# Word of Wisdom Server - Implementation Plan ## Phase 1: Proof of Work Package Implementation **Goal**: Create standalone, testable PoW package with HMAC-signed stateless challenges - [ ] **Project Setup** - [ ] Initialize Go module and basic project structure - [ ] Create PoW challenge structure and types - [ ] Set up testing framework and utilities - [ ] **Challenge Generation & HMAC Security** - [ ] Implement HMAC-signed challenge generation (stateless) - [ ] Create challenge authenticity verification - [ ] Add timestamp validation for replay protection (5 minutes TTL) - [ ] Implement canonical challenge field ordering for HMAC - [ ] Add Base64URL encoding for HMAC signatures - [ ] Implement challenge string construction (`quotes:timestamp:difficulty:random`) - [ ] **PoW Algorithm Implementation** - [ ] Implement SHA-256 based PoW solution algorithm - [ ] Implement leading zero bit counting for difficulty - [ ] Create nonce iteration and solution finding - [ ] Add difficulty scaling (3-10 bits range) - [ ] Create challenge string format: `quotes:timestamp:difficulty:random:nonce` - [ ] Implement hash verification for submitted solutions - [ ] **Verification & Validation** - [ ] Create challenge verification logic with HMAC validation - [ ] Add solution validation against original challenge - [ ] Test HMAC tamper detection and validation - [ ] Add difficulty adjustment mechanisms - [ ] **Testing & Performance** - [ ] Unit tests for challenge generation and verification - [ ] Unit tests for HMAC signing and validation - [ ] Unit tests for PoW solution finding and verification - [ ] Benchmark tests for different difficulty levels - [ ] Test edge cases (expired challenges, invalid HMAC, wrong difficulty) - [ ] Performance tests for concurrent challenge operations ## Phase 2: Basic Server Architecture - [ ] Set up dependency injection framework (wire/dig) - [ ] Create core interfaces and contracts - [ ] Set up structured logging (zerolog/logrus) - [ ] Set up metrics collection (prometheus) - [ ] Create configuration management - [ ] Integrate PoW package into server architecture ## Phase 3: Quote Management System - [ ] Define quote storage interface - [ ] Implement in-memory quote repository (fake) - [ ] Create quote selection service (random) - [ ] Load initial quote collection from file/config - [ ] Add quote validation and sanitization - [ ] Write unit tests for quote management ## Phase 4: TCP Protocol Implementation - [ ] Implement binary message protocol codec - [ ] Create protocol message types and structures - [ ] Implement connection handler with proper error handling - [ ] Add message serialization/deserialization (JSON) - [ ] Create protocol state machine - [ ] Implement connection lifecycle management - [ ] Write unit tests for protocol components ## Phase 5: Server Core & Request Handling - [ ] Implement TCP server with connection pooling - [ ] Create request router and handler dispatcher - [ ] Add connection timeout and lifecycle management - [ ] Implement graceful shutdown mechanism - [ ] Add request/response logging middleware - [ ] Create health check endpoints - [ ] Write integration tests for server core ## Phase 6: DDOS Protection & Rate Limiting - [ ] Implement IP-based connection limiting - [ ] Create rate limiting service with time windows - [ ] Add automatic difficulty adjustment based on load - [ ] Implement temporary IP blacklisting - [ ] Create circuit breaker for overload protection - [ ] Add monitoring for attack detection - [ ] Write tests for protection mechanisms ## Phase 7: Observability & Monitoring - [ ] Add structured logging throughout application - [ ] Implement metrics for key performance indicators: - [ ] Active connections count - [ ] Challenge generation rate - [ ] Solution verification rate - [ ] Success/failure ratios - [ ] Response time histograms - [ ] Create logging middleware for request tracing - [ ] Add error categorization and reporting - [ ] Implement health check endpoints ## Phase 8: Configuration & Environment Setup - [ ] Create configuration structure with validation - [ ] Support environment variables and config files - [ ] Add configuration for different environments (dev/prod) - [ ] Implement feature flags for protection levels - [ ] Create deployment configuration templates - [ ] Add configuration validation and defaults ## Phase 9: Client Implementation - [ ] Create client application structure - [ ] Implement PoW solver algorithm - [ ] Create client-side protocol implementation - [ ] Add retry logic and error handling - [ ] Implement connection management - [ ] Create CLI interface for client - [ ] Add client metrics and logging - [ ] Write client unit and integration tests ## Phase 10: Docker & Deployment - [ ] Create multi-stage Dockerfile for server - [ ] Create Dockerfile for client - [ ] Create docker-compose.yml for local development - [ ] Add docker-compose for production deployment - [ ] Create health check scripts for containers - [ ] Add environment-specific configurations - [ ] Create deployment documentation ## Phase 11: Testing & Quality Assurance - [ ] Write comprehensive unit tests (>80% coverage): - [ ] PoW algorithm tests - [ ] Protocol handler tests - [ ] Rate limiting tests - [ ] Quote service tests - [ ] Configuration tests - [ ] Create integration tests: - [ ] End-to-end client-server communication - [ ] Load testing scenarios - [ ] Failure recovery tests - [ ] DDOS protection validation - [ ] Add benchmark tests for performance validation - [ ] Create stress testing scenarios ## Phase 12: Documentation & Final Polish - [ ] Write comprehensive README with setup instructions - [ ] Create API documentation for all interfaces - [ ] Add inline code documentation - [ ] Create deployment guide - [ ] Write troubleshooting guide - [ ] Add performance tuning recommendations - [ ] Create monitoring and alerting guide ## Phase 13: Production Readiness Checklist - [ ] Security audit of all components - [ ] Performance benchmarking and optimization - [ ] Memory leak detection and prevention - [ ] Resource cleanup validation - [ ] Error handling coverage review - [ ] Logging security (no sensitive data exposure) - [ ] Configuration security (secrets management) - [ ] Container security hardening ## Directory Structure ``` / ├── cmd/ │ ├── server/ # Server application entry point │ └── client/ # Client application entry point ├── internal/ │ ├── server/ # Server core logic │ ├── protocol/ # Protocol implementation │ ├── pow/ # Proof of Work implementation │ ├── quotes/ # Quote management │ ├── ratelimit/ # Rate limiting & DDOS protection │ ├── config/ # Configuration management │ ├── metrics/ # Metrics collection │ └── logger/ # Structured logging ├── pkg/ # Public packages ├── test/ # Integration tests ├── docker/ # Docker configurations ├── deployments/ # Deployment configurations └── docs/ # Additional documentation ``` ## Success Criteria - [ ] Server handles 1000+ concurrent connections - [ ] PoW protection prevents DDOS attacks effectively - [ ] All tests pass with >80% code coverage - [ ] Docker containers build and run successfully - [ ] Client successfully solves challenges and receives quotes - [ ] Comprehensive logging and metrics in place - [ ] Production-ready error handling and recovery - [ ] Clear documentation for deployment and operation