daku

DAKU

Anonymous authentication & encryption. Zero personal data. One library.

DAKU (Punjabi for "bandits") is a minimal cryptographic toolkit for building passwordless, privacy-first applications. No emails, no passwords, no databases of credentials to breach.

npm install daku

Why DAKU?

Traditional Auth	DAKU
Store emails & passwords	Just verify signatures
Hash passwords, manage resets	No passwords exist
GDPR compliance headaches	No PII collected
Database = honeypot for hackers	Nothing sensitive to steal
OAuth complexity	3 functions to authenticate

import { generateKeyPair, createAuth, verifyAuth } from "daku";

// User creates identity (client-side, once)
const { privateKey, publicKey } = generateKeyPair();

// User logs in (client-side)
const token = await createAuth(privateKey);

// Server verifies (server-side)
const userId = await verifyAuth(token);  // Returns publicKey or null

That's it. No signup forms, no email verification, no password resets.

What DAKU Offers

🔑 Identity

generateKeyPair()              // Create new keypair identity
getPublicKey(privateKey)       // Derive public key from private
getUsername(publicKey)         // Human-readable name like "oceanrunning4523"

🎫 Authentication

createAuth(privateKey, pow?)   // Create login token (with spam protection)
verifyAuth(token, pow?)        // Verify token, returns publicKey or null

✍️ Signatures

sign(message, privateKey, pow?)      // Sign any data
verify(message, sig, publicKey, pow?)  // Verify signature
sha256(message)                      // SHA-256 hash

🔐 E2E Encryption

deriveSharedSecret(myPrivate, theirPublic)  // ECDH key agreement
encrypt(plaintext, key)                      // AES-256-GCM encrypt
decrypt(ciphertext, key)                     // AES-256-GCM decrypt

20+ Use Cases

#	Use Case
1	Anonymous chat apps — Users communicate without revealing identity or phone numbers
2	Passwordless API authentication — Clients sign requests instead of using API keys
3	End-to-end encrypted messaging — Private conversations only sender and receiver can read
4	Anonymous feedback systems — Collect honest feedback without identifying who submitted it
5	Whistleblower platforms — Secure, anonymous submission of sensitive information to journalists
6	Decentralized identity — Users own their identity, no central authority controls access
7	IoT device authentication — Devices authenticate without passwords or certificate authorities
8	Wallet-based login — Same keys work with Bitcoin/Ethereum ecosystems (secp256k1)
9	Document signing — Cryptographically sign contracts, agreements, or any digital document
10	Anonymous voting systems — Verify votes are legitimate without revealing who voted
11	Encrypted file sharing — Share files that only intended recipients can decrypt
12	Private note-taking apps — Notes encrypted locally, unreadable even if server breached
13	Spam-resistant forms — Proof-of-work prevents bots from mass-submitting without CAPTCHAs
14	Multiplayer game authentication — Players authenticate without creating accounts or emails
15	Anonymous support tickets — Users get help without revealing personal information
16	Secure configuration sharing — Share secrets between team members with E2E encryption
17	Timestamped proof of existence — Sign documents to prove they existed at specific time
18	Private health apps — Health data stays encrypted, only user can access it
19	Anonymous marketplace — Buy/sell without linking transactions to real identity
20	Encrypted backups — Backup data that only you can restore, even on untrusted storage
21	CLI tool authentication — Command-line tools authenticate without browser OAuth flows
22	Peer-to-peer apps — Direct encrypted communication between users without servers
23	Private analytics — Collect anonymous usage data without tracking individuals
24	Secure team collaboration — Group encryption for team channels and shared documents

How It Works

Authentication Flow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CLIENT                                                      │
│                                                             │
│  1. First visit: generateKeyPair() → save privateKey        │
│  2. Login: createAuth(privateKey) → token                   │
│  3. Send token to server                                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SERVER                                                      │
│                                                             │
│  1. verifyAuth(token) → publicKey (user ID)                 │
│  2. publicKey is the unique, permanent user identifier      │
│  3. No passwords, no emails, no database of credentials     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

E2E Encryption Flow

Alice                                          Bob
  │                                             │
  │  1. deriveSharedSecret(alice.priv, bob.pub) │
  │     ═══════════════════════════════════     │
  │         (Both derive SAME secret)           │
  │     ═══════════════════════════════════     │
  │  2. deriveSharedSecret(bob.priv, alice.pub) │
  │                                             │
  │  3. encrypt("Hello", secret) ──────────────►│
  │                              ◄──────────────│ 4. decrypt(cipher, secret)
  │                                             │
  └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
        Only Alice & Bob can read messages

Group Encryption

import { deriveSharedSecret, encrypt, decrypt } from "daku";
import crypto from "node:crypto";

// Admin creates group key (just random 32 bytes)
const groupKey = crypto.randomBytes(32).toString("hex");

// Distribute to each member securely
for (const member of members) {
  const secret = deriveSharedSecret(admin.privateKey, member.publicKey);
  const encryptedKey = await encrypt(groupKey, secret);
  // Send encryptedKey to member
}

