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Re: encrypted repositories?

From
Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
Date
Jul 17, 2009, 20:42 UTC
Message-ID
<alpine.LFD.2.01.0907171341040.13838@localhost.localdomain>
In-Reply-To
<alpine.LFD.2.01.0907171337320.13838@localhost.localdomain>
On Fri, 17 Jul 2009, Linus Torvalds wrote:
Show 13 quoted lines
> 
> On Fri, 17 Jul 2009, John Tapsell wrote:
> > 
> > Why couldn't you have the actual code encrypted, but have the server
> > still know about the SHAs etc?  You would expose the actual commit
> > structure, but that might be acceptable?
> 
> Even that wouldn't really work, because you'd never be able to generate 
> any deltas.
> 
> So there would be no real advantage. In fact, there would be only 
> disadvantages, because without any delta generation, you'd now have to 
> actually transfer _more_ data.

Oh, if you let the server know all the SHA's at _all_ levels (ie down to the blob itself), and then just make the blobs be encrypted, we'd be able to do some trivial optimizations, like only sending the actual blobs that changed. HOWEVER. That would reveal absolutely tons of data about the repository, and about the history. You'd have lost a _lot_ of security.

			Linus
Previous: Linus TorvaldsNext: Thomas Koch
Message 8 of 17 in “encrypted repositories?”
  1. Matthias AndreeJul 17, 2009
  2. Michael J GruberJul 17, 2009
  3. Jakub NarebskiJul 17, 2009
  4. Matthias KestenholzJul 17, 2009
  5. Linus TorvaldsJul 17, 2009
  6. John TapsellJul 17, 2009
  7. Linus TorvaldsJul 17, 2009
  8. Linus TorvaldsJul 17, 2009
  9. Thomas KochJul 18, 2009
  10. Matthias AndreeJul 20, 2009
  11. Matthias AndreeJul 20, 2009
  12. Jakub NarebskiJul 20, 2009
  13. Matthias AndreeJul 21, 2009
  14. Jeff KingJul 20, 2009
  15. Matthias AndreeJul 21, 2009
  16. Jeff KingJul 23, 2009
  17. J-S-BAug 2, 2012

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