https://github.com/cryspen/hax
A Rust verification tool
https://github.com/cryspen/hax
formal-verification rust
Last synced: about 1 month ago
JSON representation
A Rust verification tool
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/cryspen/hax
- Owner: cryspen
- License: apache-2.0
- Created: 2023-01-25T21:35:45.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-04-17T14:51:00.000Z (about 2 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-04-21T11:42:47.167Z (about 1 month ago)
- Topics: formal-verification, rust
- Language: OCaml
- Homepage: https://hax.cryspen.com
- Size: 55.8 MB
- Stars: 249
- Watchers: 10
- Forks: 22
- Open Issues: 181
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
- Codeowners: CODEOWNERS
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome-rust-formalized-reasoning - Hax - hax):star:[:lab_coat:](https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/142) - tool for high assurance translations of a large subset of Rust into formal languages (F*, Rocq, ...). (Projects / Verification)
README
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# Hax
hax is a tool for high assurance translations of a large subset of
Rust into formal languages such as [F\*](https://www.fstar-lang.org/) or [Rocq](https://rocq-prover.org/).
So what is hacspec now?
hacspec is the functional subset of Rust that can be used, together with a hacspec
standard library, to write succinct, executable, and verifiable specifications in
Rust.
These specifications can be translated into formal languages with hax.
## Learn more
Here are some resources for learning more about hax:
- [Manual](https://hax.cryspen.com/manual/index.html) (work in progress)
+ [Quick start](https://hax.cryspen.com/manual/quick_start/index.html)
+ [Tutorial](https://hax.cryspen.com/manual/tutorial/index.html)
- [Examples](./examples/): the [examples directory](./examples/) contains
a set of examples that show what hax can do for you.
- Other [specifications](https://github.com/hacspec/specs) of cryptographic protocols.
## Usage
Hax is a cargo subcommand.
The command `cargo hax` accepts the following subcommands:
* **`into`** (`cargo hax into BACKEND`): translate a Rust crate to the backend `BACKEND` (e.g. `fstar`, `coq`).
* **`json`** (`cargo hax json`): extract the typed AST of your crate as a JSON file.
Note:
* `BACKEND` can be `fstar`, `coq`, `easycrypt` or `pro-verif`. `cargo hax into --help`
gives the full list of supported backends.
* The subcommands `cargo hax`, `cargo hax into` and `cargo hax into
` takes options. For instance, you can `cargo hax into
fstar --z3rlimit 100`. Use `--help` on those subcommands to list
all options.
## Installation
Manual installation
1. Make sure to have the following installed on your system:
- [`opam`](https://opam.ocaml.org/) (`opam switch create 5.1.1`)
- [`rustup`](https://rustup.rs/)
- [`nodejs`](https://nodejs.org/)
- [`jq`](https://jqlang.github.io/jq/)
2. Clone this repo: `git clone [email protected]:hacspec/hax.git && cd hax`
3. Run the [setup.sh](./setup.sh) script: `./setup.sh`.
4. Run `cargo-hax --help`
Nix
This should work on [Linux](https://nixos.org/download.html#nix-install-linux), [MacOS](https://nixos.org/download.html#nix-install-macos) and [Windows](https://nixos.org/download.html#nix-install-windows).
Prerequisites: Nix package
manager (with flakes enabled)
- Either using the [Determinate Nix Installer](https://github.com/DeterminateSystems/nix-installer), with the following bash one-liner:
```bash
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf -L https://install.determinate.systems/nix | sh -s -- install
```
- or following [those steps](https://github.com/mschwaig/howto-install-nix-with-flake-support).
+ **Run hax on a crate directly** to get F\*/Coq/... (assuming you are in the crate's folder):
- `nix run github:hacspec/hax -- into fstar` extracts F*.
+ **Install hax**: `nix profile install github:hacspec/hax`, then run `cargo hax --help` anywhere
+ **Note**: in any of the Nix commands above, replace `github:hacspec/hax` by `./dir` to compile a local checkout of hax that lives in `./some-dir`
+ **Setup binary cache**: [using Cachix](https://app.cachix.org/cache/hax), just `cachix use hax`
Using Docker
1. Clone this repo: `git clone [email protected]:hacspec/hax.git && cd hax`
3. Build the docker image: `docker build -f .docker/Dockerfile . -t hax`
4. Get a shell: `docker run -it --rm -v /some/dir/with/a/crate:/work hax bash`
5. You can now run `cargo-hax --help` (notice here we use `cargo-hax` instead of `cargo hax`)
Note: Please make sure that `$HOME/.cargo/bin` is in your `$PATH`, as
that is where `setup.sh` will install hax.