// Member decrypts their copy
const memberSecret = deriveSharedSecret(member.privateKey, admin.publicKey);
const groupKey = await decrypt(encryptedKey, memberSecret);

// Everyone encrypts/decrypts with the shared group key
const message = await encrypt("Hello group!", groupKey);

Security

Feature	Implementation
Signatures	secp256k1 ECDSA (same as Bitcoin/Ethereum)
Encryption	AES-256-GCM with random 96-bit IV
Key Exchange	ECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman)
Hashing	SHA-256
Spam Protection	Proof-of-work (configurable difficulty)
Token Expiry	Auth tokens valid for 1 minute only

What DAKU Protects Against

• ✅ Password breaches (no passwords exist)
• ✅ Credential stuffing (nothing to stuff)
• ✅ Phishing (no credentials to phish)
• ✅ Database leaks (no PII stored)
• ✅ Replay attacks (1-minute token expiry)
• ✅ Spam/bots (proof-of-work)
• ✅ Man-in-the-middle (E2E encryption)

User Responsibilities

• 🔑 Users must securely store their private key
• 🔑 Lost private key = lost identity (no recovery)
• 🔑 Compromised private key = compromised identity

Examples

Express.js Middleware

import { verifyAuth, getUsername } from "daku";

async function authMiddleware(req, res, next) {
  const token = req.headers.authorization?.replace("Bearer ", "");
  
  const publicKey = await verifyAuth(token);
  if (!publicKey) {
    return res.status(401).json({ error: "Unauthorized" });
  }
  
  req.userId = publicKey;
  req.username = getUsername(publicKey);
  next();
}

React Login

import { generateKeyPair, createAuth } from "daku";

function useAuth() {
  const login = async () => {
    let privateKey = localStorage.getItem("privateKey");
    
    if (!privateKey) {
      const keys = generateKeyPair();
      privateKey = keys.privateKey;
      localStorage.setItem("privateKey", privateKey);
    }
    
    const token = await createAuth(privateKey);
    return fetch("/api/login", {
      headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${token}` }
    });
  };
  
  return { login };
}

Encrypted Chat

import { deriveSharedSecret, encrypt, decrypt } from "daku";

// Both users derive the same shared secret
const secret = deriveSharedSecret(myPrivateKey, theirPublicKey);

// Send encrypted message
const encrypted = await encrypt("Hello!", secret);
ws.send(encrypted);

// Receive and decrypt
ws.onmessage = async (e) => {
  const message = await decrypt(e.data, secret);
  console.log(message);
};

API Reference

generateKeyPair()

Creates a new secp256k1 keypair.

const { privateKey, publicKey } = generateKeyPair();
// privateKey: 64-char hex (keep secret!)
// publicKey: 66-char hex (share freely)

getPublicKey(privateKey)

Derives public key from private key.

const publicKey = getPublicKey(privateKey);

getUsername(publicKey)

Generates a deterministic human-readable username.

const name = getUsername(publicKey); // "oceanrunning4523"

createAuth(privateKey, pow?)

Creates a signed authentication token. Default POW difficulty is 2.

const token = await createAuth(privateKey);
const token = await createAuth(privateKey, 3); // Higher difficulty

verifyAuth(token, pow?)

Verifies an auth token. Returns publicKey on success, null on failure.

const publicKey = await verifyAuth(token);
if (publicKey) {
  // Authenticated! publicKey is the user ID
}

sign(message, privateKey, pow?)

Signs a message with proof-of-work.

const sig = await sign("Hello", privateKey);
// { signature: "...", pow: 123 }

verify(message, signatureData, publicKey, pow?)

Verifies a signature.

const isValid = await verify("Hello", sig, publicKey);

sha256(message)

SHA-256 hash.

const hash = await sha256("Hello"); // Uint8Array(32)

deriveSharedSecret(myPrivateKey, theirPublicKey)

ECDH key agreement. Both parties derive the same secret.

const secret = deriveSharedSecret(alice.privateKey, bob.publicKey);
// Same as: deriveSharedSecret(bob.privateKey, alice.publicKey)

encrypt(plaintext, key)

AES-256-GCM encryption.

const ciphertext = await encrypt("Secret message", sharedSecret);

decrypt(ciphertext, key)

AES-256-GCM decryption. Returns null on failure.

const plaintext = await decrypt(ciphertext, sharedSecret);

Comparison

Feature	DAKU	Passport.js	Auth0	Firebase Auth
No passwords	✅	❌	❌	❌
No email required	✅	❌	❌	❌
No database needed	✅	❌	❌	❌
E2E encryption	✅	❌	❌	❌
Self-hosted	✅	✅	❌	❌
Zero dependencies*	✅	❌	❌	❌
Works offline	✅	❌	❌	❌
Bundle size	~50KB	~200KB	SDK required	SDK required

*Only 2 peer dependencies: @noble/secp256k1 and @noble/hashes

Installation

npm install daku

Requirements: Node.js 16+ or modern browser

License

ISC © besoeasy

Leave no trace. Just authenticate.