openk

Core Features

Code	Feature Description
C1	Password/Secret/API Key/Token Storage: Secure storage of sensitive data, including passwords, API keys, and tokens.
C2	Encryption at Rest and in Transit: Ensures data is encrypted during storage and transmission to prevent unauthorized access.
C3	Version Control and Secrets History/Log: Maintains a history of changes to secrets, providing rollback capabilities and accountability.
C4	Automated/Triggered Rotation, Expiry, and Revocation: Supports automatic or on-demand rotation of secrets, as well as expiration and immediate revocation, to minimize risk from exposed or expired credentials.
C5	Programmatic Access and Environment Integration: Provides API-based access for seamless integration with applications, automated systems, and specific deployment environments (e.g., CI/CD, containers).
C6	Secure Retrieval Mechanism: Ensures secrets are retrieved securely when needed, preventing unauthorized or accidental exposure.

Auxiliary Features

Code	Feature Description
A1	User Authentication and Access Control: Controls access to secrets, ensuring only authorized users or applications can retrieve them.
A2	Policies: Supports policy-based management to enforce security and usage guidelines across secrets.
A3	Audit Logging and Compliance: Tracks access, usage, and modifications to secrets for security, compliance, and incident response.
A4	High Availability and Backup: Ensures secrets remain accessible with backup and redundancy mechanisms, critical for production environments.
A5	Cross-Environment Sync and Notification Mechanisms: Ensures consistency and availability of secrets across multiple environments, essential for hybrid and multi-cloud setups. Includes mechanisms like webhooks, event streams, short TTLs, agent-based synchronization, and native cloud provider tools to propagate updates and maintain consistency.

System Design and Architecture

1. Design the System Architecture

To build a modular and extensible password/secret management platform, we'll adopt a layered architecture with well-defined interfaces. This approach allows components to be developed, tested, and replaced independently without affecting the overall system.

Core Components

ID	Component Name	Purpose	Functionality	Benefits
M1	Storage Backend Interface Module	Abstracts the storage mechanism	- Defines a standard interface for CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on secrets. - Supports pluggable backends (e.g., in-memory, file system, databases, cloud services).	- Allows swapping or upgrading storage backends without impacting other modules. - Enhances flexibility and scalability.
M2	Encryption Module	Manages encryption and decryption	- Provides encryption at rest and in transit (C2). - Abstracts encryption algorithms and key management. - Ensures compliance with security standards.	- Facilitates changes in encryption strategies without affecting other components. - Enhances security and compliance adherence.
M3	Secret Management Module	Handles core secret management logic	- Implements operations for storing, retrieving, updating, and deleting secrets (C1). - Manages version control and maintains history logs (C3). - Interfaces with the Encryption Module for secure data handling.	- Centralizes secret management logic. - Simplifies maintenance and future feature additions.
M4	API Layer	Exposes functionalities to external systems	- Provides programmatic access through secure APIs (C5). - Ensures secure retrieval mechanisms with encryption in transit (C6). - Implements API versioning for backward compatibility.	- Enables consistent integration with applications and systems. - Facilitates environment-specific deployments.
M5	Authentication and Authorization Module	Controls access to the platform	- Authenticates users and systems (A1). - Manages access control policies. - Supports multiple authentication methods (e.g., API keys, OAuth).	- Enhances security by ensuring only authorized access. - Provides a foundation for policies and compliance features.

Component Interactions

1. M4 (API Layer) receives requests and authenticates them via M5 (Authentication and Authorization Module).
2. Upon successful authentication, requests are forwarded to M3 (Secret Management Module).
3. M3 interacts with M2 (Encryption Module) to encrypt/decrypt secrets.
4. Encrypted secrets are stored or retrieved through M1 (Storage Backend Interface Module).

---

2. Map Feature Dependencies

Understanding feature dependencies ensures that the architecture supports seamless integration and scalability.

Core Features and Their Dependencies

Feature ID	Feature Name	Depends On	Enables
C1	Password/Secret/API Key/Token Storage	M1, M3	Fundamental secret management operations
C2	Encryption at Rest and in Transit	M2	Secure data handling in M3 and M4
C3	Version Control and Secrets History/Log	M3	Rollback capabilities and accountability
C4	Automated/Triggered Rotation, Expiry, Revocation	Future Scheduler/Event Trigger Module (e.g., M6)	Minimizing risk from exposed or expired credentials
C5	Programmatic Access and Environment Integration	M4	Integration with applications and automated systems
C6	Secure Retrieval Mechanism	M2, M4, M5	Preventing unauthorized or accidental exposure

Auxiliary Features and Their Dependencies

Feature ID	Feature Name	Depends On	Requires
A1	User Authentication and Access Control	M5	Securing M4 and M3
A2	Policies	M5	Enforcement of security and usage guidelines
A3	Audit Logging and Compliance	All Modules	Centralized logging mechanism
A4	High Availability and Backup	Infrastructure Setup	Redundancy and backup strategies at storage and application levels
A5	Cross-Environment Sync and Notification Mechanisms	Extension of M1 and Future Modules (e.g., M7)	Consistency and availability across environments

---

3. Development Sequence Based on Dependencies

Phase 1: Core Foundation

Step ID	Action	Modules Involved
P1	Implement M1 (Storage Backend Interface Module) with a basic storage option (e.g., in-memory or file-based)	M1
P2	Develop M2 (Encryption Module) for encryption at rest, integrating with M1	M2, M1
P3	Build M3 (Secret Management Module) for basic secret operations, utilizing M1 and M2	M3, M2, M1
P4	Create M4 (API Layer) to expose functionalities, ensuring encrypted communication (HTTPS)	M4
P5	Set up M5 (Authentication and Authorization Module) to secure the API endpoints	M5

Phase 2: Enhancements and Extensions

Step ID	Action	Modules Involved
P6	Add version control and secrets history/log in M3 (C3)	M3
P7	Enhance M2 (Encryption Module) for encryption in transit, if not fully implemented in Phase 1	M2
P8	Prepare for automated rotation and expiry by designing the Scheduler/Event Trigger Module (M6) framework	M6, M3

Phase 3: Advanced Features and Scalability

Step ID	Action	Modules Involved
P9	Implement automated/triggered rotation, expiry, and revocation (C4) using M6	M6, M3
P10	Integrate Policies Module to enforce security guidelines (A2)	M5
P11	Develop Audit Logging and Compliance Module for tracking and compliance purposes (A3)	All Modules
P12	Plan for high availability and backup strategies to ensure system reliability (A4)	Infrastructure Setup
P13	Design cross-environment sync and notification mechanisms for multi-environment deployments (A5)	M1, Future Modules (e.g., M7)