a scuttlebutt (secret-stack) plugin which adds envelope encryption capabilities
npm install ssb-tribesA scuttlebutt plugin for managing encrypted groups.
Implements the private group spec which uses the envelope spec.
This is the successor to ssb-private1.
``js
const SecretStack = require('secret-stack')
const config = require('ssb-config')
const caps = require('ssb-caps')
const stack = SecretStack({ caps })
.use(require('ssb-db2/core'))
.use(require('ssb-classic'))
.use(require('ssb-db2/compat'))
.use(require('ssb-db2/compat/feedstate'))
.use(require('ssb-box2'))
.use(...)
const ssb = stack({
...config,
box2: {
...config.box2,
legacyMode: true
}
})
`
`js
ssb.tribes.create({}, (err, info) => {
const { groupId } = info
const content = {
type: 'post',
test: 'kia ora, e te whānau',
recps: [groupId] // <<< you can now put a groupId in the recps
}
ssb.tribes.publish(content, (err, msg) => {
// tada msg is encrypted to group!
const cookie = '@YXkE3TikkY4GFMX3lzXUllRkNTbj5E+604AkaO1xbz8=.ed25519'
const staltz = '@QlCTpvY7p9ty2yOFrv1WU1AE88aoQc4Y7wYal7PFc+w=.ed25519'
ssb.tribes.invite(groupId, [cookie, staltz], {}, (err, invite) => {
// two friends have been sent an invite which includes the decryption key for the group
// they can now read the message I just published, and publish their own messages to the group
})
})
})
`
This plugin provides functions for creating groups and administering things about them, but it also provides a bunch of "automatic" behviour.
1. When you publish a message with recps using ssb.tribes.publish it will auto-encrypt the content when:
- there are 1-16 FeedIds (direct mesaaging)
- there is 1 GroupId (private group messaging)
- there is 1 GroupId followed by 1-15 FeedId
- NOTE this is currently only recommended for group invite messages as it's easy to leak group info
2. When you receive an encrypted message with suffix .box2 it will attempt to auto-decrypt the content:
- on success this value will then be accessible in all database queries/ indexes
- if it fails because it didn't have the key, the message gets passed to the next auto-decrypter to attempt
- if it fails because something is clearly horribly wrong in the encyprtion and it should have worked, it throws an error (check this)
3. When you receive an invite to a new group, you will auto-decrypt all messages
- we re-index your whole database, which will reveal new messages you can decrypt
- in the future we will only re-index messages you previously could not decrypt
- keys for groups are stored in a off-chain key-store
4. If you've been given the readKey for a particular message, you can use that
- e.g. ssb.get({ id, private: true, key: readKey }, cb)
NOTES:
- Work on this project was resourced by Āhau. The name "tribes" was suggested by that project, and the API mostly reflects that. Some internal variables also use "group", as this is following the _private group spec_. You can read tribe/ group interchangeably.
- Each tribe has a (a unique identifier) which can be mapped to that tribe's (a shared encryption key). The is related to the initialisation message for the tribe, but is safe to share (leaks no info about who started the group). The reason we can't use the "public" part of the as an id (like ) is that there isn't a public part - it's a symmetric key!
- is synonymous with the public key of a particular device (@...sha256). The private group spec details how we map this to a shared key between you (the author) and that recipient.
A Secret-Stack server running the plugins:
- ssb-db2/core >= 7.1.1ssb-classic
- ssb-tribes
- ssb-db2/compat
- ssb-db2/compat/feedstate
- ssb-box2
- >= 7.4.0ssb-replicate
- - (optional) used to auto-replicate people who you're in groups with
The secret stack option config.box2.legacyMode also needs to be true.
A wrapper around ssb.db.create that makes sure you have correct tangles (if relevant) in your message. Mutates content. You need to put recipients in content.recps.
