# IndieAuth Implementation Questions - Answered
## Quick Reference
All architectural questions have been answered. This document provides the concrete guidance needed for implementation.
## Questions & Answers
### ✅ Q1: External Token Endpoint Response Format
**Answer**: Follow the IndieAuth spec exactly (W3C TR).
**Expected Response**:
```json
{
"me": "https://user.example.net/",
"client_id": "https://app.example.com/",
"scope": "create update delete"
}
```
**Error Responses**: HTTP 400, 401, or 403 for invalid tokens.
---
### ✅ Q2: HTML Discovery Headers
**Answer**: These are links users add to THEIR websites, not StarPunk.
**User's HTML** (on their personal domain):
```html
```
**StarPunk's Role**: Discover these endpoints from the user's URL, don't generate them.
---
### ✅ Q3: Migration Strategy
**Architectural Decision**: Keep migration 002, document it as future-use.
**Action Items**:
1. Keep the migration file as-is
2. Add comment: "Tables created for future V2 internal provider support"
3. Don't use these tables in V1 (external verification only)
4. No impact on existing production databases
**Rationale**: Empty tables cause no harm, avoid migration complexity later.
---
### ✅ Q4: Error Handling
**Answer**: Show clear, informative error messages.
**Error Messages**:
- **Auth server down**: "Authorization server is unreachable. Please try again later."
- **Invalid token**: "Access token is invalid or expired. Please re-authorize."
- **Network error**: "Cannot connect to authorization server."
**HTTP Status Codes**:
- 401: No token provided
- 403: Invalid/expired token
- 503: Auth server unreachable
---
### ✅ Q5: Cache Revocation Delay
**Architectural Decision**: Use 5-minute cache with configuration options.
**Implementation**:
```python
# Default: 5-minute cache
MICROPUB_TOKEN_CACHE_TTL=300
MICROPUB_TOKEN_CACHE_ENABLED=true
# High security: disable cache
MICROPUB_TOKEN_CACHE_ENABLED=false
```
**Security Notes**:
- SHA256 hash tokens before caching
- Memory-only cache (not persisted)
- Document 5-minute delay in security guide
- Allow disabling for high-security needs
---
## Implementation Checklist
### Immediate Actions
1. **Remove Internal Provider Code**:
- Delete `/auth/authorize` endpoint
- Delete `/auth/token` endpoint
- Remove token issuance logic
- Remove authorization code generation
2. **Implement External Verification**:
```python
# Core verification function
def verify_micropub_token(bearer_token, expected_me):
# 1. Check cache (if enabled)
# 2. Discover token endpoint from expected_me
# 3. Verify with external endpoint
# 4. Cache result (if enabled)
# 5. Return validation result
```
3. **Add Configuration**:
```ini
# Required
ADMIN_ME=https://user.example.com
# Optional (with defaults)
MICROPUB_TOKEN_CACHE_ENABLED=true
MICROPUB_TOKEN_CACHE_TTL=300
```
4. **Update Error Handling**:
```python
try:
response = httpx.get(endpoint, timeout=5.0)
except httpx.TimeoutError:
return error(503, "Authorization server is unreachable")
```
---
## Code Examples
### Token Verification
```python
def verify_token(bearer_token: str, token_endpoint: str, expected_me: str) -> Optional[dict]:
"""Verify token with external endpoint"""
try:
response = httpx.get(
token_endpoint,
headers={'Authorization': f'Bearer {bearer_token}'},
timeout=5.0
)
if response.status_code == 200:
data = response.json()
if data.get('me') == expected_me and 'create' in data.get('scope', ''):
return data
return None
except httpx.TimeoutError:
raise TokenEndpointError("Authorization server is unreachable")
```
### Endpoint Discovery
```python
def discover_token_endpoint(me_url: str) -> str:
"""Discover token endpoint from user's URL"""
response = httpx.get(me_url)
# 1. Check HTTP Link header
if link := parse_link_header(response.headers.get('Link'), 'token_endpoint'):
return urljoin(me_url, link)
# 2. Check HTML tags
if 'text/html' in response.headers.get('content-type', ''):
if link := parse_html_link(response.text, 'token_endpoint'):
return urljoin(me_url, link)
raise DiscoveryError(f"No token endpoint found at {me_url}")
```
### Micropub Endpoint
```python
@app.route('/api/micropub', methods=['POST'])
def micropub_endpoint():
# Extract token
auth = request.headers.get('Authorization', '')
if not auth.startswith('Bearer '):
return {'error': 'unauthorized'}, 401
token = auth[7:] # Remove "Bearer "
# Verify token
try:
token_info = verify_micropub_token(token, app.config['ADMIN_ME'])
if not token_info:
return {'error': 'forbidden'}, 403
except TokenEndpointError as e:
return {'error': 'temporarily_unavailable', 'error_description': str(e)}, 503
# Process Micropub request
# ... create note ...
return '', 201, {'Location': note_url}
```
---
## Testing Guide
### Manual Testing
1. Configure your domain with IndieAuth links
2. Set ADMIN_ME in StarPunk config
3. Use Quill (https://quill.p3k.io) to test posting
4. Verify token caching works (check logs)
5. Test with auth server down (block network)
### Automated Tests
```python
def test_token_verification():
# Mock external token endpoint
with responses.RequestsMock() as rsps:
rsps.add(responses.GET, 'https://tokens.example.com/token',
json={'me': 'https://user.com', 'scope': 'create'})
result = verify_token('test-token', 'https://tokens.example.com/token', 'https://user.com')
assert result['me'] == 'https://user.com'
def test_auth_server_unreachable():
# Mock timeout
with pytest.raises(TokenEndpointError, match="unreachable"):
verify_token('test-token', 'https://timeout.example.com/token', 'https://user.com')
```
---
## User Documentation Template
### For Users: Setting Up IndieAuth
1. **Add to your website's HTML**:
```html
```
2. **Configure StarPunk**:
```ini
ADMIN_ME=https://your-website.com
```
3. **Test with a Micropub client**:
- Visit https://quill.p3k.io
- Enter your website URL
- Authorize and post!
---
## Summary
All architectural questions have been answered:
1. **Token Format**: Follow IndieAuth spec exactly
2. **HTML Headers**: Users configure their own domains
3. **Migration**: Keep tables for future use
4. **Errors**: Clear messages about connectivity
5. **Cache**: 5-minute TTL with disable option
The implementation path is clear: remove internal provider code, implement external verification with caching, and provide good error messages. This aligns with StarPunk's philosophy of minimal code and IndieWeb principles.
---
**Ready for Implementation**: All questions answered, examples provided, architecture documented.