serai/crypto/transcript/README.md
2022-07-09 00:37:39 -04:00

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# Flexible Transcript
Flexible Transcript is a crate offering:
- `Transcript`, a trait offering functions transcripts should implement.
- `DigestTranscript`, a competent transcript format instantiated against a
provided hash function.
- `MerlinTranscript`, a wrapper of `merlin` into the trait (available via the
`merlin` feature).
- `RecommendedTranscript`, a transcript recommended for usage in applications.
Currently, this is `DigestTranscript<Blake2b512>` (available via the
`recommended` feature).
The trait was created while working on an IETF draft which defined an incredibly
simple transcript format. Extensions of the protocol would quickly require a
more competent format, yet implementing the one specified was mandatory to meet
the specification. Accordingly, the library implementing the draft defined an
`IetfTranscript`, dropping labels and not allowing successive challenges, yet
thanks to the trait, allowed protocols building on top to provide their own
transcript format as needed.
`DigestTranscript` takes in any hash function implementing `Digest`, offering a
secure transcript format around it. All items are prefixed by a flag, denoting
their type, and their length.
`MerlinTranscript` was used to justify the API, and if any issues existed with
`DigestTranscript`, enable a fallback. It was also meant as a way to be
compatible with existing Rust projects using `merlin`.