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BUSINESS POSTURE

  • Business Priorities and Goals:
    • Enable developers to build cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript/TypeScript).
    • Provide a more secure and performant alternative to Electron for desktop application development.
    • Offer a smaller application size and reduced resource consumption compared to traditional web-based desktop application frameworks.
    • Support a wide range of desktop platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux, mobile platforms, etc.).
    • Foster a strong open-source community around the framework.
  • Business Risks:
    • Security vulnerabilities in the Tauri framework itself could impact all applications built with it.
    • Lack of widespread adoption could limit the ecosystem and community support.
    • Performance issues or limitations compared to native desktop applications could hinder user experience.
    • Compatibility problems across different operating systems and hardware configurations.
    • Dependence on underlying system webview components, which are outside of Tauri's direct control.

SECURITY POSTURE

  • Existing Security Controls:

    • security control: Code review process for contributions to the Tauri framework. (Implemented in: GitHub repository pull request process)
    • security control: Use of Rust programming language, known for its memory safety and security features. (Implemented in: Tauri core framework codebase)
    • security control: Principle of least privilege applied to application permissions and system access. (Implemented in: Tauri API design and permission management system)
    • security control: Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning of the Tauri framework. (Implemented in: Tauri project roadmap and security practices)
    • security control: Sandboxing of web content within Tauri applications. (Implemented in: Tauri core framework using OS-level sandboxing mechanisms)
    • security control: Secure update mechanism for Tauri applications. (Implemented in: Tauri updater functionality)
    • security control: Built-in protection against common web vulnerabilities like XSS and CSRF. (Implemented in: Tauri core framework and API design)
    • accepted risk: Reliance on system webview security, which is managed by operating system vendors. (Accepted risk: inherent to using system webviews)

  • Recommended Security Controls:

    • security control: Implement automated security scanning (SAST/DAST) in the CI/CD pipeline for Tauri framework development.
    • security control: Establish a formal security incident response plan for the Tauri project.
    • security control: Provide security guidelines and best practices documentation for Tauri application developers.
    • security control: Implement dependency scanning and management for both Rust and JavaScript dependencies used in Tauri.
    • security control: Offer security training and awareness programs for Tauri core developers and contributors.

  • Security Requirements:

    • Authentication:
      • Requirement: Tauri applications should support various authentication methods, including OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and traditional username/password authentication.
      • Requirement: Secure storage of authentication tokens and credentials within Tauri applications, leveraging platform-specific secure storage mechanisms.
    • Authorization:
      • Requirement: Implement a robust authorization mechanism to control access to application features and resources based on user roles or permissions.
      • Requirement: Enforce principle of least privilege in API design and access control within Tauri applications.
    • Input Validation:
      • Requirement: All user inputs and data received from external sources must be thoroughly validated to prevent injection attacks (e.g., XSS, SQL injection, command injection).
      • Requirement: Implement input sanitization and encoding to mitigate risks associated with untrusted data.
    • Cryptography:
      • Requirement: Use strong and industry-standard cryptographic algorithms and libraries for data encryption, hashing, and digital signatures.
      • Requirement: Securely manage cryptographic keys and secrets used within Tauri applications, avoiding hardcoding or insecure storage.
      • Requirement: Support HTTPS for all network communication within Tauri applications and with external services.

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

flowchart LR
    subgraph "User"
        Developer("Developer")
        EndUser("End User")
    end

    TauriApp("Tauri Application")

    subgraph "External Systems"
        OS("Operating System")
        WebView("System WebView")
        PackageManager("Package Manager (npm, yarn, cargo)")
        ExternalServices("External Services (APIs, Databases)")
    end

