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Project Design Document: concurrent-ruby

BUSINESS POSTURE

  • Priorities and Goals:

    • Provide a comprehensive set of concurrency abstractions for the Ruby programming language.
    • Improve the performance and responsiveness of Ruby applications by enabling parallel execution.
    • Offer a variety of tools to manage shared data and avoid race conditions.
    • Maintain backward compatibility and ease of integration with existing Ruby code.
    • Provide well-documented and easy-to-understand APIs.
    • Ensure thread safety and prevent common concurrency-related bugs.

  • Business Risks:

    • Incorrect implementation of concurrency abstractions leading to data corruption or application crashes.
    • Performance bottlenecks due to inefficient use of concurrency primitives.
    • Difficulty in debugging and troubleshooting concurrency-related issues.
    • Incompatibility with specific Ruby implementations or versions.
    • Security vulnerabilities arising from improper handling of shared resources.
    • Steep learning curve for developers unfamiliar with concurrency concepts.

SECURITY POSTURE

  • Existing Security Controls:

    • security control: The library itself is designed to provide safe concurrency abstractions, mitigating many common concurrency risks.
    • security control: Extensive use of automated tests, including stress tests, to ensure the correctness and stability of the library. (Described in the project's README and test suite.)
    • security control: Community review and contributions from experienced developers. (Visible through the GitHub repository's issue tracker and pull requests.)
    • security control: Use of mutexes and other synchronization primitives to protect shared resources. (Implemented within the library's code.)

  • Accepted Risks:

    • accepted risk: The library relies on the underlying Ruby implementation's threading model, which may have limitations or platform-specific behaviors.
    • accepted risk: Developers are ultimately responsible for using the library correctly and avoiding race conditions in their application code.
    • accepted risk: Potential for denial-of-service (DoS) if a large number of threads or processes are created without proper resource management.

  • Recommended Security Controls:

    • security control: Integrate static analysis tools (e.g., RuboCop with concurrency-related cops) into the development workflow to detect potential issues.
    • security control: Provide clear guidelines and best practices for using the library securely in the documentation.
    • security control: Consider adding runtime checks or assertions to detect unexpected behavior or misuse of the library.

  • Security Requirements:

    • Authentication: Not directly applicable, as this is a library, not a service. Authentication would be handled by the application using the library.
    • Authorization: Not directly applicable. Authorization would be handled by the application using the library.
    • Input Validation: Not directly applicable, as the library primarily deals with concurrency primitives, not user input. Input validation should be handled by the application using the library.
    • Cryptography: Not directly applicable, as the library does not handle cryptographic operations. Cryptography should be handled by dedicated libraries within the application.
    • Data Protection: The library should ensure the integrity and consistency of shared data accessed concurrently. This is achieved through the use of appropriate synchronization mechanisms like mutexes, locks, and atomic variables.
    • Error Handling: The library should handle errors and exceptions gracefully, preventing crashes and providing informative error messages.

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

graph LR
    User["User/Application"] -- "Uses" --> CR[("concurrent-ruby\n(Library)")]
    CR -- "Relies on" --> RubyVM["Ruby VM"]
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  • Elements:

    • User/Application:

      • Name: User/Application
      • Type: Person/System
      • Description: A Ruby application or user that utilizes the concurrent-ruby library.
      • Responsibilities: Implements the application logic and utilizes concurrent-ruby for concurrency management.
      • Security controls: Implements application-level security controls, such as authentication, authorization, and input validation.

    • concurrent-ruby (Library):

      • Name: concurrent-ruby
      • Type: Library
      • Description: The concurrent-ruby library, providing concurrency abstractions.
      • Responsibilities: Provides concurrency primitives and tools for managing shared data.
      • Security controls: Implements internal synchronization mechanisms to ensure thread safety.

    • Ruby VM:

      • Name: Ruby VM
      • Type: System
      • Description: The Ruby Virtual Machine (e.g., MRI, JRuby, TruffleRuby).
      • Responsibilities: Executes Ruby code, manages threads, and provides the underlying concurrency mechanisms.
      • Security controls: Relies on the security features of the underlying operating system and the Ruby VM implementation.

