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Simple RSync Daemon — Honest Assessment

Date: May 2026
Version: 0.4.0 Security-ready beta

Executive Summary

Current status: v0.4.0 Security-ready beta — TLS, enforced IP/CIDR ACLs, rate limiting, privilege drop, symlink hardening, and SSH public-key auth are implemented. 8/8 CTest suites pass. Suitable for internet-facing beta deployments with TLS and hardened config; still not general production (Gate 3).

See PRODUCTION_GATE.md for release tiers.

Tier v0.4.0
Distribution (installers) ✅
Beta (controlled use) ✅
Security-ready ✅
Production ❌

What's Actually Working

Build, packaging, and tests

  • ✅ CMake + GNUmakefile; make static-package produces DEB, RPM, FreeBSD PKG, macOS PKG/DMG
  • ✅ macOS PKG installs to /usr/local/bin, /etc/simple-rsyncd/, /Library/LaunchDaemons
  • ✅ Google Test: 8 suites (Config, Module, Protocol, Auth, Integration, Security, SSL, PublicKey)
  • ✅ Canonical source tree under src/simple-rsyncd/

Core daemon (beta scope)

  • ✅ Custom protocol — LIST, GET, PUT, DELETE, STAT; key=value arguments on direct command lines
  • ✅ Module FS — list, upload, download, delete, mkdir/rmdir; path traversal checks
  • ✅ INI configuration — parse, validate, module definitions
  • ✅ Password auth — password file, allow/deny lists; SHA-256 hashing with plain-text fallback for legacy entries
  • ✅ Network + sessions — accept loop, session handling, file transfer in sessions
  • ✅ Logging — functional logger (rotation/syslog not production-grade)

Implemented (v0.4.0)

  • ✅ TLS 1.2+ — cert/key load, handshake on accept, SSLTests
  • ✅ IP/CIDR access control — enforced in acceptLoop
  • ✅ Connection rate limiting — per-IP minute/hour windows
  • ✅ Privilege drop — after bind when root (security.user/group)
  • ✅ Symlink hardening — blocked when allow_symlinks=false
  • ✅ Plain-text password rejection — opt-in via config + migration doc
  • ✅ Public-key auth — Ed25519/RSA/ECDSA verify; OpenSSH ssh-keygen -Y sign (PublicKeyTests)

Partially implemented

  • ⚠️ JSON/YAML config — INI is supported; verify others before relying
  • ⚠️ Chroot — implemented; requires root + manual validation

Not implemented / not verified

  • ❌ Native rsync(1) wire compatibility
  • ❌ bcrypt/argon2 (SHA-256 + salt today)
  • ❌ OAuth2, Prometheus, bandwidth throttling

v0.3.1 Fixes (since v0.3.0)

Issue Fix
Directory listing returned empty Read permission + path checks allow module roots and directories
mkdir / upload failed Path validation no longer requires target to exist before create/upload
Protocol args ignored recursive=true, max_depth=N parsed on lines without @RSYNCD header
Tests 40% pass 100% CTest pass rate after fixes

Code Quality

Strengths

  • Clean C++17 layout; RAII and std::filesystem for module ops
  • Good separation: config, protocol, module, session, daemon
  • Honest README and production gate docs (post v0.3.1)

Remaining gaps

  • Large header APIs with many unimplemented helper stubs on Module
  • Documentation outside README.md / project/ was stale until this pass
  • No Linux CI proof in release checklist (macOS verified locally)
  • Security features mostly config-level, not runtime-enforced

Version History (honest)

Version What it actually was
v0.2.0 MVP — custom protocol, modules, INI, basic auth, unit tests
v0.3.0 Packaging — cross-platform installers; tests still failing
v0.3.1 Beta — core FS + protocol fixes; all tests green; docs scrubbed
v0.4.0 Planned — TLS, hardening, enforced ACLs/rate limits
v0.5.0 Planned — production gate (client matrix, metrics, soak tests)

Recommendations

Safe to do on v0.3.1 Beta

  • Install from release packages in staging/lab
  • Exercise LIST/GET/PUT/DELETE against the custom protocol
  • Use INI config and password auth on trusted networks

Do not do on v0.3.1 Beta

  • Expose directly to the internet without TLS and hardening
  • Assume rsync rsync://host/module/ works
  • Market as “production-ready” or “rsyncd replacement”

Next engineering priorities (v0.4.0)

  1. Complete TLS in ssl_context.cpp
  2. Enforce IP/CIDR and connection limits at accept time
  3. Privilege drop after bind
  4. Linux CI running ctest on every push
  5. bcrypt/argon2 or documented SHA-256 limitation + migration

Bottom Line

v0.3.1 Beta is a real milestone: installers ship, tests pass, core file operations work.
It is not production-ready. Use PRODUCTION_GATE.md before changing that label.

Assessment based on code review, CTest results, and v0.3.1 release artifacts — May 2026.