    Developer --> TauriApp: "Develops and Builds"
    EndUser --> TauriApp: "Uses"
    TauriApp --> OS: "Runs on"
    TauriApp --> WebView: "Renders UI"
    TauriApp --> PackageManager: "Manages Dependencies (during build)"
    TauriApp --> ExternalServices: "Communicates with (optional)"
    Developer --> PackageManager: "Uses to manage dependencies"

    style TauriApp fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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  • Context Diagram Elements:
      • Name: Developer
      • Type: Person
      • Description: Software developers who use the Tauri framework to build desktop applications.
      • Responsibilities: Develop, build, and package Tauri applications.
      • Security controls: Code signing of applications, secure development practices, dependency management.
      • Name: End User
      • Type: Person
      • Description: Users who install and run Tauri applications on their desktop computers.
      • Responsibilities: Use Tauri applications for their intended purposes.
      • Security controls: Operating system security features, application sandboxing.
      • Name: Tauri Application
      • Type: Software System
      • Description: Desktop application built using the Tauri framework.
      • Responsibilities: Provide application functionality to end users, interact with the operating system and system webview.
      • Security controls: Input validation, authorization, secure communication, secure storage, application updates.
      • Name: Operating System
      • Type: Software System
      • Description: Underlying operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux) on which Tauri applications run.
      • Responsibilities: Provide system resources, manage processes, enforce security policies, provide system webview.
      • Security controls: OS-level security features (firewall, user permissions, sandboxing), security updates.
      • Name: System WebView
      • Type: Software System
      • Description: System component responsible for rendering web content (e.g., Chromium, WebKit).
      • Responsibilities: Render HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, execute web application code.
      • Security controls: Web browser security features, sandboxing, security updates provided by OS vendor.
      • Name: Package Manager (npm, yarn, cargo)
      • Type: Software System
      • Description: Package managers used by developers to manage dependencies for Tauri applications (npm/yarn for JavaScript frontend, cargo for Rust backend).
      • Responsibilities: Download and install dependencies, manage project dependencies.
      • Security controls: Dependency vulnerability scanning, package integrity checks, secure package registries.
      • Name: External Services (APIs, Databases)
      • Type: Software System
      • Description: Optional external services that Tauri applications may interact with (e.g., REST APIs, databases, cloud services).
      • Responsibilities: Provide data, services, or functionalities to Tauri applications.
      • Security controls: API authentication and authorization, secure communication (HTTPS), input validation, data encryption.

C4 CONTAINER

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Tauri Application Container"
        RustBackend["Rust Backend"]
        WebViewFrontend["WebView Frontend"]
        IPC["Inter-Process Communication (IPC)"]
        Configuration["Configuration Files"]
        Resources["Resources (Assets)"]
    end

    Developer("Developer") --> RustBackend: "Develops"
    Developer("Developer") --> WebViewFrontend: "Develops"

    WebViewFrontend --> IPC: "Sends messages"
    IPC --> RustBackend: "Receives messages"
    RustBackend --> IPC: "Sends messages"
    IPC --> WebViewFrontend: "Receives messages"

    RustBackend --> Configuration: "Reads"
    WebViewFrontend --> Resources: "Loads"

    TauriApp("Tauri Application") --> RustBackend: "Contains"
    TauriApp("Tauri Application") --> WebViewFrontend: "Contains"
    TauriApp("Tauri Application") --> IPC: "Contains"
    TauriApp("Tauri Application") --> Configuration: "Contains"
    TauriApp("Tauri Application") --> Resources: "Contains"

    style TauriApp fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style RustBackend fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style WebViewFrontend fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style IPC fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style Configuration fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style Resources fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
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  • Container Diagram Elements:
      • Name: Rust Backend
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Core logic of the Tauri application, written in Rust. Manages system interactions, application state, and backend functionalities.
      • Responsibilities: Application logic, system API access, data processing, security enforcement.
      • Security controls: Input validation, authorization checks, secure API design, memory safety (Rust language features), secure storage.
      • Name: WebView Frontend
      • Type: Container
      • Description: User interface of the Tauri application, built using web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript/TypeScript) and rendered by the system webview.
      • Responsibilities: User interface rendering, user interaction handling, frontend application logic.
      • Security controls: Input sanitization, XSS protection, Content Security Policy (CSP), secure coding practices in JavaScript/TypeScript.
      • Name: Inter-Process Communication (IPC)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Mechanism for communication between the Rust Backend and WebView Frontend. Tauri uses a secure IPC channel to exchange messages.
      • Responsibilities: Securely transmit data and commands between frontend and backend.
      • Security controls: Secure channel implementation, message validation, authorization for IPC commands.
      • Name: Configuration Files
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Configuration files (e.g., tauri.conf.json) that define application settings, permissions, and build configurations.
      • Responsibilities: Store application configuration, manage permissions, define build settings.
      • Security controls: Secure storage of configuration files, access control to configuration files, validation of configuration parameters.
      • Name: Resources (Assets)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Application assets such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript files, images, and other static resources.
      • Responsibilities: Store application assets, provide resources to the WebView Frontend.
      • Security controls: Integrity checks for resources, protection against unauthorized modification, Content Security Policy (CSP) to control resource loading.

