is only one signifier type, `pgp_public_key`:
@ -235,11 +241,11 @@ type: pgp_public_key
body: inlined ASCII-armored pgp public key body: inlined ASCII-armored pgp public key
``` ```
#### Access Control #### Access Control {#access-control}
An access control allows or denies a particular commit from becoming a part of An access control allows or denies a particular commit from becoming a part of
the project. Each action control has an action (allow or deny) and a set of a [project](#project). Each access control has an action (allow or deny) and a
filters: set of filters (filters are described in the next section):
```yaml ```yaml
action: allow # or deny action: allow # or deny
@ -253,29 +259,31 @@ and its action is taken.
An access control with no filters matches all commits. An access control with no filters matches all commits.
##### Filters ##### Filter {#filter}
There are many kinds of access control filters. Any filter can be applied to a There are many kinds of [access control](#access-control) filters. Any filter
commit, with no other input, and produce a boolean value. All filters have a can be applied to a commit, with no other input, and produce a boolean value.
`type` field which indicates their type. All filters have a `type` field which indicates their type.
###### Signature Filter ###### Signature Filter {#signature-filter}
A filter of type `signature` asserts that a commit's payload contains signature A [filter](#filter) of type `signature` asserts that a commit's
credentials with certain properties. A signature filter must have one of these [payload](#payload) contains [signature credentials](#credential) with certain
fields, which define the set of users or accounts whose signatures are properties. A signature filter must have one of these fields, which define the
applicable. set of users or [accounts](#account) whose signatures are applicable.
* `account_ids: [...]` - an array of account IDs, each having been defined in
the accounts section of the [configuration](#config-yml).
* `account_ids: [...]` - an array of account IDs, each having been defined in the
accounts section of the configuration.
* `any_account: true` - matches any account defined in the accounts section of * `any_account: true` - matches any account defined in the accounts section of
the configuration. the configuration.
* `any: true` - matches any signature, whether or not its signifier has been * `any: true` - matches any signature, whether or not its signifier has been
defined in the configuration. defined in the configuration.
A `count` field may also be included. Its value may be a number or a string A `count` field may also be included. Its value may be an absolute number (e.g.
indicating a percent (e.g. `"50%"`). If not included it will be assumed to be `5`) or it may be a string indicating a percent (e.g. `"50%"`). If not included
`1`. it will be assumed to be `1`.
The count indicates how many accounts from the specified set must have a The count indicates how many accounts from the specified set must have a
signature included. If a percent is given then that will be multiplied against signature included. If a percent is given then that will be multiplied against
@ -308,11 +316,11 @@ type: signature
any: true any: true
``` ```
###### Branch Filter ###### Branch Filter {#branch-filter}
A filter of type `branch` matches the commit based on which branch in the repo A [filter](#filter) of type `branch` matches the commit based on which branch in
it is being or has been committed to. Matching is performed on the short name the repo it is being or has been committed to. Matching is performed on the
of the branch, using globstar pattern matching. short name of the branch, using globstar pattern matching.
A branch filter can have one or multiple patterns defined. The filter will match A branch filter can have one or multiple patterns defined. The filter will match
if at least one defined pattern matches the short form of the branch name. if at least one defined pattern matches the short form of the branch name.
@ -334,11 +342,12 @@ patterns:
- amy/** - amy/**
``` ```
###### Files Changed Filter ###### Files Changed Filter {#files-changed-filter}
A filter of type `files_changed` matches the commit based on which files were A [filter](#filter) of type `files_changed` matches the commit based on which
changed between the tree of the commit's parent and the commit's tree. Matching files were changed between the tree of the commit's parent and the commit's
is performed on the paths of the changed files, relative to the repo root. tree. Matching is performed on the paths of the changed files, relative to the
repo root.
A files changed filter can have one or multiple patterns defined. The filter A files changed filter can have one or multiple patterns defined. The filter
will match if any of the changed files matches at least one defined pattern. will match if any of the changed files matches at least one defined pattern.
