Fores

🚧 Fores is still a work in progress 🚧

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About

Fores is a Rust library designed to parse OpenSSH client configuration files (typically ~/.ssh/config) into a structured, programmatic representation according to the OpenSSH specification. It handles the complexities of the SSH config format, including Include directives, and provides a robust data structure that you can use to analyze, modify, and generate valid SSH configurations.

The name "Fores" is derived from the Latin word for "door" or "double door," reflecting the library's role in managing access configurations to remote systems through SSH. Just as a door provides a controlled entry point, Fores provides a structured way to interact with the configuration that governs SSH connections. It is a counterpart to the Cardea crate, named after the Roman goddess of the hinge, which handles parsing of SSHD (server) configuration files. Together, Fores and Cardea provide a comprehensive solution for managing both client and server aspects of OpenSSH configurations in Rust applications.

The primary goal of Fores is to simplify working with SSH client configurations. By parsing the configuration file into a well-defined data structure, Fores enables:

• Programmatic access to configuration options.
• Validation of configurations for correctness and consistency.
• Modification of existing configurations.
• Generation of valid SSH config files.

Example Use Cases

Fores can be used in a variety of applications that interact with SSH configurations. Some potential use cases include:

• GUI SSH Client: Fores can be integrated into a desktop application to provide a user-friendly interface for managing SSH configurations. The structured output of Fores makes it easy to display configurations in a visually appealing way. Users could explore their configuration, add or modify hosts and options, and validate the changes before applying them.
• Configuration Management Tools: Fores can be used to build tools that automatically manage SSH configurations across multiple systems. For example, you could create a tool that enforces certain security policies, synchronizes configurations across a fleet of machines, or generates configuration files based on templates or organizational policies.
• Automated Testing: Fores can be used to create test suites for SSH client configurations. You could define a set of security or compliance rules and use Fores to automatically check if configurations comply with those rules.
• SSH Config Generators: Fores can form the foundation of tools that generate SSH configuration files from other data sources, such as databases or YAML files.
• Security Analysis: Fores can be used to build security analysis tools that scan SSH configurations for potential vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. For example, it could detect weak cipher usage, insecure forwarding settings, or other common misconfigurations.

Fores provides a robust and efficient way to work with SSH client configurations in your Rust projects. Its comprehensive parsing capabilities, structured data representation, and flexible API make it a valuable tool for a wide range of applications.

Features

• Comprehensive Support: Fores supports all directives defined in the OpenSSH client configuration specification.
• Recursive Include Handling: Fores accurately parses and represents the complete structure of the configuration file, including all nested files specified via Include directives.
• Robust Error Handling: Fores is designed to gracefully handle configuration errors, reporting them clearly without crashing.

Roadmap

• Customizable Output: Allow users to define their own output formats or data structures, potentially using traits.
• Trait Integration: Explore the use of traits to further enhance customization and flexibility.
• Command-Line Interface: A dedicated command-line utility for parsing and validating SSH config files could be added.

Technologies

The following tools were used in this project:

• Rust

AI Usage Disclosure

Various AI utilities and tools were used in the construction of this library. Below is a list of AIs and where / how they were used:

• Gemini was used to create the icon.
• Gemini was used to explain idiomatic Rust practices for certain functions and portions of the library. For example, explaining the ideal / recommended approach of using pub(crate) versus "private" or pub-only functions.
• CoPilot was used to populate repetitive logic, i.e. functions that are nearly identical except for naming, loops and match statements.

All AI-generated code has been reviewed, tested, and modified as needed for functionality, safety, and adherence to the overall design of the library.

License

This project is under license from MIT. For more details, see the LICENSE file.

Made with ❤️ by Mark Litchfield

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