json-structure-digest 0.9.1

A library and tool for calculating consistent digest of a json data string

Consistent message digest for JSON object

This module is a python module that creates structured digests based on a given JSON data for consistent message digest calculation. The procedure of digest calculation is described below.

This repository also includes Javascript version.

Environment and install

• version
  • 3.5 or later
• install the module

pip install json-structure-digest

• command line tool
  • json_digest.py

Usage

A basic usage is like as follows:

import json
from jsondigest import digest

obj = {
    "digest_version": 1,
    "key1": 1,
    "key2": 2.34,
    "key3": "VALUE3",
    "key4": {
        "key4-1": 2,
        "key4-2": [1, 2, 3, False, "xyz"]
    },
    "key5": ["VALUE5", 5.55, True, ["VALUE5-2", None], {"key5-2": 123}]
}
json_string = json.dumps(obj)

result = digest(json_string)
sha256_hex = result["digest"]
digest_structure = result["digest_structure"]

In the case that you have the above digest_structure and partial object, you can also calculate the digest using these two information and will obtain the same result as above.

obj_partial = {
    "digest_version": 1,
    "key1": 1,
    "key2": 2.34,
    "key3": "VALUE3",
}
json_string_partial = json.dumps(obj_partial)

result2 = digest(json_string_partial, digest_structure=json.dumps(digest_structure))
sha256_hex2 = result2["digest"]
digest_structure2 = result2["digest_structure"]

sha256_hex and sha256_hex2, digest_structure and digest_structure2 are identical, respectively. Note that the digest method accepts string params only.

Command line tool

json_digest.py is available after pip install. The usage is very simple.

$ json_digest.py -j path_to_jsonfile

or

$ cat path_to_jsonfile | json_digest.py

You will get a json string of the digest and the digest structure of the given json file.

Requirements

• JSON string must comply with RFC8259.
  • The JSON string must be encoded with UTF-8 and no BOM.
  • Supported types of value are string, number (integer, float), object, array, boolean and null.
• "digest_version" must be included in the JSON.

Spec of version 1

Summary

• digest_version: 1
• A digest is calculated for each value in a JSON object.
• The digest function in this version is SHA256.
• To achieve consistency, the keys at each level in the JSON object are sorted in increasing order of the ASCII value in the digest calculation procedure.
• The following conversions before digest calculation are performed:
  • An integer value is converted in 8-byte array in little-endian.
  • A float value is converted in 8-byte array in little-endian.
  • A boolean value is converted to either "true" or "false".
  • A null value is converted to "null".
• All digests are expressed in HEX string in little endian.

See here in detail.

License

MIT