@ -360,12 +369,12 @@ patterns:
- **.jpg - **.jpg
``` ```
###### Payload Type Filter ###### Payload Type Filter {#payload-type-filter}
A filter of type `payload_type` matches a commit based on the type of its A [filter](#filter) of type `payload_type` matches a commit based on the type of
payload. A payload type filter can have one or more types defined. The filter its [payload](#payload). A payload type filter can have one or more types
will match if the commit's payload type matches at least one of the defined defined. The filter will match if the commit's payload type matches at least one
types. of the defined types.
A payload type filter with only one matching type can be defined like this: A payload type filter with only one matching type can be defined like this:
@ -383,13 +392,13 @@ payload_types:
- change - change
``` ```
###### Commit Attributes Filter ###### Commit Attributes Filter {#commit-attributes-filter}
A filter of type `commit_attributes` matches a commit based on certain A [filter](#filter) of type `commit_attributes` matches a commit based on
attributes it has. A commit attributes filter may have one or more fields certain attributes it has. A commit attributes filter may have one or more
defined, each corresponding to a different attribute the commit may have. If fields defined, each corresponding to a different attribute the commit may have.
more than one field is defined then all corresponding attributes on the commit If more than one field is defined then all corresponding attributes on the
must match for the filter to match. commit must match for the filter to match.
Currently the only possible attribute is `non_fast_forward: true`, which matches Currently the only possible attribute is `non_fast_forward: true`, which matches
a commit which is not an ancestor of the HEAD of the branch it's being pushed a commit which is not an ancestor of the HEAD of the branch it's being pushed
@ -402,11 +411,11 @@ type: commit_attributes
non_fast_forward: true non_fast_forward: true
``` ```
###### Not Filter ###### Not Filter {#not-filter}
A filter of type `not` matches a commit using the negation of a sub-filter, A [filter](#filter) of type `not` matches a commit using the negation of a
defined within the not filter. If the sub-filter returns true for the commit, sub-filter, defined within the not filter. If the sub-filter returns true for
then the not filter returns false, and vice-versa. the commit, then the not filter returns false, and vice-versa.
A not filter looks like this: A not filter looks like this:
@ -418,10 +427,10 @@ filter:
pattern: main pattern: main
``` ```
##### Default Access Controls ##### Default Access Controls {#default-access-controls}
These access controls will be implicitly appended to the list defined in the These [access controls](#access-control) will be implicitly appended to the list
configuration: defined in the [configuration](#config-yml):
```yaml ```yaml
# Any account may add any commit to any non-main branch, provided there is at # Any account may add any commit to any non-main branch, provided there is at
@ -460,30 +469,32 @@ configuration:
``` ```
These default access controls provide a useful baseline of requirements that all These default access controls provide a useful baseline of requirements that all
projects will (hopefully) find useful in their infancy. [projects](#project) will (hopefully) find useful in their infancy.
## Commit Verification ## Commit Verification {#commit-verification}
The dehub protocol is designed such that every commit is "verifiable". A The dehub protocol is designed such that every commit is "verifiable". A
verifiable commit has the following properties: verifiable commit has the following properties:
* Its fingerprint is correctly formed. * Its [fingerprint](#fingerprint) is correctly formed.
* All of its credentials are correctly formed. * All of its [credentials](#credential) are correctly formed.
* If they are signatures, they are valid signatures of the commit's * If they are signatures, they are valid signatures of the commit's
unencoded fingerprint. unencoded fingerprint.
* The project's access controls allow the commit. * The project's [access controls](#access-control) allow the commit.
The project's configuration is referenced frequently when verifying a commit, The [project's configuration](#config-yml) is referenced frequently when
such as when determining which access controls to apply and discovering verifying a commit, such as when determining which access controls to apply and
signifiers of accounts. In all cases the configuration as defined in the discovering [signifiers](#signifier) of [accounts](#account). In all cases the
commit's _parent_ is used when verifying that commit. The exception is the prime configuration as defined in the commit's _parent_ is used when verifying that
commit, which uses its own configuration. commit. The exception is the [prime commit](#prime-commit), which uses its own
configuration.
