Privacy, Verifiability & Security
Calimero integrates with blockchain infrastructure — not to perform computation, but to provide a source of truth for:
- Network membership (list of participants)
- Roles and permissions
- Verifiable state checkpoints
In this modular stack:
- Calimero handles data collaboration and replication.
- The blockchain layer provides immutability and verification.
- Other tools like zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) can extend privacy guarantees.
Calimero is a component of a broader privacy-oriented architecture — modular, composable, and adaptable to your needs.
Trust Boundaries
Section titled “Trust Boundaries”flowchart LR
DATA[Private user data] --> CONTEXT[Calimero context]
CONTEXT --> NODE[Node runtime]
NODE --> AUDIT[Replayable audit trail]
CONTEXT -. membership and checkpoints .-> CHAIN[Blockchain source of truth]
NODE -. selective disclosure .-> PROOF[Hashes / proofs / attestations]
classDef lime fill:#14210a,stroke:#a5ff11,color:#f5ffe0,stroke-width:2px;
classDef cyan fill:#0b2526,stroke:#39d0c8,color:#dcfffd,stroke-width:2px;
classDef purple fill:#221133,stroke:#c084fc,color:#f7ecff,stroke-width:2px;
classDef orange fill:#2c1805,stroke:#ffb54d,color:#fff2d6,stroke-width:2px;
class DATA,CONTEXT lime;
class NODE,AUDIT cyan;
class PROOF purple;
class CHAIN orange;
Isolation Model at a Glance
Section titled “Isolation Model at a Glance”- Contexts scope visibility — each context has shared CRDT state plus per-member private storage (
#[app::private]). - Hierarchical identities — root keys issue client keys per device or integration; revocation cascades from the root.
- Deterministic runtime — WASM apps run inside
merod, so every state transition is deterministic and replayable. - Selective disclosure — events can reveal only hashed or redacted payloads while full data stays on the owner’s node.
- Audit trail — every method call is tied to the caller via
executor_id, enabling tamper-evident logs.
Verification Pathways
Section titled “Verification Pathways”| Layer | What is verified | How |
|---|---|---|
| Context membership | Who can read/write state | Anchored invites or role assignments persisted on-chain |
| State synchronization | CRDT merges, Merkle checkpoints | Nodes exchange proofs before accepting remote updates |
| Application integrity | WASM binaries, configuration | Hashes committed to L1, compared during deployment |
| User actions | Caller identity, authorization | Challenge/response over wallet connector + executor audit logs |
| Data access | Private vs shared storage | Storage namespaces tied to caller identity, enforced in runtime |
Hardening Checklist
Section titled “Hardening Checklist”- Anchor critical context membership changes to NEAR.
- Enable event payload hashing when emitting sensitive data; share full payloads via authenticated channels only.
- Rotate client keys on a cadence and revoke stale devices at the root key level.
- Run periodic Merkle checkpoint comparisons across nodes to detect divergence early.
- Configure node monitoring (Admin Dashboard, Node Console) to alert on failed syncs or unauthorized method calls.
Where to Deep Dive
Section titled “Where to Deep Dive”| Topic | Reference | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Hosted TEE, KMS, and attestation | mero-tee, KMS & Attestation | Explains secure-service execution, attestation evidence, and how hosted trust claims are verified |
| Runtime architecture & security model | calimero-network/core – Architecture | Details on merod, networking layers, and verification primitives |
| Identity delegation & permissions | calimero-network/contracts | How root/client keys, invites, and revocations are enforced |
| Context lifecycle & admin API | calimero-network/merobox – Workflows | Managing contexts, capturing Application IDs, production rollouts |
| Authentication adapters & wallet flows | calimero-network/core | Challenge/response flows for NEAR |
| Advanced cryptography experiments | calimero-network/experiments | Threshold signing, multi-party custody, and ZK experiments |
This page stays high-level. For full setup steps, audit procedures, and API details, follow the linked READMEs.