Module Description

mod_keystore serves as storage for crypto keys - it doesn't implement any XMPP-level protocol. The module can store transient RAM-only keys generated on module startup, stored in memory only, distributed to all cluster members and existing for only as long as the cluster is alive, as well as predefined and pre-shared keys which can be read from a file.

RAM-only keys provide better security since they are never written to persistent storage, at the cost of loss in case of a cluster-global failure or restart.

As of now mod_auth_token is the only module dependent on mod_keystore.

It's crucial to understand the distinction between single-tenant and multi-tenant hosting scenarios. In a multi-tenant server mod_keystore must be configured separately for each virtual XMPP domain to avoid sharing keys between domains!

Options

  • ram_key_size: size to use when generating RAM-only keys (designated by type ram)
  • keys: list of specifiers of keys which will be provided by the module at runtime

Each key specifier is a pair of {KeyName, KeyType}, where:

  • KeyName: any Erlang term. For simplicity's sake atoms are advised. Names have to be unique in the context of one virtual domain.
  • KeyType: one of ram or {file, "path/to/file"}. The file is read and its contents are provided as the key (whitespace is trimmed).

API

The module public API is hook-based:

ejabberd_hooks:run_fold(get_key, Domain, [], [{KeyName, Domain}]).

An example of usage can be found in mod_auth_token:get_key_for_user/2

Example Configuration

Simple configuration - single tenant (i.e. server hosting just one XMPP domain):

{mod_keystore, [{keys, [{access_secret, ram},
                        {access_psk,    {file, "priv/access_psk"}},
                        {provision_psk, {file, "priv/provision_psk"}}]}]}

Multi-tenant setup (mod_keystore configured differently for each virtual XMPP domain):

{host_config, "first.com",
 [
  {modules,
   [
    {mod_keystore, [ {keys, [{access_secret, ram},
                             {access_psk,    {file, "priv/first_access_psk"}},
                             {provision_psk, {file, "priv/first_provision_psk"}}]}
                   ]}
   ]}
 ]}.

{host_config, "second.com",
 [
  {modules,
   [
    {mod_keystore, [ {keys, [{access_secret, ram},
                             {access_psk,    {file, "priv/second_access_psk"}},
                             {provision_psk, {file, "priv/second_provision_psk"}}]}
                   ]}
   ]}
 ]}.