# Word of Wisdom Server - Implementation Plan ## Phase 1: Proof of Work Package Implementation **Goal**: Create standalone, testable PoW package with HMAC-signed stateless challenges - [X] **Project Setup** - [X] Initialize Go module and basic project structure - [X] Create PoW challenge structure and types - [X] Set up testing framework and utilities - [X] **Challenge Generation & HMAC Security** - [X] Implement HMAC-signed challenge generation (stateless) - [X] Create challenge authenticity verification - [X] Add timestamp validation for replay protection (5 minutes TTL) - [X] Implement canonical challenge field ordering for HMAC - [X] Add Base64URL encoding for HMAC signatures (JSON handles this) - [X] Implement challenge string construction (`quotes:timestamp:difficulty:random`) - [X] **PoW Algorithm Implementation** - [X] Implement SHA-256 based PoW solution algorithm - [X] Implement leading zero bit counting for difficulty - [X] Create nonce iteration and solution finding - [X] Add difficulty scaling (3-10 bits range) - [X] Create challenge string format: `quotes:timestamp:difficulty:random:nonce` - [X] Implement hash verification for submitted solutions - [X] **Verification & Validation** - [X] Create challenge verification logic with HMAC validation - [X] Add solution validation against original challenge - [X] Test HMAC tamper detection and validation - [X] Add difficulty adjustment mechanisms (config-based) - [X] **Testing & Performance** - [X] Unit tests for challenge generation and verification - [X] Unit tests for HMAC signing and validation - [X] Unit tests for PoW solution finding and verification - [X] Benchmark tests for different difficulty levels - [X] Test edge cases (expired challenges, invalid HMAC, wrong difficulty) - [X] Performance tests for concurrent challenge operations ## Phase 2: Quote Handler **Goal**: Simple quote service with public API using resty - [X] Add resty dependency to go.mod - [X] Create quote service package - [X] Implement quote fetching with HTTP client - [X] Add basic error handling ## Phase 3: Service Layer Implementation **Goal**: Complete service layer with DI for handling requests (untied from TCP presentation) - [X] Create service layer interfaces and contracts - [X] Implement quote request service workflow - [X] Integrate PoW challenge generation and verification - [X] Set up simple dependency wiring - [X] Implement full request-response cycle - [X] Add comprehensive service layer tests - [X] Add error handling and validation - [X] Create public concrete WisdomService type - [X] Add workflow tests with real PoW implementations - [X] Add unsuccessful flow tests for invalid solutions ## Phase 4: Binary Protocol Implementation - [X] Implement binary message protocol codec with Reader/Writer abstraction - [X] Create protocol message types and structures - [X] Add message serialization/deserialization (JSON) - [X] Implement protocol parsing with proper error handling - [X] Create message validation and bounds checking - [X] Write unit tests for protocol components ## Phase 5: Binary Protocol Reworking & Application Layer Integration - [X] Refactor protocol codec into streaming MessageDecoder - [X] Implement streaming message processing with io.Reader - [X] Create request/response encoding and decoding methods - [X] Add comprehensive round-trip testing for protocol validation - [X] Update application layer to use streaming Message interface - [X] Fix application tests for new protocol design ## Phase 6: TCP Server & Connection Management - [X] Implement TCP server with connection handling - [X] Add dual timeout protection: - [X] Connection timeout (max total connection time) - [X] Read timeout (max idle time between bytes - slowloris protection) - [X] Implement proper connection lifecycle management - [X] Create protocol state machine for request/response flow - [X] Add graceful connection cleanup and error handling - [X] Add slog structured logging to TCP server - [X] Implement functional options pattern for server configuration - [X] Update cmd/server to use new TCP server with logging ## Phase 7: Client Implementation - [X] Create client application structure - [X] Implement PoW solver algorithm on client side - [X] Create client-side protocol implementation - [X] Add retry logic and error handling - [X] Implement connection management - [X] Create CLI interface for client - [X] Write client integration tests for slowloris protection ## Phase 8: Basic Server Architecture - [ ] Set up metrics collection (prometheus) - [ ] Create configuration management - [ ] Integrate all components into server architecture ## Phase 9: Advanced Server Features - [ ] Add connection pooling and advanced connection management - [ ] Implement graceful shutdown mechanism - [ ] Add health check endpoints - [ ] Add request/response logging middleware - [ ] Create health check endpoints - [ ] Write integration tests for server core ## Phase 10: 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 11: 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 12: 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 13: 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 14: 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 15: 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 16: 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