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Protocol Reference
This document owns the connection lifecycle, protocol keepalive, and application authentication flow. API guides link here for configuration.
Connection Lifecycle
bind -> accept QUIC -> negotiate version -> authenticate if enabled
-> dispatch application frames -> close or drain
The opening version frame is processed before application messages. The host selects a registered type map. Authentication then completes according to the host policy. A connection is returned to the application only after these stages complete.
Protocol Keepalive
The client sends an MTP Ping communication value with a frame ID. The host returns a Pong with the same ID when automatic responses are enabled. The client records the matched round-trip duration and closes after its configured missed-Ping limit. These frames are handled by the keepalive dispatcher and do not reach ordinary message handlers.
If automatic responses are disabled, the application must read Ping frames and send compatible Pong frames. Keepalive configuration is documented in the native client and native host guides.
Authentication Flow
Client Host
| |
| Identification or Register, unsigned |
|------------------------------------------>|
| | generate challenge
| Challenge plus host signature |
|<------------------------------------------|
| ChallengeResponse plus client signature |
|------------------------------------------>|
| | verify proof and assign identity
| IdentificationResponse plus host signature|
|<------------------------------------------|
Login proof binds the protocol version, client ID, host challenge, and client nonce. Registration proof binds the protocol version, public key bundle, host challenge, and client nonce. The host challenge is generated per connection.
ForceAuthentication requires login or registration. AllowAuthentication accepts authenticated and unauthenticated clients. Unauthenticated rejects authentication attempts. The connection states are Pending, Authenticated, Unauthenticated, and Failed.
Version Negotiation
The client sends one compiled-in protocol version. The host compares it with the versions in its registry and returns the selected version in the opening response. Subsequent frames use that version's type map. An unsupported version closes the connection with AcceptError::UnsupportedVersion.