### Prime Commit ### Prime Commit {#prime-commit}
The prime commit is the trusted seed of the project. When a user clones and The prime commit is the trusted seed of the [project](#project). When a user
verifies a dehub project they must, implicitly or explicitly, trust the contents clones and verifies a dehub project they must, implicitly or explicitly, trust
of the prime commit. All other commits must be ancestors of the prime commit. the contents of the prime commit. All other commits must be ancestors of the
prime commit.
Manually specifying a prime commit is not currently spec'd, but it will be. Manually specifying a prime commit is not currently spec'd, but it will be.

128
docs/tut0.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
# Tutorial 0: Say Hello!
This tutorial will guide you through cloning a dehub project locally, creating a
comment, and pushing that comment back up to the remote. The project in
question: dehub itself!
This tutorial assumes you have [dehub installed](/index.html#getting-started),
you have git and gpg installed, and you have a gpg key already created.
## Step 0: Clone the Project
Cloning the dehub project is as simple as cloning its git repo:
```
git clone https://dehub.dev/src/dehub.git
cd dehub
```
Once cloned, feel free to look around the project. You should initially find
yourself on the `main` branch, the primary branch of most dehub projects
(analogous to the `master` branch of most git repos).
Calling `git log` will show the commits messages for all commits in the branch.
You will notice the commit messages aren't formatted in the familiar way, for
example:
```
commit 351048e9aabef7dc0f99b00f02547e409859a33f
Author: mediocregopher <>
Date: Sat Apr 25 15:17:21 2020 -0600
Completely rewrite SPEC
---
type: change
description: |-
Completely rewrite SPEC
It's good this time, and complete. After this rewrite it will be necessary to
update a lot of the code, since quite a few things got renamed.
fingerprint: AG0s3yILU+0uIZltVY7A9/cgxr/pXk2MzGwExsY/hbIc
credentials:
- type: pgp_signature
pub_key_id: 95C46FA6A41148AC
body: BIG LONG STRING
account: mediocregopher
```
Instead of just being a human-readable description they are YAML encoded payload
objects. We will dive into these payload objects more throughout this tutorial
series.
## Step 1: Checkout the Welcome Branch
Next you're going to checkout the public welcome branch. This is done through a
normal git checkout command:
```
git checkout public/welcome
```
You can do `git log` to see all the comments people have been leaving in this
branch. The `public/welcome` branch is differentiated from the `main` branch in
two ways:
* It has been configured to allow comment commits from anonymous users to be
pushed to it. Project configuration is covered in a future tutorial.
* It has no code files tracked, its only purpose is for comments.
## Step 2: Create Your Comment
Now that you've poked around the welcome branch a bit, it's time to leave a
comment of your own! This is as easy as doing:
```
dehub commit --anon-pgp-key=KEY_NAME comment
```
(`KEY_NAME` should be replaced with any selector which will match your pgp key,
such as the key ID, the name on the key, or the email.)
Your default text editor (defined by the EDITOR environment variable) will pop
up and you can then write down your comment. When you save and close your editor
dehub will sign the comment with your pgp key and create a commit with it.
If you're having trouble thinking of something to say, here's some prompts to
get you going:
* Introduce yourself; say where you're from and what your interests are.
* How did you find dehub? Why is it interesting to you?
* If you're using dehub for a project, shill your project!
* If you'd like to get involved in dehub's development, let us know what your
skills are and how you can help. Remember, it takes more than expert
programmers to make a project successful.
Once you've created your commit you can call `git log` to verify that it's been
created to your liking. If there's anything about the comment you'd like to
change you can amend the commit like so:
```
dehub commit --anon-pgp-key=KEY_NAME comment --amend
```
## Step 3: Push Your Commit
As of now your comment commit only exists on your local machine. For everyone
else to see it you'll need to push it to the dehub server, exactly like with a
normal git commit. Pushing is done in the same way as a normal git commit as
well: `git push`.
If you receive an error that's like `Updates were rejected because the tip of
your current branch is behind` then someone else has pushed to the branch in
between the last time you pulled and now. Do a `git pull --rebase` to pull in
those new changes, and try pushing again.
