.. raw:: html
.. role:: red
Deterministic Corda Modules
===========================
A Corda contract's verify function should always produce the same results for the same input data. To that end,
Corda provides the following modules:
#. ``core-deterministic``
#. ``serialization-deterministic``
#. ``jdk8u-deterministic``
These are reduced version of Corda's ``core`` and ``serialization`` modules and the OpenJDK 8 ``rt.jar``, where the
non-deterministic functionality has been removed. The intention here is that all CorDapp classes required for
contract verification should be compiled against these modules to prevent them containing non-deterministic behaviour.
.. note:: These modules are only a development aid. They cannot guarantee determinism without also including
deterministic versions of all their dependent libraries, e.g. ``kotlin-stdlib``.
Generating the Deterministic Modules
------------------------------------
JDK 8
``jdk8u-deterministic`` is a "pseudo JDK" image that we can point the Java and Kotlin compilers to. It downloads the
``rt.jar`` containing a deterministic subset of the Java 8 APIs from the Artifactory.
To build a new version of this JAR and upload it to the Artifactory, see the ``create-jdk8u`` module. This is a
standalone Gradle project within the Corda repository that will clone the ``deterministic-jvm8`` branch of Corda's
`OpenJDK repository `_ and then build it. (This currently requires a C++ compiler,
GNU Make and a UNIX-like development environment.)
Corda Modules
``core-deterministic`` and ``serialization-deterministic`` are generated from Corda's ``core`` and ``serialization``
modules respectively using both `ProGuard `_ and Corda's ``JarFilter`` Gradle
plugin. Corda developers configure these tools by applying Corda's ``@KeepForDJVM`` and ``@DeleteForDJVM``
annotations to elements of ``core`` and ``serialization`` as described :ref:`here `.
The build generates each of Corda's deterministic JARs in six steps:
#. Some *very few* classes in the original JAR must be replaced completely. This is typically because the original
class uses something like ``ThreadLocal``, which is not available in the deterministic Java APIs, and yet the
class is still required by the deterministic JAR. We must keep such classes to a minimum!
#. The patched JAR is analysed by ProGuard for the first time using the following rule:
.. sourcecode:: groovy
keep '@interface net.corda.core.KeepForDJVM { *; }'
..
ProGuard works by calculating how much code is reachable from given "entry points", and in our case these entry
points are the ``@KeepForDJVM`` classes. The unreachable classes are then discarded by ProGuard's ``shrink``
option.
#. The remaining classes may still contain non-deterministic code. However, there is no way of writing a ProGuard rule
explicitly to discard anything. Consider the following class:
.. sourcecode:: kotlin
@CordaSerializable
@KeepForDJVM
data class UniqueIdentifier(val externalId: String?, val id: UUID) : Comparable {
@DeleteForDJVM constructor(externalId: String?) : this(externalId, UUID.randomUUID())
@DeleteForDJVM constructor() : this(null)
...
}
..
While CorDapps will definitely need to handle ``UniqueIdentifier`` objects, both of the secondary constructors
generate a new random ``UUID`` and so are non-deterministic. Hence the next "determinising" step is to pass the
classes to the ``JarFilter`` tool, which strips out all of the elements which have been annotated as
``@DeleteForDJVM`` and stubs out any functions annotated with ``@StubOutForDJVM``. (Stub functions that
return a value will throw ``UnsupportedOperationException``, whereas ``void`` or ``Unit`` stubs will do nothing.)
#. After the ``@DeleteForDJVM`` elements have been filtered out, the classes are rescanned using ProGuard to remove
any more code that has now become unreachable.
#. The remaining classes define our deterministic subset. However, the ``@kotlin.Metadata`` annotations on the compiled
Kotlin classes still contain references to all of the functions and properties that ProGuard has deleted. Therefore
we now use the ``JarFilter`` to delete these references, as otherwise the Kotlin compiler will pretend that the
deleted functions and properties are still present.