C4 CONTAINER

Since concurrent-ruby is a library, the container diagram is essentially the same as the context diagram. The library's components are modules and classes within the Ruby application's runtime environment.

graph LR
    User["User/Application"] -- "Uses" --> CR[("concurrent-ruby\n(Library)")]
    CR -- "Relies on" --> RubyVM["Ruby VM"]
    CR -- "Uses" --> Atomic["Atomic"]
    CR -- "Uses" --> ThreadPool["Thread Pools"]
    CR -- "Uses" --> Future["Futures"]
    CR -- "Uses" --> Promise["Promises"]
    CR -- "Uses" --> Agent["Agents"]
    CR -- "Uses" --> Actor["Actors"]
    CR -- "Uses" --> Other["Other Concurrency\nPrimitives"]
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  • Elements:

    • User/Application: (Same as in C4 Context)

    • concurrent-ruby (Library): (Same as in C4 Context)

    • Ruby VM: (Same as in C4 Context)

    • Atomic:

      • Name: Atomic
      • Type: Library Component
      • Description: Provides atomic operations for thread-safe access to shared variables.
      • Responsibilities: Ensures atomic updates to variables, preventing race conditions.
      • Security controls: Uses low-level atomic instructions provided by the Ruby VM or operating system.

    • Thread Pools:

      • Name: Thread Pools
      • Type: Library Component
      • Description: Manages a pool of threads for executing tasks concurrently.
      • Responsibilities: Creates, manages, and reuses threads to improve performance and resource utilization.
      • Security controls: Limits the number of threads to prevent resource exhaustion.

    • Futures:

      • Name: Futures
      • Type: Library Component
      • Description: Represents the result of an asynchronous operation that will be available at some point in the future.
      • Responsibilities: Allows asynchronous execution of tasks and retrieval of results.
      • Security controls: Ensures thread-safe access to the future's result.

    • Promises:

      • Name: Promises
      • Type: Library Component
      • Description: A more advanced form of futures, allowing chaining of asynchronous operations.
      • Responsibilities: Provides a fluent interface for composing asynchronous workflows.
      • Security controls: Ensures thread-safe execution and propagation of results and errors.

    • Agents:

      • Name: Agents
      • Type: Library Component
      • Description: Provides a mechanism for managing shared state in a thread-safe manner.
      • Responsibilities: Encapsulates mutable state and provides methods for updating it safely.
      • Security controls: Uses internal synchronization to prevent concurrent access conflicts.

    • Actors:

      • Name: Actors
      • Type: Library Component
      • Description: Implements the actor model of concurrency, where independent actors communicate through message passing.
      • Responsibilities: Processes messages sequentially, avoiding shared state and race conditions.
      • Security controls: Enforces message passing as the only means of communication between actors.

    • Other Concurrency Primitives:

      • Name: Other Concurrency Primitives
      • Type: Library Component
      • Description: Includes various other concurrency tools, such as timers, locks, and semaphores.
      • Responsibilities: Provides additional building blocks for concurrent programming.
      • Security controls: Implements appropriate synchronization mechanisms for each primitive.

DEPLOYMENT

concurrent-ruby is a Ruby gem, and its deployment is typically managed by Ruby's package manager, Bundler.

  • Possible Deployment Solutions:

    1. Bundler (Gemfile/Gemfile.lock): Standard Ruby dependency management.
    2. Manual Installation: gem install concurrent-ruby.
    3. Included as part of a larger application deployment.

  • Chosen Solution: Bundler (Gemfile/Gemfile.lock)

graph LR
    Dev["Developer"] -- "Commits code" --> Repo["Source Code\nRepository\n(e.g., GitHub)"]
    Repo -- "Pushes to" --> CI["CI/CD Server\n(e.g., GitHub Actions)"]
    CI -- "Runs tests" --> Tests["Test Suite"]
    CI -- "Builds gem" --> Gem["concurrent-ruby.gem"]
    Gem -- "Pushes to" --> RG["RubyGems.org"]
    AppServer["Application Server"] -- "Fetches gem" --> RG
    AppServer -- "Installs gem" --> Bundle["Bundler"]
    Bundle -- "Loads gem" --> RubyVM
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  • Elements:

    • Developer:

      • Name: Developer
      • Type: Person
      • Description: The developer writing and maintaining the code.
      • Responsibilities: Writes code, tests, and documentation.
      • Security controls: Follows secure coding practices.

    • Source Code Repository:

      • Name: Source Code Repository
      • Type: System
      • Description: Stores the source code (e.g., GitHub).
      • Responsibilities: Version control, collaboration, and code review.
      • Security controls: Access control, branch protection, and code review policies.