## Step 4: Follow the Conversation
In order to see other people's responses to your comment, and all other parts of
the conversation, all you need to do is call `git pull` with the
`public/welcome` branch checked out.
You now have all the tools needed to participate in a dehub discussion thread!
Continue on to [Tutorial 1](tut1.html) to set up your own dehub project and
learn about credentials and their verification.

178
docs/tut1.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
# Tutorial 1: Create Your Own Project
This tutorial will guide you through starting a dehub project of your own, as
well as introducing some basic concepts regarding how commit payloads work. You
will use an example hello world project to do this.
This tutorial assumes you have already completed [Tutorial 0](tut0.html).
## Step 0: Init the Project
A dehub project is initialized in the same way as a git project. An empty
directory is created, and `dehub init` is run within that directory.
```
mkdir hello-world
cd hello-world
dehub init
```
`dehub init` does nearly exactly the same thing as `git init`, with the primary
difference being that it sets the initial branch to be `main` instead of
`master`. dehub makes a distinction between `main` and `master` in order to help
prevent confusion between dehub and vanilla git projects, as well as to avoid
conflicts when migrating vanilla git projects to dehub.
## Step 1: Add the First Account
A dehub project is not fully initialized until it has an account defined for it.
dehub accounts refer to a specific user who has some kind of access to the
project. Each account can have specific permissions for it, as well as multiple
ways of signifying itself.
For now, you'll add a basic account `tut` with a pgp key signifier. First,
create the `.dehub` directory, which is where all dehub project configuration
goes, and put your pgp key there:
```
mkdir .dehub
gpg -a --export KEY_ID > .dehub/tut.asc
```
Next you'll create the `.dehub/config.yml` file, which is where accounts are
actually defined (amongst many other things). The file should have the following
contents:
```yaml
# contents of .dehub/config.yml
---
accounts:
- id: tut
signifiers:
- type: pgp_public_key_file
path: ".dehub/tut.asc"
```
Finally, you'll commit these changes and the project will have its first commit!
Committing changes works very similarly to committing comments (as you did in
[Tutorial 0](tut0.html)). Where a comment commit merely carries a user's
comment, a change commit describes a set of changes to the tracked files in the
git repo.
```
git add --all
dehub commit --as tut change
```
Like when you made a comment commit this will pop up with your editor asking for
a description of the changes. Fill it in with something like `Initialize the
project` and save/close the editor. Depending on your pgp key settings you'll
likely be prompted for your pgp key password at this point. After that the
commit has been created!
## Step 2: Inspect the Payload
In this step you're going to look at the commit you just created and learn about
the contents of the payload. To view the commit do `git show`. Something similar
to the following should be output as the commit message:
```
commit 3cdcbc19546d4e6d817ebfba3e18afbc23283ec0
Author: username <>
Date: Sat Apr 25 15:17:21 2020 -0600
Initialize the project
---
type: change
description: Initialize the project
fingerprint: AG0s3yILU+0uIZltVY7A9/cgxr/pXk2MzGwExsY/hbIc
credentials:
- type: pgp_signature
pub_key_id: 95C46FA6A41148AC
body: BIG LONG STRING
account: tut
```
All commits in a dehub project will contain a similar looking message. The first
line (the head) is always a human readable description of the commit. In this
case our commit description itself, `Initialize the project`, was used.
After the head comes the payload, which is always a YAML encoded object. All
payloads have a `type` field indicating what type of payload they are. That type
will determine what other fields the payload is expected to have. The other
fields in this payload object are:
* `description`: This is the description which was input into the editor when
creating the change commit.
* `fingerprint`: A unique descriptor for this set of changes. It is computed
using both `description` and the files changed.
* `credentials`: A set of credentials for this commit, each one declaring
that this commit has been given approval by a user. This commit has one
`pgp_signature` credential, created by the `tut` account. The `body` is a
signature of the `fingerprint` created by the `tut`'s pgp key.
