discourse/discovery/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 Elm for the Frontend

• Why: Your experience with JavaScript, combined with your colleague’s Elm expertise, makes this a strong frontend combo. Elm’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 Elm 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 Elm 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 Elm

• What: Build a secure, user-friendly interface in Elm, leveraging your colleague’s expertise.
• How:
  • Handle user interactions (e.g., submitting opinions, generating tokens) in Elm.
  • 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 Elm (via JavaScript interop) to connect to the backend.

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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 Elm 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. Elm Frontend: Work with your Elm 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, Elm 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.