The Cleanroom Pattern

Ruby is an excellent programming language for creating and managing custom DSLs, but how can you securely evaluate a DSL while explicitly controlling the methods exposed to the user? Our good friends instance_eval and instance_exec are great, but they expose all methods - public, protected, and private - to the user. Even worse, they expose the ability to accidentally or intentionally alter the behavior of the system! The cleanroom pattern is a safer, more convenient, Ruby-like approach for limiting the information exposed by a DSL while giving users the ability to write awesome code!

The cleanroom pattern is a unique way for more safely evaluating Ruby DSLs without adding additional overhead.

1. DSL & THE CLEANROOM PATTERN
2. @sethvargo Release Engineer @ Chef
3. @sethvargo Ruby Developer
4. DOMAIN SPECIFIC LANGUAGE DSL
6. class Project def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end def description(val = NULL) set_or_return(:description, val) end end
7. class set_or_return( set_or_return( end def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end
8. class set_or_return( set_or_return( end def description(val = NULL) set_or_return(:description, val) end
9. class instance_variable_get( instance_variable_set( end def set_or_return(key, val) if val.equal?(NULL) instance_variable_get(:"@#{key}") else instance_variable_set(:"@#{key}", val) end end
10. class # @overload name(val) # Sets the name of this project # @param [String] val # @overload name # Returns this project's name # @return [String] end # @overload name(val) # Sets the name of this project # @param [String] val # @overload name # Returns this project's name # @return [String] def name(val = NULL)
11. class end def name(val) @name = val end def name @name end
12. [1] pry(main)>
13. [1] pry(main)> project = Project.new
14. [1] pry(main)> project = Project.new => #<Project:0x007f943ba2f158>
15. [1] pry(main)> project = Project.new => #<Project:0x007f943ba2f158> [2] pry(main)> project.name
16. [1] pry(main)> project = Project.new => #<Project:0x007f943ba2f158> [2] pry(main)> project.name => nil
17. [1] pry(main)> project = Project.new => #<Project:0x007f943ba2f158> [2] pry(main)> project.name => nil [3] pry(main)> project.name("hamlet")
18. [1] pry(main)> project = Project.new => #<Project:0x007f943ba2f158> [2] pry(main)> project.name => nil [3] pry(main)> project.name("hamlet") => "hamlet"
19. [1] pry(main)> project = Project.new => #<Project:0x007f943ba2f158> [2] pry(main)> project.name => nil [3] pry(main)> project.name("hamlet") => "hamlet" [4] pry(main)> project.name
20. [1] pry(main)> project = Project.new => #<Project:0x007f943ba2f158> [2] pry(main)> project.name => nil [3] pry(main)> project.name("hamlet") => "hamlet" [4] pry(main)> project.name => "hamlet"
21. [1] pry(main)> project = Project.new [2] pry(main)> project.name [3] pry(main)> project.name("hamlet") [4] pry(main)> project.name
22. project = Project.new project.name project.name("hamlet") project.name
23. project.name("hamlet")
24. project.instance_eval do name("hamlet") end
25. name("hamlet")
26. DOMAIN SPECIFIC LANGUAGE DSL
27. class set_or_return( set_or_return( # ... end name "Hamlet" description "A classic"
28. class set_or_return( set_or_return( # ... end name "Hamlet" description "A classic" name #=> "Hamlet"
29. class set_or_return( set_or_return( # ... end name "Hamlet" description "A #{name}"
30. class set_or_return( set_or_return( # ... end name "Hamlet" description "A Hamlet"
31. BasicObject#instance_eval Evaluates a string containing Ruby source code within the context of the receiver.
32. BasicObject#instance_eval ... the variable self is set to obj while the code is executing, giving the code access to obj’s instance variables
33. BasicObject#instance_eval ... the variable while the code is executing, the code access to variables giving the code access to obj’s instance variables
34. class Project end
35. class Project def self.load(path) end end
36. class Project def self.load(path) contents = IO.read(path) end end
37. class Project def self.load(path) contents = IO.read(path) filename = File.basename(path) end end
38. class Project def self.load(path) contents = IO.read(path) filename = File.basename(path) new.tap do |i| i.instance_eval(contents, filename, 1) end end end
39. Project.load("/path/to/file")
40. </> RUBY CLASS
41. </> RUBY INSTANCE
42. </> RUBY INSTANCE
43. </> RUBY INSTA
44. </> RUBY INSTA RUBY
45. </> RUBY
46. RUBY name "hamlet" description # ...
47. RUBY name "hamlet" description # ... CLASS
48. RUBY name "hamlet" description # ... INSTANCE
49. RUBY name "hamlet" description # ... INSTANCE
50. RUBY name "hamlet" description # ... INSTA
51. RUBY name "hamlet" description # ... self.name #=> "hamlet"
52. METHOD SCOPE BIND #1
53. METHOD SCOPE BIND #1 -JOKE
54. BECAUSE THERE IS NO SCOPE
55. class Project protected :name private :description end