## Step 3: Create Another Commit
Now that the initial commit is created, and configuration has been added to the
dehub project, you can continue on to use the project for what it was intended
for: greeting the world!
Add a simple "hello world" script to the project by doing:
```
echo 'echo "hello world"' > hello.sh
git add hello.sh
dehub commit --as tut change --descr 'add hello.sh'
```
You'll notice that this time around you used the `--descr` flag to declare the
change's description, rather than opening up the editor
Once again you can inspect the payload you just created using `git show`, if
you'd like, or continue on to the next step to learn about commit verification.
## Step 4: Verify Your Commits
All this work to create YAML encoded payloads has been done for one primary
purpose: to make commits verifiable. A verifiable commit is one which follows
the access controls defined by its parent.
Your dehub project doesn't have any explicitly defined access controls (that
will be covered in a future tutorial), and so the defaults are used. By default,
dehub requires that all commits in `main` are change commits which have been
signed by at least one account.
In order to verify the HEAD commit you can do:
```
dehub verify
```
This command looks at the project configuration defined in the parent of HEAD
and verifies that HEAD conforms to it. The HEAD of your project is a change
commit signed by the account `tut`, and so should be verifiable.
Arbitrary commits can be verified using the `--rev` flag. This command will
verify the parent of HEAD, i.e. the initial commit:
```
dehub verify --rev HEAD^
```
The initial commit doesn't have a parent, and so is a special case for
verification. The initial commit uses the configuration defined within itself in
order to verify itself. This creates an exploit opportunity: if you clone a
remote dehub project and an attacker intercepts that request they will be able
to send you back a project with a different initial commit than what you
expected. The whole project will still be verifiable, even though it's been
compromised. For this reason it's important to manually verify that the initial
commit of projects you clone are configured correctly, using the expected
signifiers for the expected accounts.
You are now able to initialize a project, configure accounts within it, commit
changes to its files, and verify those commits. Well done! Continue on to
[Tutorial 2](tut2.html), where you will learn how to configure dehub's access
controls.

259
docs/tut2.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,259 @@
# Tutorial 2: Access Controls
Access controls, in the context of a dehub project, refer to configuration
defining who is allowed to do what. These controls are defined within the dehub
project itself, within the `.dehub/config.yml` file. This tutorial will guide
you through the basics of how access controls work, how to define them, and some
examples of what can be done with them.
This tutorial assumes you have already completed [Tutorial 1](tut1.html), and
builds on top of the project which was started there.
## Step 0: Create a Restricted Account
Inside the project you started in [Tutorial 1](tut1.html) you're going to add
another account to the project, called `tot`. Initially, `tot` will have all the
same permissions as `tut`, except being allowed to modify the project
configuration.
First, export your gpg key into the project for `tot` to use, the same key used
for `tut`:
```
gpg -a --export KEY_ID > .dehub/tot.asc
```
(For the purposes of a tutorial it's fine for two accounts to share a
key, but it's not something which generally makes sense to do.)
Now, modify the `.dehub/config.yml` to have the following contents:
```yaml
# contents of .dehub/config.yml
---
accounts:
- id: tut
signifiers:
- type: pgp_public_key_file
path: ".dehub/tut.asc"
- id: tot
signifiers:
- type: pgp_public_key_file
path: ".dehub/tot.asc"
access_controls:
- action: allow
filters:
- type: signature
account_ids:
- tut
- type: files_changed
pattern: .dehub/*
- action: deny
filters:
- type: files_changed
pattern: .dehub/*
```
The `accounts` section has been modified to add the `tot` account, but the
primary change here has been to add the `access_controls` section. The next
sub-sections will explain what exactly is being done here, but for now go ahead
and commit these changes:
```
git add --all
dehub commit --as tut change --descr 'add new restricted tot account'
```
### Access Controls
Each access control is an action/filters pair. For any commit being verified,
the access controls defined in its parent commit are iterated through, in order,
until one is found whose filters all match the commit being verified. The action
for that access control, either `allow` or `deny`, is then taken.