#. Finally, we use ProGuard again to validate our JAR against the deterministic ``rt.jar``:
.. literalinclude:: ../../core-deterministic/build.gradle
:language: groovy
:start-after: DOCSTART 01
:end-before: DOCEND 01
..
This step will fail if ProGuard spots any Java API references that still cannot be satisfied by the deterministic
``rt.jar``, and hence it will break the build.
Configuring IntelliJ with a Deterministic SDK
---------------------------------------------
We would like to configure IntelliJ so that it will highlight uses of non-deterministic Java APIs as :red:`not found`.
Or, more specifically, we would like IntelliJ to use the ``deterministic-rt.jar`` as a "Module SDK" for deterministic
modules rather than the ``rt.jar`` from the default project SDK, to make IntelliJ consistent with Gradle.
This is possible, but slightly tricky to configure because IntelliJ will not recognise an SDK containing only the
``deterministic-rt.jar`` as being valid. It also requires that IntelliJ delegate all build tasks to Gradle, and that
Gradle be configured to use the Project's SDK.
Creating the Deterministic SDK
Gradle creates a suitable JDK image in the project's ``jdk8u-deterministic/jdk`` directory, and you can
configure IntelliJ to use this location for this SDK. However, you should also be aware that IntelliJ SDKs
are available for *all* projects to use.
To create this JDK image, execute the following:
.. code-block:: bash
$ gradlew jdk8u-deterministic:copyJdk
..
Now select ``File/Project Structure/Platform Settings/SDKs`` and add a new JDK SDK with the
``jdk8u-deterministic/jdk`` directory as its home. Rename this SDK to something like "1.8 (Deterministic)".
This *should* be sufficient for IntelliJ. However, if IntelliJ realises that this SDK does not contain a
full JDK then you will need to configure the new SDK by hand:
#. Create a JDK Home directory with the following contents:
``jre/lib/rt.jar``
where ``rt.jar`` here is this renamed artifact:
.. code-block:: xml
net.corda
deterministic-rt
api
..
#. While IntelliJ is *not* running, locate the ``config/options/jdk.table.xml`` file in IntelliJ's configuration
directory. Add an empty ```` section to this file:
.. code-block:: xml
..
#. Open IntelliJ and select ``File/Project Structure/Platform Settings/SDKs``. The "1.8 (Deterministic)" SDK
should now be present. Select it and then click on the ``Classpath`` tab. Press the "Add" / "Plus" button to
add ``rt.jar`` to the SDK's classpath. Then select the ``Annotations`` tab and include the same JAR(s) as
the other SDKs.
Configuring the Corda Project
#. Open the root ``build.gradle`` file and define this property:
.. code-block:: gradle
buildscript {
ext {
...
deterministic_idea_sdk = '1.8 (Deterministic)'
...
}
}
..
Configuring IntelliJ
#. Go to ``File/Settings/Build, Execution, Deployment/Build Tools/Gradle``, and configure Gradle's JVM to be the
project's JVM.
#. Go to ``File/Settings/Build, Execution, Deployment/Build Tools/Gradle/Runner``, and select these options:
- Delegate IDE build/run action to Gradle
- Run tests using the Gradle Test Runner
#. Delete all of the ``out`` directories that IntelliJ has previously generated for each module.
#. Go to ``View/Tool Windows/Gradle`` and click the ``Refresh all Gradle projects`` button.
These steps will enable IntelliJ's presentation compiler to use the deterministic ``rt.jar`` with the following modules:
- ``core-deterministic``
- ``serialization-deterministic``
- ``core-deterministic:testing:common``
but still build everything using Gradle with the full JDK.
Testing the Deterministic Modules
---------------------------------
The ``core-deterministic:testing`` module executes some basic JUnit tests for the ``core-deterministic`` and
``serialization-deterministic`` JARs. These tests are compiled against the deterministic ``rt.jar``, although
they are still executed using the full JDK.