Mint a new private group.
where:
- opts Objectopts.addPOBox
- Boolean attaches a P.O. Box to the group and publish the keys into the groupfalse
- default: cb
- Function is a callback with signature cb(err, data) where data is an Object with properties:groupId
- String - a cipherlink that's safe to use publicly to name the group, and is used in recps to trigger enveloping messages to that groupgroupKey
- Buffer - the symmetric key used for encryption by the groupgroupInitMsg
- Object - a copy of the (enveloped) message used to initialise the group
_This method calls group.add and group.addAuthors for you (adding you)_
Adds an author to a group you belong to.
This publishes a message that both this new author AND the group can see, and contains the info
needed to get the new person started (the groupKey and root).
where:
- groupId String - is a cloaked id for a group you're a part of[authorId]
- Array - is a collection of the feed ids of authors you're going to inviteopts
- NOTE: you are limited to inviting at most 15 authors per call of this method
- Object - is of form { text } which allows you to (optionally) post some welcoming or intruducing message along with the invte.cb
- Function - is a callback with signature cb(err, invite)
_This method calls group.addAuthors for you (adding that person to the group register for you)_
Listens for when new authors are added to a tribe, and fires a given function
- fn Function - a function to call when a new author is added to the tribe. The function receives:groupId
- String - the id of the tribenewAuthors
- Array - array of new authors added to the tribe
Excludes an author from a group you belong to.
This publishes a message that both this new author AND the group can see.
NOTE :warning: this only politely asks the author to leave the group, we don't rotate keys (yet)
where:
- groupId String - is a cloaked id for a group you're a part of[authorId]
- Array - is a collection of the feed ids of authors you're going to excludecb
- Function - is a callback with signature cb(err, exclusion)
Returns a list of all known group IDs.
By default this excludes subgroups
Alternatively ssb.tribes.list({ subtribes: true }, cb) will give you all group IDs (including those of subtribes)
Returns group metadata for a given group:
- key - the decryption key for the groupscheme
- - the scheme the key is associated with (e.g. DM, group)root
- - the initial message which started the group
Lists all the authors (feedIds) who you know are part of the group with id groupId
A convenience method which:
- mints a group
- publishes a link in the parent group which advertises the existence of the subGrouppoBoxId
- mints a for that group so that the parent group member can send messages to the subGrouplink
- then creates a inside the existing group (linking group + subGroup)
where:
- groupId String - the id of the _parent_ group this subGroup will be linked toopts
- Objectopts.addPOBox
- Boolean attaches a P.O. Box to the group and publish the keys into the groupfalse
- default: opts.admin
- Booelan adds meta-data to the link flagging it as the admin subgroupcb
- Function is a callback with signature cb(err, data) where data is an Object with properties:groupId
- String - a cipherlink that's safe to use publicly to name the subGroup, and is used in recps to trigger enveloping messages to that groupgroupKey
- Buffer - the symmetric key used for encryption by the subGrouppoBoxId
- Buffer - the asymetric key used to encrypt messages sent from outside of the subGroupgroupInitMsg
- Object - a copy of the (enveloped) message used to initialise the subGroup
_This method calls ssb.tribes.create_
_alias of ssb.tribes.get_
---
These endpoints give you access to additional features, such as:
- registering groups:
- ssb.tribes.register(groupId, info, cb)ssb.tribes.link.create({ group, name }, cb)
- linking your feed to a group
- ssb.tribes.link.createSubGroupLink({ group, subGroup, admin }, cb)
- linking subGroups to a group
- ssb.tribes.findByFeedId(feedId, cb)
- finding groups/ subGroups
- ssb.tribes.findSubGroupLinks(groupId, cb)
- ssb.tribes.subtribe.findParentGroupLinks(subGroupId, cb)
- ssb.tribes.poBox.create(opts, cb)
- P.O. Box tools
- ssb.tribes.addPOBox(groupId, cb)
- ssb.tribes.poBox.get(groupId, cb)
- ssb.tribes.ownKeys.list(cb)
- self-DM keys
- : returns a list of self-DM keyinfo. Always a length of 1 (only a list for historical reasons). The keyinfo has the format { key: Buffer, scheme: String }.ssb.tribes.ownKeys.register(key)
- : sets the self-DM key (buffer).