If no access controls are defined, or none match, then the default access
controls are used. These are explicitly defined in the [SPEC](SPEC.html), but
the general effect of them is to require that all commits have one signature
from any of the project's accounts.
### Access Control Filters
There are many different filter types, so only the ones used in the tutorial
will be explained. An exhaustive listing can be found in the [SPEC](SPEC.html).
The `signature` filter matches commits which have a signature credential created
by any one of the specified accounts. The `files_changed` filter matches commits
which have changed files whose paths match the specified patterns (relative to
the project's root).
### Putting it Together
The first of the new actions controls you've defined is:
```
- action: allow
filters:
- type: signature
account_ids:
- tut
- type: files_changed
pattern: .dehub/*
```
This allows any commits which have been signed by `tut` and which modify any of
the files in `.dehub/*`. The second access control is:
```
- action: deny
filters:
- type: files_changed
pattern: .dehub/*
```
This denies any commits which modify any of the files in `.dehub/*`. If a commit
does not match the first access control, but does match this second access
control, it can be assumed that the commit does _not_ have a signature from
`tut` (because that's the only difference between them). Therefore, the effect
of these two controls put together is to only allow `tut` to make changes to the
`.dehub` directory's files.
## Step 1: Test the Restrictions
Let's say that your new user `tot` is having a bit of rebellious phase, and
wants to kick `tut` out of the project. Change `.dehub/config.yml` to have the
following contents (note that `accounts` has been left the same and so is mostly
elided):
```
# abbreviated contents of .dehub/config.yml
---
accounts:
...
access_controls:
- action: deny
filters:
- type: signature
account_ids:
- tut
```
So edgy. Make the commit for `tot`, being sure that the value for the `--as`
flag indicates you're committing _as_ `tot`:
```
git add --all
dehub commit --as tot change --descr 'tut is a butt'
```
Somewhat unexpectedly, the commit has been created! You can see it by doing `git
show`. Is dehub broken?
The fact is that, regardless of whether or not the `dehub` tool allows one to
create this commit, `tut` can create this commit. The important thing is that
`tot` is able to notice that it's been created and do something about it. In a
real-world situation, both `tot` and `tut` would be using different computers,
and when `tot` (or anyone else) receives the commit from `tut` they will try to
verify it, fail to do so, and ignore it.
If you perform `dehub verify` you will be greeted with the following error:
```
exiting: blah blah blah: commit matched and denied by this access control:
action: deny
filters:
- type: files_changed
pattern: .dehub/*
```
Because the parent of this commit's config disallows this commit (via the given
access control) it is not verifiable. Go ahead and delete the commit by doing:
```
git reset --hard "$(git rev-list HEAD | tail -3 | head -n1)"
```
## Step 2: Different Restrictions
In light of `tot`'s recent actions it might be prudent to pull back their
permissions a bit. Go ahead and change the `.dehub/config.yml` to:
```
# abbreviated contents of .dehub/config.yml
---
accounts:
...
access_controls:
- action: allow
filters:
- type: signature
account_ids:
- tot
- type: branch
pattern: tot/*
- action: deny
filters:
- type: signature
account_ids:
- tot
```
and commit the change:
```
git add --all
dehub commit --as tut change --descr 'restrict tot to non-main branches'
```
After this, `tot` will still be able to interact with the project, but only
within branches whose names have the prefix `tot/`; the `main` branch remains
open to other accounts, such as `tut`, due to the default access controls.
### Check the New Restrictions
`tot` has decided to do something constructive and wants to make a shell script
which wraps the `echo` command. So helpful. Make a new branch for `tot` to use,
and create a commit on it:
```
git checkout -b tot/echo-script
echo 'echo "$@"' > echo.sh
git add echo.sh
dehub commit --as tot change --descr "added echo.sh script"
```
Check that the commit verifies (it should, since it's on a branch with the
prefix `tot/`):
```
dehub verify
```
Now, as a final sanity check, you'll cherry-pick the commit onto `main` and
ensure that it does _not_ verify there.
```
git checkout main
git cherry-pick tot/echo-script
```
Running `dehub verify` now should fail, even though the commit remains the same.