The ``testing`` module also has two sub-modules:
``core-deterministic:testing:data``
This module generates test data such as serialised transactions and elliptic curve key pairs using the full
non-deterministic ``core`` library and JDK. This data is all written into a single JAR which the ``testing``
module adds to its classpath.
``core-deterministic:testing:common``
This module provides the test classes which the ``testing`` and ``data`` modules need to share. It is therefore
compiled against the deterministic API subset.
.. _deterministic_annotations:
Applying @KeepForDJVM and @DeleteForDJVM annotations
----------------------------------------------------
Corda developers need to understand how to annotate classes in the ``core`` and ``serialization`` modules correctly
in order to maintain the deterministic JARs.
.. note:: Every Kotlin class still has its own ``.class`` file, even when all of those classes share the same
source file. Also, annotating the file:
.. sourcecode:: kotlin
@file:KeepForDJVM
package net.corda.core.internal
..
*does not* automatically annotate any class declared *within* this file. It merely annotates any
accompanying Kotlin ``xxxKt`` class.
For more information about how ``JarFilter`` is processing the byte-code inside ``core`` and ``serialization``,
use Gradle's ``--info`` or ``--debug`` command-line options.
Deterministic Classes
Classes that *must* be included in the deterministic JAR should be annotated as ``@KeepForDJVM``.
.. literalinclude:: ../../core/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/core/KeepForDJVM.kt
:language: kotlin
:start-after: DOCSTART 01
:end-before: DOCEND 01
..
To preserve any Kotlin functions, properties or type aliases that have been declared outside of a ``class``,
you should annotate the source file's ``package`` declaration instead:
.. sourcecode:: kotlin
@file:JvmName("InternalUtils")
@file:KeepForDJVM
package net.corda.core.internal
infix fun Temporal.until(endExclusive: Temporal): Duration = Duration.between(this, endExclusive)
..
Non-Deterministic Elements
Elements that *must* be deleted from classes in the deterministic JAR should be annotated as ``@DeleteForDJVM``.
.. literalinclude:: ../../core/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/core/DeleteForDJVM.kt
:language: kotlin
:start-after: DOCSTART 01
:end-before: DOCEND 01
..
You must also ensure that a deterministic class's primary constructor does not reference any classes that are
not available in the deterministic ``rt.jar``, nor have any non-deterministic default parameter values such as
``UUID.randomUUID()``. The biggest risk here would be that ``JarFilter`` would delete the primary constructor
and that the class could no longer be instantiated, although ``JarFilter`` will print a warning in this case.
However, it is also likely that the "determinised" class would have a different serialisation signature than
its non-deterministic version and so become unserialisable on the deterministic JVM.
Be aware that package-scoped Kotlin properties are all initialised within a common ```` block inside
their host ``.class`` file. This means that when ``JarFilter`` deletes these properties, it cannot also remove
their initialisation code. For example:
.. sourcecode:: kotlin
package net.corda.core
@DeleteForDJVM
val map: MutableMap = ConcurrentHashMap()
..
In this case, ``JarFilter`` would delete the ``map`` property but the ```` block would still create
an instance of ``ConcurrentHashMap``. The solution here is to refactor the property into its own file and then
annotate the file itself as ``@DeleteForDJVM`` instead.
Non-Deterministic Function Stubs
Sometimes it is impossible to delete a function entirely. Or a function may have some non-deterministic code
embedded inside it that cannot be removed. For these rare cases, there is the ``@StubOutForDJVM``
annotation:
.. literalinclude:: ../../core/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/core/StubOutForDJVM.kt
:language: kotlin
:start-after: DOCSTART 01
:end-before: DOCEND 01
..
This annotation instructs ``JarFilter`` to replace the function's body with either an empty body (for functions
that return ``void`` or ``Unit``) or one that throws ``UnsupportedOperationException``. For example:
.. sourcecode:: kotlin
fun necessaryCode() {
nonDeterministicOperations()
otherOperations()
}
@StubOutForDJVM
private fun nonDeterministicOperations() {
// etc
}
..