- managing people applying to join to a group
- deprecated, please use ssb-tribes-registration
- for the old docs, see here
Registers a new group that you have learnt about.
_NOTE: mainly used internally_
where:
- groupId String - is a cloaked group id (see private-group-spec/group-id/README.md)info
- Object - contains data of form { key, scheme } where:key
- String - a 32 byte symmetric key for the group (as a base64 encoded string)scheme
- String (optional) - a description of the key management scheme this key is part ofcb
- [ Function - a callback with signature cb(err: Error, success: Boolean)
Creates a P.O. Box key-pair, which is like a one-way group messaging setup with a public and private curve25519 keypair.
- opts Object - currently unused but still requiredcb
- Function is a callback with signature cb(err, data) where data is an Object with properties:poBoxId
- String - a cipherlink that can be used in recps by anyone, to send messages only those with the secret key can openpublic
- Buffer - the public part of the keypairsecret
- Buffer - the secret part of the keypair
Creates a P.O. Box key-pair, and publishes a message announcing those to a group.
This will be heard by group members, allowing them to open messages sent to that P.O. Box
- groupId String - group to add P.O. Box tocb
- Function is a callback with signature cb(err, poBoxId)
Get the keypair that's attached to a group
- groupId String - group that has a P.O. Boxcb
- Function is a callback with signature cb(err, { poBoxId, key })
Creates a message of type link/feed-group which links your feedId to a valid group. (i.e. you can only create links between your feedId and profiles at the moment)
Arguments:
- group GroupId - the id of the private group you're creating a link with (linking your scuttlebutt feed with that group)name
- String (optional) - this adds your nickname for the groupcb
- Function - callback with signature (err, link) where link is the link message
Note:
- this link will be encrypted to the group you're linking to (i.e. link will have recps: [groupId])
Creates a message of tyoe link/group-subGroup which links a group to a subGroup
Arguments:
- group GroupId - the id of the parent private groupsubGroup
- GroupId - the id of the subGroup you're linking to groupadmin
- Boolean - when set to true, this flag is used to tell when a subgroup is the admin-only subgroup for the groupcb
- - Function - call with signature (err, link) where link is the link messagerecps: [group]
Note:
- this link will be encrypted to the parent group (i.e. link will have )
Find groups which have linked with a feedId (see ssb.tribes.link.create).
- feedId FeedId is a stringcb
- function is a callback with signature cb(err, data) where data is an Array of items of form:`
js`
{
groupId: GroupId,
recps: Recps, // an array of recipients who know about this link (should just be the group)
states: [
{
head: MsgId,
state: {
name: null|String
}
}
]
}
NOTE: the strange format with states is to leave easy support for multiple editors (of a link to a group) in the future
Find subGroups which have linked with a groupId (see ssb.tribes.link.createSubGroupLink).
- groupId GroupId is a string representing the groupId of the parent groupcb
- function is a callback with signature cb(err, data) where data is an Array of items of form:`
js`
[{
linkId: MsgId,
groupId: GroupId,
subGroupId: GroupId,
admin: Boolean,
recps: Recps, // an array of recipients who know about this link (should just be the group)
}]
Find subGroups which have linked with a groupId (see ssb.tribes.link.createSubGroupLink).
- subGroupId GroupId is a string representing the groupId of the subGroupcb
- function is a callback with signature cb(err, data) where data is an Array of items of form:`
js``
[{
linkId: MsgId,
groupId: GroupId, // the parent group
subGroupId: GroupId,
recps: Recps, // an array of recipients who know about this link (should just be the group)
}]
- [ ] add the latest known "sequence" at time of add-member, so we know if we need to reindex!