The only difference is the branch name; the commit is allowed in branches with
the prefix `tot/`, and disallowed otherwise.
Finally, reverse that cherry-pick to make main verifiable again:
```
git reset --hard "$(git rev-list HEAD | tail -4 | head -n1)"
```
You now have an understanding of how dehub's access controls work. Access
controls are extremely flexible and can be formulated to fit a wide-variety of
use-cases. In [Tutorial 3](tut3.html) we'll see how access controls can be
formulated to allow for commit sign-offs, where multiple accounts must accredit
a commit before it can be verified, and how such a commit can be created.

247
docs/tut3.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,247 @@
# Tutorial 3: Commit Sign-Off
Commit sign-off is a common pattern in vanilla git projects, where a commit must
be approved by one or more people (besides the commit author themselves) in
order to be allowed into the primary branch.
dehub is able to accomplish this same pattern using only the access controls
which have already been covered in this tutorial series and a command which has
not: `dehub combine`. This tutorial will guide you through using `dehub combine`
to facilitate commit sign-off.
This tutorial assumes you have already completed [Tutorial 2](tut2.html), and
builds on top of the project which was started there.
## Step 0: Loosen the Previous Restrictions
In the [previous tutorial](tut2.html) you took an existing project, added a new
user `tot` to it, and then restricted `tot` to only be allowed to make commits
in a certain subset of branches which excluded the `main` branch.
As seen in that tutorial, `tot` is not able to create commits for the `main`
branch _at all_. In this tutorial we're going to open `main` back up to `tot`,
but only with a very important caveat: `tot`'s commits must be approved by
someone else.
In the `hello-world` project which was used for previous tutorials, with the
`main` branch checked out, go ahead and modify `.dehub/config.yml` to have the
following contents:
```
# contents of .dehub/config.yml
---
accounts:
- id: tut
signifiers:
- type: pgp_public_key_file
path: ".dehub/tut.asc"
- id: tot
signifiers:
- type: pgp_public_key_file
path: ".dehub/tot.asc"
access_controls:
- action: allow
filters:
- type: signature
account_ids:
- tot
- type: branch
pattern: tot/*
- action: deny
filters:
- type: branch
pattern: main
- type: not
filter:
type: signature
any_account: true
count: 2
```
and commit the changes:
```
git add .dehub/config.yml
dehub commit --as tut change --descr 'require commit sign-offs in main'
```
The primary change was to replace the old access control denying `tot` the
ability to commit to anything (outside of `tot/*` branches) with this one:
```
- action: deny
filters:
- type: branch
pattern: main
- type: not
filter:
type: signature
any_account: true
count: 2
```
There are two new things here. The first is the new fields on the `signature`
filter: `any_account` replaces the `account_ids` field, and refers to any
account which is defined in the `accounts` section; `count` declares how many
accounts must have a signature on the commit for the filter to match (if not
specified it defaults to 1).
The second new thing is the `not` filter: `not` wraps any other filter, and
reverses whether or not it matches. In this case, it's wrapping our `signature`
filter, such that this access control will match only if the commit _does not_
have signature credentials from 2 different accounts.
The total effect of this access control is to deny any commits to `main` which
do not have signature credentials from 2 different accounts. In effect, commit
sign-off.
## Step 1: Some Changes to Merge
In the previous tutorial `tot` created a new script, `echo.sh`, in a new branch
called `tot/echo-script`. Check that branch out, rebase it on `main` (this will
help in later steps), and add another script to it:
```
git checkout tot/echo-script
git rebase main
echo 'echo "$@" | awk "{ print toupper(\$0) }"' > echo-upper.sh
git add echo-upper.sh
dehub commit --as tot change --descr 'echo-upper.sh'
```
Now the `tot/echo-script` branch contains two commits which aren't on `main`,
both of them signed by `tot`. What will happen next is that the branch's commits
will be combined into a single commit, be given accreditation by both `tut` and
`tot`, and added to the `main` branch.
