A Rust implementation of the [Smol Mail](https://code.randogoth.com/randogoth/smolmail) server: a minimalist, end-to-end encrypted mail protocol over a Noise-secured TCP connection, with an optional Reticulum (RNS) mesh carrier behind the `rns` build feature. `bunshin` implements the server side only — receiving, storing and serving sealed mail — not the client.
`services.bunshin` also takes `host`, `port`, `dataDir`, `maxEnvelope`, `quota`, `requestsQuota`, `retentionDays`, `requestsRetentionDays`, `maxTokens`, `rateConnections`, `rateSends`, `rateTokens`, `maxConnections` and `domains`; see `flake.nix` for defaults. The module renders a `systemd` unit that runs `bunshin serve` under `DynamicUser`; it does not generate a key.
For the RNS carrier, build `packages.rns`, set `services.bunshin.package` to it, and enable `services.bunshin.rns` with its `keyFile`; see [RNS.md](RNS.md) for the protocol and the remaining options.
One process can serve several logical servers, each with its own static key, port and mailbox database. bunshin routes by port — the wire protocol has no domain field, and each domain's clients simply pin `user@host → host:port, public key`. How a `user@domain` address resolves to that `host:port` (published addresses, DNS SRV records, a proxy) is outside the server.
The agreed discovery convention is a DNS SRV record: `_smolmail._tcp.<domain>. SRV 0 1 <port> <host>`, lowest priority wins, and no record falls back to the default port 1961. SRV is discovery only — a lying record lands the client on a server with the wrong static key and the handshake aborts, so the pin stays out of band. Client-side only: `fumi` implements the lookup (rev `1468f3c`), pinning by `host:port` with the default port inheriting the bare-host pin and other ports trust-on-first-use; bunshin serves ports and pins keys, and needs nothing for it.
`serve --config <file>` takes a TOML file: one `[defaults]` table inherited by every `[domains.<name>]` table (names are 1-63 bytes of `[a-z0-9._-]`). Per domain, `key` and `port` are required; `db` defaults to `mail-<name>.db`, and any of the other settings can be overridden per domain:
Every knob settable on the command line is settable in either table; unknown settings are rejected, not silently defaulted. `--config` cannot be combined with the single-domain flags or the `--rns-*` flags — the RNS carrier is single-domain, so it stays on the legacy flags. All keys are read and all ports bound before any domain serves, so a missing key or a taken port fails the process at startup.
On NixOS, set `services.bunshin.domains` instead; the module renders the TOML, gives each domain a database under `dataDir`, opens each domain's port with `openFirewall`, and loads per-domain invite token files via `LoadCredential`. The existing flat options keep serving the single-domain case unchanged.
Before the first deploy, generate the server's static key once (from a dev shell or `nix run`) and place it at the configured `keyFile`:
```
nix run "https://code.randogoth.com/randogoth/bunshin" -- keygen --key server.key
```
`keygen` writes the server's static X25519 key (used for the Noise handshake, distinct from any user's Ed25519 identity) and prints its public key in base32. Publish that public key through a trusted channel — clients pin it, and a mismatch aborts the handshake.
The `rns` feature (built by `packages.rns`, wired to the module through `services.bunshin.rns`) serves the same mailbox over the Reticulum Network Stack alongside TCP: `bunshin serve --rns` runs both carriers in one process against one database. The mesh address is the `smolmail.server` destination hash — there is no key to pin, the address is the pin.
`rns-keygen` writes the 64-byte Reticulum identity and prints the destination hash; publish `smol+rns://<user>@<hash>` as the server's address. RNS-specific limits (`--rns-max-envelope`, `--rns-fetch-budget`, `--rns-max-links`, `--rns-rate-link-requests`, `--rns-rate-link-bytes`) default to mesh-friendly 32 KiB caps; `--rns-link-idle` (default 300 s) reaps links whose client went silent, since nothing else times a link out; the UDP interface is the one supported transport interface so far. See [RNS.md](RNS.md).
Requires a Rust toolchain (stable, edition 2021) and a C compiler — `rusqlite`'s `bundled` feature compiles SQLite from source rather than linking a system copy, so no separate SQLite install is needed. The `rns` feature additionally needs cmake, ninja and a microReticulum checkout pointed at by `MICRORETICULUM_SOURCE_DIR` — the flake's dev shell provides all of it.
The binary lands at `target/release/bunshin`. With Nix, skip the toolchain setup entirely: `nix build` produces the same binary at `./result/bin/bunshin`.
`serve` accepts `--max-envelope`, `--quota`, `--requests-quota`, `--retention-days`, `--requests-retention-days`, `--max-tokens`, `--invite-token`, `--rate-connections`, `--rate-sends`, `--rate-tokens` and `--max-connections` to control size limits, the mailbox's two quota tiers, their retention, the accept-token cap, registration gating, abuse control and the concurrent-connection cap. Rate limits are sliding-window: hits age out 60 s after they happen, so a burst straddling a window boundary cannot exceed the configured rate. Connections past `--max-connections` (default 100, 0 = unlimited) are refused, mirroring the RNS carrier's link cap. Run `bunshin serve --help` for defaults.
`--verbose` (or `services.bunshin.verbose` in the NixOS module) raises logging to debug level, which adds server-side metrics on both carriers: per-operation timing, request and response sizes, handshake duration, per-session summaries, and RNS link events. The default info level stays quiet on success.
Implements SPEC.md version 1.1 in full: `AUTH`, `RESOLVE`, `SEND`, `FETCH`, `DELETE` and `REGISTER`, including accept tokens and the main/requests tier split, fetch cursors, 32-byte message ids, `REGISTER` proof of possession, and dual-signed key rotation chains.
With the `rns` feature, implements the version 1.2 RNS transport: the same six operations over Reticulum Links to an announced `smolmail.server` destination, with link-bound AUTH/REGISTER signatures, per-link request and byte limits, and a concurrent-link cap. One server process can serve both carriers over one store.
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 ([LICENSE](LICENSE)). Third-party dependency licenses are listed in [THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md](THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md).