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Switch from using the global agent to using global keypairs for tests #404

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#391
Closed
Switch from using the global agent to using global keypairs for tests#404
#391
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tegefaulkes
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developmentStandard developmentr&d:polykey:supporting activitySupporting core activity

Description

@emmacasolin
emmacasolin
opened on Jul 11, 2022

Specification

#264 introduced our global agent which is used in our tests as a way to reduce setup time (since we no longer need to create an agent for every test). However, this solution complicates our tests by requiring all side effects to be reversed (some side effects cannot be undone, e.g. sigchain changes and some identities changes) and preventing tests that use the global agent from running in parallel.

An alternative solution is to have a pre-generated root private key that we can pass into the PolykeyAgent creation. This should sidestep the key generation process and speed up agent creation significantly.

Additional context

Tasks

  • 1. Add an override to KeyManager generation to provide a root private key to skip root key-pair generation.
  • 2. Propagate this override up to the PolykeyAgent parameters
  • 3. create tests confirming this behaviour.
  • 4. Propagate this change up to pk agent start and pk bootstrap. Including new parameter + ENV variable.
  • 5. Replace all usages of global agent with root key override.
  • 6. Move global keypair fixtures to a common directory as tests/fixtures

Activity

  1. emmacasolin
    added
    developmentStandard development
    on Jul 11, 2022

  2. tegefaulkes commented on Jul 15, 2022

    @tegefaulkes
    tegefaulkes
    on Jul 15, 2022
    Contributor

    I'm going to change this up slightly and include it in MatrixAI/Polykey-CLI#10, #391. Instead of using mocking for this I'll add a parameter/ENV for setting the root private key to skip the generation step. We can extend this change to key mocking across all tests. That should be a separate issue however.

    The changes here should be

    1. Allow override to KeyManager generation to provide a root private key to skip keypair generation.
    2. Propigate this override up to the PolykeyAgent parameters
    3. create tests confirming this behaviour.
    4. Propagate this change up to pk agent start and pk bootstrap. Including new parameter + env variable.
    5. Replace all usages of global agent with root key override.

    I also need to create a new issue to replace key mocking for all tests.

  3. tegefaulkes
    self-assigned this
    on Jul 15, 2022
  4. tegefaulkes
    added a commit that references this issue on Jul 15, 2022

    feat: added ability to override keypair generation with `privateKeyOv…

    2e295da

  5. tegefaulkes commented on Jul 15, 2022

    @tegefaulkes
    tegefaulkes
    on Jul 15, 2022
    Contributor

    The neat thing is, with the new private-Key override we gain the feature of having a node signed by another node. This can be done by generating the node with a private key of another node and then renewing the keys to generate a new root key-pair signed by the previous one. The affect of which is having the node essentially signed by the other node.

  6. CMCDragonkai commented on Jul 15, 2022

    @CMCDragonkai
    CMCDragonkai
    on Jul 15, 2022
    Member

    Loading a key that is created by another node is not exactly the same as cross-signing (PKI). See #154 for what I mean.

  7. tegefaulkes
    added 2 commits that reference this issue on Jul 15, 2022

    feat: added `--private-key` option to `CommandStart.ts` and `CommandB…

    82f7b21

    feat: added `--private-key-file` option to `CommandStart.ts` and `Com…

    898dd08

  8. tegefaulkes commented on Jul 18, 2022

    @tegefaulkes
    tegefaulkes
    on Jul 18, 2022
    Contributor

    pk agent start and pk bootstrap take the --private-key-file parameter now. This will be a path to a file containing the private key in Pem format. SInce the Pem format includes newlines, we can't pass it directly as an ENV or parameter.

    The Pem is passed through createPolykeyAgent to createKeyManager. It is converted to a keyPair inside the key manager during the key generation step. I originally tried using the PrivateKey format but that contained functions inside it that were lost at certain stages of passing the key around.

    I'm starting on removing the global agent in the tests now.

  9. CMCDragonkai commented on Jul 18, 2022

    @CMCDragonkai
    CMCDragonkai
    on Jul 18, 2022
    Member

    I'm thinking you should call this parameter --root-key. Do we use -file suffix in other parameters?

  10. CMCDragonkai commented on Jul 18, 2022

    @CMCDragonkai
    CMCDragonkai
    on Jul 18, 2022
    Member

    And yes you can pass newlines as environment variable. It's not a problem. Variables in shell Env can have newlines.

  11. CMCDragonkai commented on Jul 18, 2022

    @CMCDragonkai
    CMCDragonkai
    on Jul 18, 2022
    Member

    Also if this parameter is specified, you have to ignore any usage of recovery code. It needs to be ignored.

    If the file is password protected you'll need both a password to decrypt it, and a password to encrypt it.

    So --password would decrypt it if necessary and be the same password to encrypt.

  12. tegefaulkes commented on Jul 18, 2022

    @tegefaulkes
    tegefaulkes
    on Jul 18, 2022
    Contributor

    I'll double check the Env.

    As for the -file suffix. we have --recovery-code-file, --password-new-file, --password-file et al. I can change it to --root-key-file.

  13. tegefaulkes
    added 2 commits that reference this issue on Jul 18, 2022

    fixin: added `PK_ROOT_KEY` ENV and changed `--private-key-file` to `-…

    3a77fc6

    test: added `setupTestAgent` for creating test agents

    84a671a

  14. 9 remaining items

  15. tegefaulkes
    added 12 commits that reference this issue on Jul 26, 2022

    feat: added `--private-key-file` option to `CommandStart.ts` and `Com…

    c15ae4f

    fixin: added `PK_ROOT_KEY` ENV and changed `--private-key-file` to `-…

    4f6a2b5

    test: added `setupTestAgent` for creating test agents

    1d84ee8

    wip: removing global agent usuage

    c0c68b4

    test: removing global agent usage

    8612f3c

    fix: moved `globalRootKeyPems.ts` to fixtures

    36f377e

    feat: added ability to override keypair generation with `privateKeyOv…

    ec8e438

    feat: added `--private-key-file` option to `CommandStart.ts` and `Com…

    d380ed2

    test: added `setupTestAgent` for creating test agents

    7a4cdde

    test: removing global agent usage

    cb17957

    fix: moved `globalRootKeyPems.ts` to fixtures

    29e8f4e

    fix: moved `globalRootKeyPems.ts` to fixtures

    6e3594d
  16. CMCDragonkai
    closed this as completedin #391on Jul 27, 2022
  17. CMCDragonkai
    added
    r&d:polykey:supporting activitySupporting core activity
    on Jul 10, 2023
  18. CMCDragonkai
    added a parent issue on Oct 23, 2025
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