Secure Channels

Create end-to-end encrypted and mutually authenticated secure channels over any transport topology.

Now that we understand the basics of Nodes, Workers, and Routing ... let's create our first encrypted secure channel.

Establishing a secure channel requires establishing a shared secret key between the two entities that wish to communicate securely. This is usually achieved using a cryptographic key agreement protocol to safely derive a shared secret without transporting it over the network.

Running such protocols requires a stateful exchange of multiple messages and having a worker and routing system allows Ockam to hide the complexity of creating and maintaining a secure channel behind two simple functions:

• create_secure_channel_listener(...) which waits for requests to create a secure channel.

• create_secure_channel(...) which initiates the protocol to create a secure channel with a listener.

Responder node

Create a new file at:

touch examples/05-secure-channel-over-two-transport-hops-responder.rs

Add the following code to this file:

// examples/05-secure-channel-over-two-transport-hops-responder.rs
// This node starts a tcp listener, a secure channel listener, and an echoer worker.
// It then runs forever waiting for messages.

use hello_ockam::Echoer;
use ockam::identity::SecureChannelListenerOptions;
use ockam::tcp::{TcpListenerOptions, TcpTransportExtension};
use ockam::{node, Context, Result};

#[ockam::node]
async fn main(ctx: Context) -> Result<()> {
    // Create a node with default implementations
    let node = node(ctx).await?;

    // Initialize the TCP Transport.
    let tcp = node.create_tcp_transport().await?;

    node.start_worker("echoer", Echoer).await?;

    let bob = node.create_identity().await?;

    // Create a TCP listener and wait for incoming connections.
    let listener = tcp.listen("127.0.0.1:4000", TcpListenerOptions::new()).await?;

    // Create a secure channel listener for Bob that will wait for requests to
    // initiate an Authenticated Key Exchange.
    let secure_channel_listener = node
        .create_secure_channel_listener(
            &bob,
            "bob_listener",
            SecureChannelListenerOptions::new().as_consumer(listener.flow_control_id()),
        )
        .await?;

    // Allow access to the Echoer via Secure Channels
    node.flow_controls()
        .add_consumer("echoer", secure_channel_listener.flow_control_id());

    // Don't call node.stop() here so this node runs forever.
    Ok(())
}

Middle node

Create a new file at:

touch examples/05-secure-channel-over-two-transport-hops-middle.rs

Add the following code to this file:

// examples/05-secure-channel-over-two-transport-hops-middle.rs
// This node creates a tcp connection to a node at 127.0.0.1:4000
// Starts a relay worker to forward messages to 127.0.0.1:4000
// Starts a tcp listener at 127.0.0.1:3000
// It then runs forever waiting to route messages.

use hello_ockam::Relay;
use ockam::tcp::{TcpConnectionOptions, TcpListenerOptions, TcpTransportExtension};
use ockam::{node, route, Context, Result};

#[ockam::node]
async fn main(ctx: Context) -> Result<()> {
    // Create a node with default implementations
    let node = node(ctx).await?;

    // Initialize the TCP Transport
    let tcp = node.create_tcp_transport().await?;

    // Create a TCP connection to Bob.
    let connection_to_bob = tcp.connect("127.0.0.1:4000", TcpConnectionOptions::new()).await?;

    // Start a Relay to forward messages to Bob using the TCP connection.
    node.start_worker("forward_to_bob", Relay::new(route![connection_to_bob]))
        .await?;

    // Create a TCP listener and wait for incoming connections.
    let listener = tcp.listen("127.0.0.1:3000", TcpListenerOptions::new()).await?;

    node.flow_controls()
        .add_consumer("forward_to_bob", listener.flow_control_id());

    // Don't call node.stop() here so this node runs forever.
    Ok(())
}

Initiator node

Create a new file at:

touch examples/05-secure-channel-over-two-transport-hops-initiator.rs

Add the following code to this file:

// examples/05-secure-channel-over-two-transport-hops-initiator.rs
// This node creates an end-to-end encrypted secure channel over two tcp transport hops.
// It then routes a message, to a worker on a different node, through this encrypted channel.

use ockam::identity::SecureChannelOptions;
use ockam::tcp::{TcpConnectionOptions, TcpTransportExtension};
use ockam::{node, route, Context, Result};

#[ockam::node]
async fn main(ctx: Context) -> Result<()> {
    // Create a node with default implementations
    let mut node = node(ctx).await?;

    // Create an Identity to represent Alice.
    let alice = node.create_identity().await?;

    // Create a TCP connection to the middle node.
    let tcp = node.create_tcp_transport().await?;
    let connection_to_middle_node = tcp.connect("localhost:3000", TcpConnectionOptions::new()).await?;

    // Connect to a secure channel listener and perform a handshake.
    let r = route![connection_to_middle_node, "forward_to_bob", "bob_listener"];
    let channel = node
        .create_secure_channel(&alice, r, SecureChannelOptions::new())
        .await?;

    // Send a message to the echoer worker via the channel.
    // Wait to receive a reply and print it.
    let reply = node
        .send_and_receive::<String>(route![channel, "echoer"], "Hello Ockam!".to_string())
        .await?;
    println!("App Received: {}", reply); // should print "Hello Ockam!"

    // Stop all workers, stop the node, cleanup and return.
    node.stop().await
}

Run

Run the responder in a separate terminal tab and keep it running:

cargo run --example 05-secure-channel-over-two-transport-hops-responder

Run the middle node in a separate terminal tab and keep it running:

cargo run --example 05-secure-channel-over-two-transport-hops-middle

Run the initiator:

cargo run --example 05-secure-channel-over-two-transport-hops-initiator

Note the message flow.