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5aae442156 add links to metalink format (#7)
Reviewed-on: sneak/mfer#7
2026-02-09 02:15:58 +01:00
2 changed files with 132 additions and 3 deletions

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@ -42,8 +42,6 @@ requests](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/mfer/pulls) and pass CI to be merged.
Any changes submitted to this project must also be
[WTFPL-licensed](https://wtfpl.net) to be considered.
Ideally, contributions conform to @sneak's personal
[code styleguide](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/styleguide).
# Problem Statement
@ -209,6 +207,15 @@ regardless of filesystem format.
Please email [`sneak@sneak.berlin`](mailto:sneak@sneak.berlin) with your
desired username for an account on this Gitea instance.
# See Also
## Prior Art: Metalink
* [Metalink - Mozilla Wiki](https://wiki.mozilla.org/Metalink)
* [Metalink - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalink)
* [RFC 5854 - The Metalink Download Description Format](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc5854)
* [RFC 6249 - Metalink/HTTP: Mirrors and Hashes](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6249.html)
## Links
* Repo: [https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/mfer](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/mfer)
@ -220,4 +227,4 @@ desired username for an account on this Gitea instance.
# License
* [WTFPL](https://wtfpl.net)
* [WTFPL](https://wtfpl.net)

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TODO.md Normal file
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# TODO: mfer 1.0
## Design Questions
*sneak: please answer inline below each question. These are preserved for posterity.*
### Format Design
**1. Should `MFFileChecksum` be simplified?**
Currently it's a separate message wrapping a single `bytes multiHash` field. Since multihash already self-describes the algorithm, `repeated bytes hashes` directly on `MFFilePath` would be simpler and reduce per-file protobuf overhead. Is the extra message layer intentional (e.g. planning to add per-hash metadata like `verified_at`)?
> *answer:*
**2. Should file permissions/mode be stored?**
The format stores mtime/ctime but not Unix file permissions. For archival use (ExFAT, filesystem-independent checksums) this may not matter, but for software distribution or filesystem restoration it's a gap. Should we reserve a field now (e.g. `optional uint32 mode = 305`) even if we don't populate it yet?
> *answer:*
**3. Should `atime` be removed from the schema?**
Access time is volatile, non-deterministic, and often disabled (`noatime`). Including it means two manifests of the same directory at different times will differ, which conflicts with the determinism goal. Remove it, or document it as "never set by default"?
> *answer:*
**4. What are the path normalization rules?**
The proto has `string path` with no specification about: always forward-slash? Must be relative? No `..` components allowed? UTF-8 NFC vs NFD normalization (macOS vs Linux)? Max path length? This is a security issue (path traversal) and a cross-platform compatibility issue. What rules should the spec mandate?
> *answer:*
**5. Should we add a version byte after the magic?**
Currently `ZNAVSRFG` is followed immediately by protobuf. Adding a version byte (`ZNAVSRFG\x01`) would allow future framing changes without requiring protobuf parsing to detect the version. `MFFileOuter.Version` serves this purpose but requires successful deserialization to read. Worth the extra byte?
> *answer:*
**6. Should we add a length-prefix after the magic?**
Protobuf is not self-delimiting. If we ever want to concatenate manifests or append data after the protobuf, the current framing is insufficient. Add a varint or fixed-width length-prefix?
> *answer:*
### Signature Design
**7. What does the outer SHA-256 hash cover — compressed or uncompressed data?**
The review notes it currently hashes compressed data (good for verifying before decompression), but this should be explicitly documented. Which is the intended behavior?
> *answer:*
**8. Should `signatureString()` sign raw bytes instead of a hex-encoded string?**
Currently the canonical string is `MAGIC-UUID-MULTIHASH` with hex encoding, which adds a transformation layer. Signing the raw `sha256` bytes (or compressed `innerMessage` directly) would be simpler. Keep the string format or switch to raw bytes?
