RFC Refactor PR: Modular Rewrite of Mix Protocol Specification (#158)

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This PR rewrites the Mix Protocol RFC for clarity, layering, and
implementability. It reorganizes the spec into a modular structure
aligned with RFC 7322 and RFC 2119, with clean separation between
protocol logic, integration, and pluggable components.

### Goals

- Clearly define Mix as a **message-based routing protocol**, not a
transport or application-layer solution.
- Support **per-message anonymity** via a `mixify` flag and **external
integration** through Entry and Exit layers.
- Adopt a clean, layered structure: motivation → integration → routing
model → cryptographic structure → node behavior.
- Use correct RFC formatting, keywords, and SEMBR for implementation
clarity.

### Changes Completed in This PR

#### Sections 0–5: Foundational Structure and Protocol Layering

* [x] **Abstract**: Concise, non-repetitive summary of protocol purpose
and scope.
* [x] **§1 Introduction**: Cleanly describes protocol role, document
scope, and integration model.
* [x] **§2 Terminology**: Defines all key terms; includes correct use of
`MUST`, `SHOULD`, and informal variants.
* [x] **§3 Motivation and Background**: Articulates need for sender
anonymity in libp2p; includes `§3.1 Comparison with Tor`.

#### Section 4 Mixing Strategy and Packet Format

* [x] **§4.1 Mixing Strategy**: Defines continuous-time mixing;
justifies choice over batching.
* [x] **§4.2 Packet Format Overview**: Defines what a mix packet must
achieve; outlines Sphinx format properties and rationale.

#### Section 5 Protocol Overview and Integration

* [x] **§5 Protocol Overview**: Clean, layered walkthrough of core
protocol behavior and layering in libp2p.
* [x] **§5.1 Integration with Origin Protocols**: External interface
components (Mix Entry/Exit layers).
* [x] **§5.2 Mixify Option**: Per-message flag defined.
* [x] **§5.3 Why a Protocol, Not a Transport**: Explains why Mix is
layered as a libp2p protocol, not a transport.
* [x] **§5.4 Protocol Interaction Flow**: Three-phase diagram and
explanation (entry → routing → exit).

#### Section 6 Pluggable Components

* [x] Discovery: advertise Mix support via ENR, X25519 key
* [x] Delay strategy: sender-defined per-hop delay
* [x] Spam protection: PoW/VDF/RLN options, exit node validation
* [x] Cover traffic: periodic loops for unobservability
* [x] Incentivization: nodes MUST participate to send

#### Section 7 Core Mix Protocol Responsibilities

* [x] Define Sender, Intermediary, Exit node roles
* [x] Specify lifecycle and message flow per role

#### Section 8 Sphinx Packet Format (Detailed Spec)

* [ ] Full field definitions (α, β, γ, δ, delays, MACs)
* [ ] Encoding and padding behavior

#### Section 9 Node Behavior (Mix Protocol Handler)

* [ ] Describe sender node logic: path selection, packet wrapping
* [ ] Describe intermediary/exit node behavior: decryption, delay,
forwarding

#### Section 10 Limitations and Future Work

* [ ] SURB-based reply support (unimplemented)
* [ ] DoS/Sybil attack surface
* [ ] Path overlap, message reordering, end-to-end acks

#### Appendices

* [ ] Appendix A: Proof-of-Work Example
* [ ] Appendix B: ENR-Based Discovery Example

...

This commit is contained in:

AkshayaMani

2025-06-27 14:03:10 -04:00

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parent 36caaa621a

commit 5e3b4788ec

1 changed files with 827 additions and 676 deletions

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