## Step 2: Accreditation
First, `tot` will accredit both commits, and unify the two descriptions in the
process. To do this, you will create your first `credential` commit:
```
dehub commit --as tot credential --start HEAD^^ --descr 'add echo.sh and echo-upper.sh'
```
A `credential` commit, at its core, contains nothing except credentials for any
arbitrary fingerprint. To view the credential commit you just made
do: `git show`. You should see a commit message like:
```
Credential of AO3dn4Se61hq6OWy4Lm6m3MxdT2ru6TrIobuHaWJJidt
---
type: credential
commits:
- f085f13fa839ece122476601d970460ac249dc69 # these will be different
- 40a81ffb4f52dc4149570672f7f7fc053f12226a
change_description: add echo.sh and echo-upper.sh
fingerprint: AO3dn4Se61hq6OWy4Lm6m3MxdT2ru6TrIobuHaWJJidt
credentials:
- type: pgp_signature
pub_key_id: XXX
body: BIG LONG STRING
account: tot
```
You'll notice that the credential commit's fingerprint is different than either
of the two commits it accredits. This is the fingerprint is based on the
_combination_ of the two commits; it is based on the total of the file changes
and the description provided by the user. The two commits are enumerated in the
`commits` field of the payload, and the description provided by the user is
stored in the `change_description` field.
The combined commits have now been accredited by `tot`, but not `tut`, and so
they still lack a necessary credential. Have `tut` make a credential now:
```
dehub commit --as tut credential --rev HEAD
```
This form of the `credential` sub-command only accredits a single commit. When a
single commit is accredited and it itself is a credential commit then the new
commit which is created is merely a copy of the specified credential commit with
the caller's own credential appended to the `credentials` list. You can see this
with `git show`, which should look like:
```
Credential of AO3dn4Se61hq6OWy4Lm6m3MxdT2ru6TrIobuHaWJJidt
---
type: credential
commits:
- f085f13fa839ece122476601d970460ac249dc69 # these will be different
- 40a81ffb4f52dc4149570672f7f7fc053f12226a
change_description: add echo.sh and echo-upper.sh
fingerprint: AO3dn4Se61hq6OWy4Lm6m3MxdT2ru6TrIobuHaWJJidt
credentials:
- type: pgp_signature
pub_key_id: XXX
body: BIG LONG STRING
account: tot
- type: pgp_signature
pub_key_id: XXX
body: BIG LONG STRING
account: tut
```
There is now enough credentials to combine both commits in the `tot/echo-script`
branch into a single commit on the `main` branch.
## Step 3: Combination
At this point the `tot/echo-script` branch has the following elements in place:
* Two change commits, which we want to combine and bring over to `main`.
* A credential commit made by `tot` for the combined changes.
* A credential commit made by `tut` for the combined changes, which includes
`tot`'s credentials.
Combining the commits and placing them on `main` is done with a single command:
```
dehub combine --start HEAD^^^^ --end HEAD --onto main
```
This `combine` command combines all changes made within the given commit range,
the last change description found in that range (in this case it will be from
`tut`'s credential commit), and all credentials for that set of changes. The
command combines them into a single commit which it places on the `main` branch.
You can see the commit you've just created by doing:
```
git checkout main
git show
```
The commit should contain both of the new files, and the message should look
something like:
```
add echo.sh and echo-upper.sh
---
type: change
description: add echo.sh and echo-upper.sh
fingerprint: ALOcEuKJkgIdz27z0fjF1NEbK6Y9cEh2RH4/sL3uf3oa
credentials:
- type: pgp_signature
pub_key_id: XXX
body: BIG LONG BODY
account: tot
- type: pgp_signature
pub_key_id: XXX
body: BIG LONG BODY
account: tut
```
The commit is accredited by two different accounts, and so is allowed to be on
the `main` branch. This can be verified by doing `dehub verify`.
You now are able to require commit sign-off and create signed-off commits! The
access control settings surrounding commit sign-offs are entirely up to you and
your project's needs. You can require sign-off from specific accounts, any
accounts, only on specific files, only in certain branches, etc... all using the
same basic access control building blocks.