> *answer:*
**9. Should we support detached signature files (`.mf.sig`)?**
Embedded signatures are better for single-file distribution. Detached `.mf.sig` files follow the familiar `SHASUMS`/`SHASUMS.asc` pattern and are simpler for HTTP serving. Support both modes?
> *answer:*
**10. GPG vs pure-Go crypto for signatures?**
Shelling out to `gpg` is fragile (may not be installed, version-dependent output). `github.com/ProtonMail/go-crypto` provides pure-Go OpenPGP, or we could go Ed25519/signify (simpler, no key management). Which direction?
> *answer:*
### Implementation Design
**11. Should manifests be deterministic by default?**
This means: sort file entries by path, omit `createdAt` timestamp (or make it opt-in), no `atime`. Should determinism be the default, with a `--include-timestamps` flag to opt in?
> *answer:*
**12. Should we consolidate or keep both scanner/checker implementations?**
There are two parallel implementations: `mfer/scanner.go` + `mfer/checker.go` (typed with `FileSize`, `RelFilePath`) and `internal/scanner/` + `internal/checker/` (raw `int64`, `string`). The `mfer/` versions are superior. Delete the `internal/` versions?
> *answer:*
**13. Should the `manifest` type be exported?**
Currently unexported with exported constructors (`New`, `NewFromPaths`, etc.). Consumers can't declare `var m *mfer.manifest`. Export the type, or define an interface?
> *answer:*
**14. What should the Go module path be for 1.0?**
Currently mixed between `sneak.berlin/go/mfer` and `git.eeqj.de/sneak/mfer`. Which is canonical?
> *answer:*
---
## Implementation Plan
### Phase 1: Foundation (format correctness)
- [ ] Delete `internal/scanner/` and `internal/checker/` — consolidate on `mfer/` package versions; update CLI code
- [ ] Add deterministic file ordering — sort entries by path (lexicographic, byte-order) in `Builder.Build()`; add test asserting byte-identical output from two runs
- [ ] Add decompression size limit — `io.LimitReader` in `deserializeInner()` with `m.pbOuter.Size` as bound
- [ ] Fix `errors.Is` dead code in checker — replace with `os.IsNotExist(err)` or `errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist)`
- [ ] Fix `AddFile` to verify size — check `totalRead == size` after reading, return error on mismatch
- [ ] Specify path invariants — add proto comments (UTF-8, forward-slash, relative, no `..`, no leading `/`); validate in `Builder.AddFile` and `Builder.AddFileWithHash`
### Phase 2: CLI polish
- [ ] Fix flag naming — all CLI flags use kebab-case as primary (`--include-dotfiles`, `--follow-symlinks`)
- [ ] Fix URL construction in fetch — use `BaseURL.JoinPath()` or `url.JoinPath()` instead of string concatenation
- [ ] Add progress rate-limiting to Checker — throttle to once per second, matching Scanner
- [ ] Add `--deterministic` flag (or make it default) — omit `createdAt`, sort files
### Phase 3: Robustness
- [ ] Replace GPG subprocess with pure-Go crypto — `github.com/ProtonMail/go-crypto` or Ed25519/signify
- [ ] Add timeout to any remaining subprocess calls
- [ ] Add fuzzing tests for `NewManifestFromReader`
- [ ] Add retry logic to fetch — exponential backoff for transient HTTP errors
### Phase 4: Format finalization
- [ ] Remove or deprecate `atime` from proto (pending design question answer)
- [ ] Reserve `optional uint32 mode = 305` in `MFFilePath` for future file permissions
- [ ] Add version byte after magic — `ZNAVSRFG\x01` for format version 1
- [ ] Write format specification document — separate from README: magic, outer structure, compression, inner structure, path invariants, signature scheme, canonical serialization
### Phase 5: Release prep
- [ ] Finalize Go module path
- [ ] Audit all error messages for consistency and helpfulness
- [ ] Add `--version` output matching SemVer
- [ ] Tag v1.0.0