57. class Project def method # ... end end
58. class Project def method # ... end end </> RUBY
59. class Project def method # ... end end instance_eval </> RUBY
60. project.name
61. project.name NoMethodError: protected method `name' called
62. project.name NoMethodError: protected method `name' called
63. project.name NoMethodError: protected method `name' called project.instance_eval { name }
64. project.name NoMethodError: protected method `name' called project.instance_eval { name } "hamlet"
65. SCOPE CREEP BIND #2
66. A PROBABILITY FOR COLLISION
67. class Project def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end end
68. class Project def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end private def sanitize(val) end end
69. class Project def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end private def sanitize(val) return val if val.equal?(NULL) end end
70. class Project def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end private def sanitize(val) return val if val.equal?(NULL) val.downcase.gsub(/\s+/, "-") end end
71. class Project def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, sanitize(val)) end private def sanitize(val) return val if val.equal?(NULL) val.downcase.gsub(/\s+/, "-") end end
72. RUBY name "Some String" self.name
73. RUBY name "Some String" self.name #=> "some-string"
74. RUBY def sanitize(val) val.upcase end name "Some String" self.name
75. RUBY def sanitize(val) val.upcase end name "Some String" self.name #=> "SOME STRING"
76. USELESS VALIDATION BIND #3
77. BasicObject#instance_eval ... the variable while the code is executing, the code access to variables giving the code access to obj’s instance variables
78. VALIDATION CAN BE BYPASSED
79. class Project def set_or_return(key, val) if val.equal?(NULL) instance_variable_get(:"@#{key}") else instance_variable_set(:"@#{key}", val) end end end
80. class Project def set_or_return(key, val) if val.equal?(NULL) instance_variable_get(:"@#{key}") else raise Error unless val.is_a?(String) instance_variable_set(:"@#{key}", val) end end end
81. RUBY name Object.new
82. RUBY name Object.new Error!
83. RUBY @name = Object.new self.name
84. RUBY self.name #=> #<Object:0x07> @name = Object.new
85. CLASS_EVAL BIND #4
86. CAN PERMANENTLY CHANGE CLASS BEHAVIOR
87. RUBY self .class .instance_eval do def new_method puts "hello" end end CLASS
88. RUBY self .class .class_eval do def sanitize(*) nil end end self.name
89. RUBY self .class .class_eval do def sanitize(*) nil end end self.name #=> nil
90. FOR ALL FUTURE INSTANCES
91. Project.load("/path/to/file")
93. Project.load("/insecure_file")
94. INTRODUCING THE CLEANROOM
95. NON-CLEANROOM
96. </> RUBY NON-CLEANROOM
97. </> RUBY CLASS NON-CLEANROOM
98. INSTANCE NON-CLEANROOM </> RUBY
99. INSTANCE NON-CLEANROOM </> RUBY
100. INSTANCE NON-CLEANROOM </> RUBY NO FILTER
101. INSTANCE NON-CLEANROOM </> RUBY NO FILTER NO GUARDS
102. CLEANROOM
103. </> RUBY CLEANROOM
104. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM
105. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM INSTANCE
106. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM INSTANCE EXPOSED METHODS
107. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM INSTANCE INSTANCE EXPOSED METHODS
108. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM INSTANCE INSTANCE EXPOSED METHODS (DYNAMIC)
109. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM INSTANCE INSTANCE EXPOSED METHODS (DYNAMIC) instance_eval
110. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM INSTANCE INSTANCE EXPOSED METHODS (DYNAMIC) instance_eval PROXY
111. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM INSTANCE INSTANCE EXPOSED METHODS PROXY (DYNAMIC) instance_eval 1
112. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM INSTANCE INSTANCE EXPOSED METHODS PROXY (DYNAMIC) instance_eval 1 2
113. CLASS </> RUBY CLEANROOM INSTANCE INSTANCE EXPOSED METHODS PROXY (DYNAMIC) instance_eval 1 2 3
114. USING THE CLEANROOM
115. class Project def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end end NON-CLEANROOM
116. class Project def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end end CLEANROOM
117. class Project include Cleanroom def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end end CLEANROOM
118. class Project include Cleanroom def name(val = NULL) set_or_return(:name, val) end expose :name end CLEANROOM
119. CLEANROOM THAT'S IT!
120. CLEANROOM class Project def self.load(path) contents = IO.read(path) filename = File.basename(path) new.tap do |i| i.instance_eval(contents, filename, 1) end end end
121. CLEANROOM class contents = IO.read(path) filename = File.basename(path) new.tap i.instance_eval(contents, filename, 1) end
122. CLEANROOM Project.load("/file")
123. CLEANROOM Project.load("/file")
124. CLEANROOM Project.evaluate_file("/file")
125. sethvargo/cleanroom !
126. @sethvargo Questions?