https://github.com/thomaswening/salter
Salter is a role-based user management system for the console that securely manages user credentials using encrypted JSON storage.
https://github.com/thomaswening/salter
authentication authorization csharp dotnet encryption hashing password-storage salting security user-management
Last synced: about 1 month ago
JSON representation
Salter is a role-based user management system for the console that securely manages user credentials using encrypted JSON storage.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/thomaswening/salter
- Owner: thomaswening
- License: gpl-3.0
- Created: 2025-02-21T12:54:27.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-03-07T09:17:30.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-08-12T02:40:06.831Z (10 months ago)
- Topics: authentication, authorization, csharp, dotnet, encryption, hashing, password-storage, salting, security, user-management
- Language: C#
- Homepage:
- Size: 169 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Salter
**Salter** is a console-based application designed to explore and practice core security concepts in .NET. It is a role-based user management system that securely manages user credentials using encrypted JSON storage. Users can log in or register to perform various operations such as changing their username or password.
## Features
- **Secure Authentication** – Users must log in to access management features.
- **Role-Based Access Control** – User permissions are determined by their role.
- **Encrypted User Repository** – All credentials are securely stored using AES encryption.
- **Password Security** – Passwords are hashed and salted before being persisted.
- **Memory Safety** – Unhashed passwords are stored in **value types** and wiped from memory immediately after use.
- **Environment-Based Secret Storage** – Encryption keys are never stored in plaintext.
- **Interactive Console Interface** – A command-line menu system for managing users and passwords.
## Planned Features
- Encryptor using the [.NET Data Protection API (DPAPI)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/security/how-to-use-data-protection)
- Multi-language support
## How to Build
### Using Visual Studio
1. Install **.NET 8** (Windows) and **Visual Studio**.
2. Clone the repository:
```sh
git clone https://github.com/thomaswening/salter.git
```
3. Open the solution in Visual Studio and build the project.
### Using .NET CLI
1. Install **.NET 8 SDK**.
2. Clone the repository:
```sh
git clone https://github.com/thomaswening/salter.git
```
3. Navigate into the project directory and build:
```sh
dotnet build
```
## How It Works
- On first launch, Salter creates a directory in `%APPDATA%/Salter/`, containing an **encrypted** user repository.
- A **default user** (`username: default, password: default`) is created for initial access. It is recommended to change this password immediately.
- Users can:
- **Authenticate or register**
- **Use the password hashing utility** (no authentication required)
- **Access user management features** (after authentication)
### Role-Based Access Control
- **Users** can modify their own credentials (username and password) or delete their account.
- **Admins** can manage users, including creating and deleting accounts and promoting users to admin status.
- **The Default User** cannot be deleted or renamed, but they have the exclusive ability to reset the repository or uninstall the application.
## Uninstall Process
The uninstallation process consists of two steps:
1. **Deleting the application directory**
- The application directory, `%APPDATA%/Salter/`, is deleted first.
- If any errors occur during this step, the user is prompted to delete the directory manually.
- If they confirm, a file explorer window opens at the directory location, and the process continues only after the user verifies deletion.
2. **Self-deletion of the executable**
- The application cannot delete its own executable directly. Instead, a **cmd process** is started that schedules the deletion via a timeout.
## Logging
- Errors are displayed in the console with clear messages.
- Fatal errors are logged in `%APPDATA%/Salter/` with unique filenames per execution (`error_log_X.txt`).
## Solution Structure
### Salter.Core
Handles the domain logic and core functionality, including:
- Contracts for data management
- Encryption services
- Password hashing
- User authentication & role-based access
### Salter.Persistence
Manages data storage and encryption, including:
- Data Transfer Objects (DTOs)
- Encrypted user repository
- DTO-to-object mapping
### Salter.Cmd
Provides an interactive console interface, including:
- User input handling
- Console-based menu system
- Role-based access enforcement
## License
This project is licensed under the **GNU General Public License v3.0**. See the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.