DEPLOYMENT

  • Deployment Options:

    • Option 1: Standalone Executable - Package the Tauri application as a single executable file for each target platform. (Chosen for detailed description below)
    • Option 2: Installer Package - Create installer packages (e.g., MSI for Windows, DMG for macOS, DEB/RPM for Linux) for easier installation and management.
    • Option 3: Application Store Distribution - Distribute Tauri applications through platform-specific application stores (e.g., Microsoft Store, Mac App Store, Linux package repositories).

  • Deployment Architecture (Standalone Executable):

flowchart LR
    subgraph "End User Environment"
        UserDevice["User Device (Windows, macOS, Linux)"]
        OSInstance["Operating System Instance"]
        DeployedApp["Deployed Tauri Application"]
    end

    Developer("Developer") --> BuildProcess: "Builds Application"
    BuildProcess --> Distribution("Distribution Channel (Website, etc.)"): "Releases Executable"
    Distribution --> UserDevice: "Downloads Executable"
    UserDevice --> OSInstance: "Installs/Runs"
    OSInstance --> DeployedApp: "Executes"
    OSInstance --> SystemWebView: "Provides WebView"
    DeployedApp --> SystemWebView: "Uses for UI"

    style UserDevice fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style DeployedApp fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style OSInstance fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
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  • Deployment Diagram Elements:
      • Name: User Device (Windows, macOS, Linux)
      • Type: Infrastructure
      • Description: End user's computer running a supported operating system.
      • Responsibilities: Provide hardware resources to run the Tauri application.
      • Security controls: Device-level security controls (antivirus, firewall, OS updates), user account controls.
      • Name: Operating System Instance
      • Type: Software Environment
      • Description: Instance of the operating system running on the user device.
      • Responsibilities: Manage system resources, provide system services, enforce security policies, provide system webview.
      • Security controls: OS-level security features (firewall, user permissions, sandboxing), security updates.
      • Name: Deployed Tauri Application
      • Type: Software
      • Description: Packaged and deployed Tauri application executable running on the user's device.
      • Responsibilities: Provide application functionality to the end user.
      • Security controls: Application sandboxing, code signing, secure update mechanism, runtime security features.

BUILD

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Developer Environment"
        DeveloperPC["Developer PC"]
        SourceCode["Source Code (Git Repository)"]
    end

    subgraph "Build Environment (CI/CD)"
        CI_Server["CI Server (GitHub Actions, etc.)"]
        BuildScripts["Build Scripts"]
        DependencyDownload["Dependency Download (Package Managers)"]
        SecurityScanners["Security Scanners (SAST, Dependency Check)"]
        CodeSigning["Code Signing"]
        BuildArtifacts["Build Artifacts (Executables)"]
    end

    Developer("Developer") --> DeveloperPC: "Writes Code"
    DeveloperPC --> SourceCode: "Commits Changes"
    SourceCode --> CI_Server: "Triggers Build"
    CI_Server --> BuildScripts: "Executes"
    BuildScripts --> DependencyDownload: "Downloads Dependencies"
    DependencyDownload --> SecurityScanners: "Provides Dependencies"
    SourceCode --> SecurityScanners: "Provides Source Code"
    SecurityScanners --> BuildScripts: "Reports Findings"
    BuildScripts --> CodeSigning: "Signs Artifacts"
    CodeSigning --> BuildArtifacts: "Creates Signed Artifacts"
    BuildArtifacts --> Distribution("Distribution Channel"): "Releases"

