nuts-foundation / nuts-foundation/nuts-node
Consider removing ES256K (secp256k1) support
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- Dominant language
- Go
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Description
Summary
Consider dropping ES256K (secp256k1) support, which is gated behind the jwx_es256k build tag. It appears unused, is not built into the default binary, and carries maintenance cost.
Why
- Opt-in only, likely unused. ES256K is only compiled when building with
-tags jwx_es256k(seeMakefilebuildtarget andcrypto/jwx/jwx_es256k.go). The default binary does not include it. No known deployment enables it. - Untested / rotted. CI only builds with the tag, it never runs tests with it, so
crypto/jwx/jwx_es256k_test.gohas silently rotted:- it lives in
package jwxbut callsParseJWT, which is inpackage crypto(would be an import cycle), - it passes the wrong number of arguments to
ParseJWT, - it signs with a P-256 key (
test.GenerateECKey()) for a secp256k1 algorithm.
The test file has therefore not compiled for a long time and nobody noticed.
- it lives in
- Maintenance cost. It's an extra code path that the jwx v2→v3 migration (#4383 / PR #4391) had to fix separately precisely because it's excluded from the normal build/test, so it's easy to miss.
Options
- Remove ES256K support entirely: delete
crypto/jwx/jwx_es256k.go+_test.go, drop thejwx_es256kbuild tag from the Makefile, and remove thees256k/secp256k1 branches invdr/didkey/resolver.goand the related test cases invcr/credential,vcr/pe,vdr/didkey. - Keep it but make it real: run the tagged tests in CI and fix the rotted test, so it can't silently break again.
Recommendation
Remove it (option 1) unless someone identifies an active consumer. secp256k1 is niche for did:web/IAM (our active focus), and an untested, build-tag-gated code path is a liability.
Context
Surfaced during the jwx v2→v3 migration (PR #4391): the jwa.ES256K constant→function change was missed initially because the file is excluded from the default build. The build is now fixed; the tagged test remains broken and was left as-is pending this decision.
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- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
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- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by checking crypto/jwx/jwx_es256k.go and crypto/jwx/jwx_es256k_test.go, then inspect the Makefile build target and the ES256K-related branches and tests in vdr/didkey/resolver.go, vcr/credential, and vcr/pe. Confirm whether any active consumer requires the tagged path; done means either removing the path and its build-tag references with the relevant tests updated, or making tagged CI tests compile and run.
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Assessment
- Tech stack
- go
- Domain
- cryptography
- Issue type
- Refactor
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 52/100