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README.md	keyfork: add more documentation, unlink root README from crate	2024-02-10 01:30:50 -05:00

README.md

Keyfork: The Kitchen Sink of Entropy

Note: Keyfork operations are meant to be run on an airgapped machine and Keyfork will error if either any network interfaces are detected or if Keyfork is running on a system with a kernel using an insecure random number generator.

An all-inclusive crate encapsulating end-user functionality of the Keyfork ecosystem, the Keyfork binary includes all mechanisms that should be exposed to the user when running Keyfork. Information about what operations Keyfork performs are available in detail by running keyfork help (each subcommand has thorough documentation) or in the docs mdBook, but here's a quick overview:

Getting Started with Keyfork

Keyfork offers two options for getting started. For multi-user setups, it is best to look at the detailed documentation for Keyfork Shard. For single-user setups, keyfork mnemonic generate will (by default) create a 256-bit mnemonic phrase that can be used to start Keyfork. Store this phrase, as it's the only way you'll be able to start Keyfork in the future. It is recommended to use a mnemonic recovery sheet or a printed-steel solution such as the Billfodl or Cryptosteel Capsule.

keyfork mnemonic generate

Once a mnemonic has been generated and stored in a secure manner, Keyfork can be started by "recovering" the server from the mnemonic backup mechanism:

keyfork recover mnemonic

Deriving Keys

Keyfork's primary goal is to derive keys. These keys can later be used for things such as signing documents and artifacts or decrypting payloads. Keyfork's first derivation target is OpenPGP, a protocol supporting many cryptographic operations. OpenPGP keys require a User ID, which can be used to identify the owner of the key, either by name or by email. To get an OpenPGP public key (more accurately known as a "cert"), the sq tool is used to convert a key to a certificate:

keyfork derive openpgp "John Doe <jdoe@example.com>" | sq key extract-cert

All Keyfork derivations are intended to be reproducible. Because of this, Keyfork derived keys can be recreated at any time, only requiring the knowledge of how the key was made.