Spec Layer
How does the code work? What does each function do? What are the security invariants?
Structure
Spec has two levels:
spec/modules/ — Per-module documentation
Mirrors the src/Simplex/ directory structure exactly. Each .hs file has a corresponding .md file at the same relative path. Contains only information that is not obvious from reading the code and cannot fit in a one-line source comment:
- Non-obvious behavior (subtle invariants, ordering dependencies, concurrency assumptions)
- Usage considerations (when to use X vs Y, common mistakes, caller obligations)
- Relationships to other modules not visible from imports
- Security notes specific to this module
Not included: type signatures, code snippets, function-by-function prose that restates the source. If reading the code tells you everything, the module doc says so briefly.
Function references use fully qualified names with markdown links:
[Simplex.Messaging.Server.subscribeServiceMessages](./modules/Simplex/Messaging/Server.md#subscribeServiceMessages)
Source code links back via comments:
-- spec: spec/modules/Simplex/Messaging/Server.md#subscribeServiceMessages
subscribeServiceMessages :: ...
spec/ root — Topic documentation
Cross-module documentation that follows a feature, mechanism, or concern across the entire stack. Topics answer "how does X work end-to-end?" rather than "what does this file do?"
Topics reference module docs rather than restating implementation details. They focus on:
- End-to-end data flow across modules
- Cross-cutting security analysis and invariants
- Design rationale, risks, test gaps
- Version gates and compatibility concerns
Some topics may migrate to product/ if they are primarily about user-visible behavior and guarantees rather than implementation mechanics.
spec/security-invariants.md — All security invariants
Cross-referenced from both module docs and topic docs.
Conventions
Module doc entry format:
## functionName
**Purpose**: ...
**Calls**: [Module.a](./modules/path.md#a), [Module.b](./modules/path.md#b)
**Called by**: [Module.c](./modules/path.md#c)
**Invariant**: SI-XX
**Security**: ...
Index
Topics
- rcv-services.md — Service certificates for high-volume SMP clients (bulk subscription)
- encoding.md — Binary and string encoding
- version.md — Version ranges and negotiation
- compression.md — Zstd compression
Modules
See spec/modules/ — mirrors src/Simplex/ structure.
Security
- security-invariants.md — All security invariants