    • CI/CD Server:

      • Name: CI/CD Server
      • Type: System
      • Description: Automates the build, test, and deployment process (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins).
      • Responsibilities: Runs tests, builds the gem, and potentially deploys it.
      • Security controls: Secure configuration, access control, and secrets management.

    • Test Suite:

      • Name: Test Suite
      • Type: System
      • Description: A collection of automated tests.
      • Responsibilities: Verifies the correctness and stability of the code.
      • Security controls: Includes tests for concurrency-related issues.

    • concurrent-ruby.gem:

      • Name: concurrent-ruby.gem
      • Type: Artifact
      • Description: The packaged Ruby gem.
      • Responsibilities: Contains the compiled code and metadata.
      • Security controls: Gem signing (optional).

    • RubyGems.org:

      • Name: RubyGems.org
      • Type: System
      • Description: The public repository for Ruby gems.
      • Responsibilities: Hosts and distributes Ruby gems.
      • Security controls: Access control, malware scanning (potentially).

    • Application Server:

      • Name: Application Server
      • Type: System
      • Description: The server where the Ruby application is deployed.
      • Responsibilities: Runs the Ruby application.
      • Security controls: Operating system security, network security, and application-level security.

    • Bundler:

      • Name: Bundler
      • Type: System
      • Description: Ruby's dependency manager.
      • Responsibilities: Installs and manages gem dependencies.
      • Security controls: Verifies gem checksums (if available).

    • Ruby VM: (Same as in C4 Context)

BUILD

The build process for concurrent-ruby involves compiling the C extensions (if any), running tests, and packaging the gem.

graph LR
    Dev["Developer"] -- "Commits code" --> Repo["Source Code Repository"]
    Repo -- "Triggers" --> CI["CI/CD Server\n(e.g., GitHub Actions)"]
    CI -- "Checks out code" --> Workspace["Workspace"]
    Workspace -- "Runs tests" --> Rake["Rake (Test Task)"]
    Workspace -- "Compiles C extensions" --> Compiler["C Compiler"]
    Workspace -- "Packages gem" --> GemBuild["Rake (Gem Build Task)"]
    GemBuild -- "Creates" --> GemFile["concurrent-ruby.gem"]
    CI -- "Publishes" --> RubyGems["RubyGems.org"]
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  • Security Controls in Build Process:

    • Automated Testing: The test suite (run via Rake) includes comprehensive tests for concurrency-related behavior, helping to prevent regressions and identify potential vulnerabilities.
    • Static Analysis (Recommended): Integrating a static analysis tool like RuboCop (with concurrency-related cops) would further enhance code quality and security.
    • Dependency Management: Bundler ensures that the correct versions of dependencies are used, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities in external libraries.
    • CI/CD Pipeline: Using a CI/CD server (like GitHub Actions) automates the build and test process, ensuring consistency and reducing the risk of manual errors.
    • Limited Build Environment: The CI/CD environment should have limited access and permissions, minimizing the potential impact of a compromised build process.

RISK ASSESSMENT

  • Critical Business Processes:

    • Reliable and efficient execution of concurrent tasks in Ruby applications.
    • Maintaining the integrity and consistency of shared data in multi-threaded environments.
    • Providing a stable and well-tested library for developers to build upon.

  • Data Sensitivity:

    • The library itself does not handle sensitive data directly. However, it is used to manage shared data within applications, which could be sensitive. The sensitivity of the data depends entirely on the application using the library. If the application using concurrent-ruby handles Personally Identifiable Information (PII), financial data, or other sensitive information, then the library's correct functioning is critical to protecting that data.

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

  • Questions:

    • Are there any specific performance benchmarks or targets that the library should meet?
    • Are there any specific Ruby implementations (MRI, JRuby, TruffleRuby) that need to be prioritized for compatibility?
    • Are there any known limitations or edge cases in the underlying Ruby threading model that should be considered?
    • What is the expected level of support and maintenance for the library?
    • What is the process for reporting and addressing security vulnerabilities?

  • Assumptions:

    • BUSINESS POSTURE: The primary goal is to provide a robust and reliable concurrency library for Ruby. Performance is important, but correctness and stability are paramount.
    • SECURITY POSTURE: Developers using the library are responsible for understanding and mitigating concurrency risks in their own code. The library provides tools, but it cannot guarantee complete safety.
    • DESIGN: The library will continue to evolve and add new features, but backward compatibility will be maintained whenever possible. The build process will remain automated and integrated with a CI/CD system. The deployment will be managed through RubyGems and Bundler.