discourse/discovery/initial/STACK_GUIDANCE.md

## Language and Tool Choices

### 1. **Go for Core Backend Services**
- **Why**: As your primary language, Go is perfect for the backbone of your system—handling core logic like managing commitments, verifying cryptographic proofs, and interacting with a public ledger. Go excels at concurrency, networking, and has solid built-in cryptographic support via the `crypto` package (e.g., `crypto/sha256` for hashing).
- **Use Case**: Build the main services here, such as processing submissions, verifying data, and serving as the central hub for other components.

### 2. **Python for Cryptographic Prototyping**
- **Why**: While you’re more comfortable in Go, Python offers mature libraries for advanced cryptography, like blind signatures (e.g., `blind-signatures` package), which are less developed in Go. Python’s ecosystem also supports prototyping complex cryptographic components quickly.
- **Use Case**: Implement cryptographic primitives like blind signatures in Python, then expose them to your Go services via gRPC.

### 3. **JavaScript and Next.js for the Frontend**
- **Why**: Your experience with JavaScript, combined with your colleague’s Next.js expertise, makes this a strong frontend combo. Typescript’s type safety and functional nature ensure a secure, reliable user interface, while JavaScript can handle client-side cryptographic tasks via interop.
- **Use Case**: Use Next.js to build the UI, guiding users through processes like submitting data or generating tokens. Leverage JavaScript libraries (e.g., `crypto-js`) for client-side cryptography when needed.

### 4. **Protocol Buffers and gRPC**
- **Why**: Your preference for Protocol Buffers and gRPC aligns perfectly with building secure, efficient communication between services. Go has excellent gRPC support, and Connect-wrapped gRPC adds HTTP/1.1 compatibility for broader client access.
- **Use Case**: Define service interfaces with Protocol Buffers and use gRPC for communication between your Go backend, Python cryptographic services, and Next.js frontend (via JavaScript interop).

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## Recommended Implementation Approach

### **1. Core Services in Go**
- **What**: Build the backend in Go to handle the system’s core functionality—e.g., managing data submissions, verifying cryptographic proofs, and storing or retrieving data from a ledger.
- **How**:
    - Use Go’s `crypto` package for basic operations like hashing commitments.
    - Implement gRPC servers to connect with other components.
    - If you later integrate a blockchain (e.g., Ethereum), use `go-ethereum` to interact with it.

### **2. Cryptographic Components**
- **Blind Signatures**:
    - **What**: Implement blind signatures in Python using the `blind-signatures` library, which is more mature than Go equivalents like `schollz/blind`.
    - **How**: Create a Python microservice that generates and verifies blind signatures, exposing it via gRPC to your Go backend.
- **Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs)**:
    - **What**: ZKPs are complex, with mature tools in other ecosystems (e.g., `snarkjs` in JavaScript, `circom` for circuit design). Go has emerging options like `gnark`, but you can lean on your Python/JS experience.
    - **How**:
        - Define ZKP circuits in Circom (a domain-specific language).
        - Generate proofs in JavaScript (using `snarkjs`) or Python, and verify them in Go with a library like `gnark` or custom bindings.

### **3. Public Ledger**
- **Option 1: Centralized Database (Start Here)**:
    - **What**: Use PostgreSQL with Go’s `database/sql` package for simplicity and speed.
    - **How**: Store commitments, signatures, and proofs with tamper-evident hashes (e.g., SHA-256) to mimic some blockchain properties initially.
- **Option 2: Blockchain (Later Upgrade)**:
    - **What**: Transition to a blockchain like Ethereum for decentralization.
    - **How**: Write smart contracts in Solidity and use `go-ethereum` in your Go services to interact with the chain.

### **4. Frontend with Next.js**
- **What**: Build a secure, user-friendly interface in Next.js, leveraging your colleague’s expertise.
- **How**:
    - Handle user interactions (e.g., submitting opinions, generating tokens) in Next.js.
    - For cryptographic operations (e.g., commitments), use JavaScript interop to call libraries like `crypto-js` or `sjcl`.

### **5. Communication with gRPC**
- **What**: Tie everything together with gRPC for secure, type-safe communication.
- **How**:
    - Define your APIs in Protocol Buffers (e.g., `.proto` files).
    - Implement gRPC servers in Go for the backend and in Python for cryptographic services.
    - Use gRPC clients in Next.js (via JavaScript interop) to connect to the backend.

---

## Why This Approach Works for You
- **Plays to Your Strengths**: Go is your core skill, so it handles the heavy lifting. Python and JavaScript fill gaps where Go’s ecosystem is less mature, using languages you’ve worked with before.
- **Leverages Your Team**: Your Next.js developer can own the frontend, ensuring a high-quality UI while you focus on the backend and integration.
- **Matches Your Preferences**: Protocol Buffers and gRPC are central to the architecture, providing the efficient, secure communication you enjoy working with.
- **Scalable Design**: Start simple with a centralized database, then scale to a blockchain if needed, all while keeping your codebase modular and maintainable.

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## Next Steps to Get Started
1. **Go Backend**: Set up a basic gRPC server in Go using Protocol Buffers. Implement a simple hashing function with `crypto/sha256` to test commitments.
2. **Python Cryptography**: Prototype blind signatures in Python with `blind-signatures` and expose them via a gRPC service.
3. **Next.js Frontend**: Work with your Next.js developer to create a basic UI that sends requests to your Go backend via gRPC (using JS interop).
4. **ZKP Exploration**: Experiment with Circom and `snarkjs` to build a small ZKP circuit, then verify it in Go with `gnark`.
5. **Ledger Setup**: Start with PostgreSQL in Go, storing hashed data, and plan for a blockchain pivot later if required.

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## Conclusion
This approach lets you use Go for the core, Python for cryptography where Go lacks, Next.js for a secure frontend, and gRPC for communication—all aligned with your skills and preferences. You’ll build a solid system that’s secure, efficient, and extensible, with room to grow into more advanced features like blockchain integration.