## Supported Subset of the Rust Language
Hax intends to support full Rust, with the one exception, promoting a functional style: mutable references (aka `&mut T`) on return types or when aliasing (see https://github.com/hacspec/hax/issues/420) are forbidden.
Each unsupported Rust feature is documented as an issue labeled [`unsupported-rust`](https://github.com/hacspec/hax/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Aunsupported-rust). When the issue is labeled [`wontfix-v1`](https://github.com/hacspec/hax/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Aunsupported-rust+label%3Awontfix%2Cwontfix-v1), that means we don't plan on supporting that feature soon.
Quicklinks:
- [🔨 Rejected rust we want to support](https://github.com/hacspec/hax/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Aunsupported-rust+-label%3Awontfix%2Cwontfix-v1);
- [💭 Rejected rust we don't plan to support in v1](https://github.com/hacspec/hax/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Aunsupported-rust+label%3Awontfix%2Cwontfix-v1).
## Hacking on Hax
The documentation of the internal crate of hax and its engine can be
found [here for the engine](https://hax.cryspen.com/engine/index.html)
and [here for the frontent](https://hax.cryspen.com/frontend/index.html).
### Edit the sources (Nix)
Just clone & `cd` into the repo, then run `nix develop .`.
You can also just use [direnv](https://github.com/nix-community/nix-direnv), with [editor integration](https://github.com/direnv/direnv/wiki#editor-integration).
### Structure of this repository
- `rust-frontend/`: Rust library that hooks in the rust compiler and
extract its internal typed abstract syntax tree
[**THIR**](https://rustc-dev-guide.rust-lang.org/thir.html) as JSON.
- `engine/`: the simplification and elaboration engine that translates
programs from the Rust language to various backends (see `engine/backends/`).
- `cli/`: the `hax` subcommand for Cargo.
### Compiling, formatting, and more
We use the [`just` command runner](https://just.systems/). If you use
Nix, the dev shell provides it automatically, if you don't use Nix,
please [install `just`](https://just.systems/man/en/packages.html) on
your system.
Anywhere within the repository, you can build and install in PATH (1)
the Rust parts with `just rust`, (2) the OCaml parts with `just ocaml`
or (3) both with `just build`. More commands (e.g. `just fmt` to
format) are available, please run `just` or `just --list` to get all
the commands.
## Publications & Other material
* [📕 Tech report](https://hal.inria.fr/hal-03176482)
* [📕 HACSpec: A gateway to high-assurance cryptography](https://github.com/hacspec/hacspec/blob/master/rwc2023-abstract.pdf)
* [📕 Original hacspec paper](https://www.franziskuskiefer.de/publications/hacspec-ssr18-paper.pdf)
### Secondary literature, using hacspec:
* [📕 Last yard](https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/185)
* [📕 A Verified Pipeline from a Specification Language to Optimized, Safe Rust](https://github.com/hacspec/hacspec.github.io/blob/master/coqpl22-final61.pdf) at [CoqPL'22](https://popl22.sigplan.org/details/CoqPL-2022-papers/5/A-Verified-Pipeline-from-a-Specification-Language-to-Optimized-Safe-Rust)
* [📕 Hax - Enabling High Assurance Cryptographic Software](https://github.com/hacspec/hacspec.github.io/blob/master/RustVerify24.pdf) at [RustVerify24](https://sites.google.com/view/rustverify2024)
* [📕 A formal security analysis of Blockchain voting](https://github.com/hacspec/hacspec.github.io/blob/master/coqpl24-paper8-2.pdf) at [CoqPL'24](https://popl24.sigplan.org/details/CoqPL-2024-papers/8/A-formal-security-analysis-of-Blockchain-voting)
* [📕 Specifying Smart Contract with Hax and ConCert](https://github.com/hacspec/hacspec.github.io/blob/master/coqpl24-paper9-13.pdf) at [CoqPL'24](https://popl24.sigplan.org/details/CoqPL-2024-papers/9/Specifying-Smart-Contract-with-Hax-and-ConCert)
## Contributing
Before starting any work please join the [Zulip chat][chat-link], start a [discussion on Github](https://github.com/hacspec/hax/discussions), or file an [issue](https://github.com/hacspec/hax/issues) to discuss your contribution.
[chat-link]: https://hacspec.zulipchat.com
## Acknowledgements
[Zulip] graciously provides the hacspec & hax community with a "Zulip Cloud Standard" tier.
[Zulip]: https://zulip.com/