    style DeveloperPC fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style CI_Server fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style BuildArtifacts fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style SecurityScanners fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
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  • Build Process Elements:
      • Name: Developer PC
      • Type: Environment
      • Description: Developer's local machine where code is written and initially tested.
      • Responsibilities: Code development, local testing, committing code changes.
      • Security controls: Developer workstation security practices, code review before commit.
      • Name: Source Code (Git Repository)
      • Type: Data Store
      • Description: Version control system (e.g., GitHub) storing the source code of the Tauri application.
      • Responsibilities: Version control, code collaboration, source code integrity.
      • Security controls: Access control to repository, branch protection, commit signing.
      • Name: CI Server (GitHub Actions, etc.)
      • Type: Environment
      • Description: Continuous Integration server that automates the build process.
      • Responsibilities: Automated build, testing, security scanning, artifact generation.
      • Security controls: Secure CI/CD pipeline configuration, access control to CI system, secrets management for credentials.
      • Name: Build Scripts
      • Type: Software
      • Description: Scripts (e.g., shell scripts, build configuration files) that define the build process.
      • Responsibilities: Compile code, package application, run tests, execute security scans.
      • Security controls: Secure scripting practices, review of build scripts, version control of build scripts.
      • Name: Dependency Download (Package Managers)
      • Type: Service
      • Description: Package managers (npm, yarn, cargo) used to download project dependencies during the build process.
      • Responsibilities: Download and manage project dependencies.
      • Security controls: Dependency vulnerability scanning, package integrity checks, using trusted package registries.
      • Name: Security Scanners (SAST, Dependency Check)
      • Type: Software
      • Description: Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools and dependency vulnerability scanners integrated into the build process.
      • Responsibilities: Identify security vulnerabilities in source code and dependencies.
      • Security controls: Regularly updated scanner rules, vulnerability reporting, integration with build pipeline to fail builds on critical findings.
      • Name: Code Signing
      • Type: Process
      • Description: Process of digitally signing the build artifacts (executables) to verify authenticity and integrity.
      • Responsibilities: Ensure application integrity and authenticity, prevent tampering.
      • Security controls: Secure key management for code signing certificates, secure signing process, timestamping of signatures.
      • Name: Build Artifacts (Executables)
      • Type: Data Store
      • Description: Output of the build process, including executable files and installer packages.
      • Responsibilities: Distributable application packages.
      • Security controls: Secure storage of build artifacts, access control to artifacts, integrity checks.

RISK ASSESSMENT

  • Critical Business Processes:

    • Secure development and distribution of the Tauri framework itself. If the framework is compromised, all applications built with it are potentially at risk.
    • Secure build and distribution of applications built using Tauri. Compromised build pipelines or distribution channels can lead to malware distribution.
    • Protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data processed by Tauri applications. This depends on the specific application and its functionality.

  • Data Sensitivity:

    • Data processed by Tauri applications varies greatly depending on the application's purpose. Sensitivity can range from publicly available data to highly confidential personal or financial information.
    • The Tauri framework itself does not inherently handle sensitive data, but applications built with it may.
    • Configuration files and application resources may contain sensitive information if not properly managed (e.g., API keys, database credentials).

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

  • BUSINESS POSTURE:

    • Question: What is the target market for Tauri applications (e.g., enterprise, consumer, specific industries)?
    • Assumption: Tauri is intended for a broad range of desktop applications, targeting developers who want to leverage web technologies for desktop development.
    • Question: What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the success of Tauri (e.g., adoption rate, developer satisfaction, security incident frequency)?
    • Assumption: Success is measured by developer adoption, community growth, and maintaining a strong security posture.

  • SECURITY POSTURE:

    • Question: What is the current security maturity level of the Tauri project?
    • Assumption: Tauri project is security-conscious and actively working to improve its security posture, but there is always room for improvement.
    • Question: Are there any specific compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS) that Tauri or applications built with it need to adhere to?
    • Assumption: Compliance requirements are application-specific and the responsibility of the application developer, but Tauri should provide tools and guidance to facilitate compliance.
    • Question: What is the process for reporting and handling security vulnerabilities in Tauri?
    • Assumption: Tauri has a security reporting process, and vulnerabilities are addressed in a timely manner.

  • DESIGN:

    • Question: What are the scalability and performance requirements for Tauri applications?
    • Assumption: Tauri is designed to be performant and resource-efficient, but performance can vary depending on the application complexity and system resources.
    • Question: What are the long-term maintenance and update plans for the Tauri framework?
    • Assumption: Tauri is actively maintained and will receive regular updates, including security patches and feature enhancements.
    • Question: Are there any specific architectural patterns or design principles that Tauri follows?
    • Assumption: Tauri follows a modular and component-based architecture, emphasizing security and performance.