mvfst QUIC Implementation

Development Status

This plugin is currently in development phase.

Plugin Type: Service (Implementation Under Test)

Parent Plugin: QUIC IUT

Source Location: plugins/services/iut/quic/mvfst/

Overview

The mvfst plugin provides integration with Meta's mvfst QUIC implementation. mvfst is a high-performance, production-ready QUIC transport library written in C++ and developed by Meta (formerly Facebook). This plugin enables comprehensive testing of mvfst's QUIC implementation within the PANTHER framework.

mvfst implementation features:

• Production-Grade Performance: Optimized for high-throughput applications
• C++ Implementation: High-performance native implementation
• Facebook Scale: Battle-tested in Meta's production environments
• Congestion Control Innovation: Advanced congestion control algorithms
• HTTP/3 Support: Full HTTP/3 implementation support

Requirements and Dependencies

The plugin requires:

• mvfst Library: Compiled mvfst QUIC library
• C++ Environment: Modern C++ compiler (C++17 or later)
• Folly Library: Facebook's C++ library collection
• Fizz: Facebook's TLS 1.3 implementation
• System Dependencies:
• CMake build system
• Boost libraries
• OpenSSL or BoringSSL

Docker-based deployment installs all necessary dependencies automatically.

Configuration Options

services:
  - name: "mvfst_implementation"
    implementation:
      name: "quic/mvfst"
      type: "iut"
      version: "rfc9000"  # rfc9000, draft29, draft27-vuln1, draft27-vuln2
    protocol:
      name: "quic"
      type: "protocol"
      role: "server"
    config:
      server_port: 6666
      certificate_file: "cert.pem"
      private_key_file: "key.pem"
      congestion_control: "cubic"  # cubic, bbr, copa, newreno
      max_data: 104857600  # 100MB
      transport_params:
        max_idle_timeout: 30000  # milliseconds
        max_udp_payload_size: 1200

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
server_port	integer	No	6666	QUIC server listening port
certificate_file	string	No	"cert.pem"	TLS certificate file path
private_key_file	string	No	"key.pem"	TLS private key file path
congestion_control	enum	No	"cubic"	Congestion control algorithm
max_data	integer	No	104857600	Maximum connection data
max_stream_data	integer	No	10485760	Maximum stream data
max_streams_bidi	integer	No	1000	Maximum bidirectional streams
max_streams_uni	integer	No	1000	Maximum unidirectional streams
transport_params.max_idle_timeout	integer	No	30000	Connection idle timeout (ms)
transport_params.max_udp_payload_size	integer	No	1200	Maximum UDP payload size

Version Support

The plugin supports multiple QUIC specification versions and testing variants:

RFC 9000

• Description: Final QUIC specification
• Features: Complete QUIC 1.0 implementation
• Use Case: Production and conformance testing

Draft 29

• Description: QUIC draft-29 implementation
• Features: Near-final draft specification
• Use Case: Legacy compatibility testing

Draft 27 Vulnerabilities

• draft27-vuln1: Implementation with specific vulnerability for security testing
• draft27-vuln2: Alternative vulnerability variant for security analysis
• Use Case: Security testing and penetration testing scenarios

Usage Examples

Basic mvfst Server

tests:
  - name: "mvfst Server Test"
    network_environment:
      type: "docker_compose"
    services:
      mvfst_server:
        name: "mvfst_server"
        timeout: 100
        implementation:
          name: "quic/mvfst"
          type: "iut"
          version: "rfc9000"
        protocol:
          name: "quic"
          type: "protocol"
          role: "server"
        config:
          server_port: 6666
          congestion_control: "cubic"

High-Performance Configuration

tests:
  - name: "mvfst Performance Test"
    network_environment:
      type: "docker_compose"
    execution_environment:
      - type: "gperf_cpu"
    services:
      mvfst_server:
        name: "mvfst_server"
        timeout: 120
        implementation:
          name: "quic/mvfst"
          type: "iut"
          version: "rfc9000"
        protocol:
          name: "quic"
          type: "protocol"
          role: "server"
        config:
          server_port: 6666
          congestion_control: "bbr"
          max_data: 1073741824  # 1GB for high-throughput testing
          max_streams_bidi: 10000
          transport_params:
            max_idle_timeout: 60000
            max_udp_payload_size: 1452

Security Vulnerability Testing

tests:
  - name: "mvfst Security Analysis"
    network_environment:
      type: "docker_compose"
    services:
      mvfst_vulnerable:
        name: "mvfst_vulnerable"
        timeout: 180
        implementation:
          name: "quic/mvfst"
          type: "iut"
          version: "draft27-vuln1"
        protocol:
          name: "quic"
          type: "protocol"
          role: "server"
        config:
          server_port: 6666
          certificate_file: "/certs/test-cert.pem"
          private_key_file: "/certs/test-key.pem"

Implementation Details

Architecture

The mvfst implementation provides:

1. Transport Layer: Core QUIC protocol implementation
2. Congestion Control: Multiple advanced algorithms (BBR, COPA, etc.)
3. Flow Control: Sophisticated stream and connection management
4. Security Layer: Integration with Fizz TLS 1.3
5. Performance Optimization: Zero-copy networking and efficient data structures

Advanced Features

• Zero-RTT Support: 0-RTT connection establishment
• Connection Migration: IP address and port migration support
• Multipath QUIC: Experimental multipath support
• Advanced Loss Recovery: Sophisticated packet loss detection and recovery

File Structure

mvfst/
├── README.md                 # This documentation
├── __init__.py              # Plugin initialization
├── mvfst.py                 # Main implementation
├── config_schema.py         # Configuration schema
├── Dockerfile               # Container build instructions
├── templates/              # Command templates
│   ├── client_command.jinja # Client command template
│   └── server_command.jinja # Server command template
├── version_configs/        # Version-specific configurations
│   ├── rfc9000.yaml        # RFC 9000 configuration
│   ├── draft29.yaml        # Draft 29 configuration
│   ├── draft27-vuln1.yaml  # Vulnerability variant 1
│   └── draft27-vuln2.yaml  # Vulnerability variant 2
└── file_to_change/         # Source modifications for testing
    └── rfc9000/            # Version-specific modifications

Extension Points

Custom Congestion Control Algorithms

Extend the plugin to test Meta's advanced congestion control:

from panther.plugins.services.iut.quic.mvfst.mvfst import MvfstServiceManager

class EnhancedMvfstServiceManager(MvfstServiceManager):
    """Enhanced mvfst service manager with advanced CC algorithms."""

    def configure_copa_cc(self):
        """Configure COPA congestion control algorithm."""
        # Implementation for COPA-specific testing
        pass

    def configure_bbr_settings(self, variant: str):
        """Configure BBR algorithm variants."""
        # Implementation for BBR tuning
        pass

Performance Monitoring

Extend for detailed performance analysis:

def setup_performance_monitoring(self):
    """Configure mvfst performance monitoring."""
    # Implementation for performance metrics collection
    pass

def analyze_throughput_metrics(self):
    """Analyze mvfst throughput characteristics."""
    # Implementation for throughput analysis
    pass

Zero-RTT Testing

Add support for 0-RTT connection testing:

def configure_zero_rtt_testing(self):
    """Configure 0-RTT connection establishment testing."""
    # Implementation for 0-RTT testing scenarios
    pass

Testing and Verification

Unit Tests

Run mvfst-specific tests:

python -m pytest panther/plugins/services/iut/quic/mvfst/tests/

Integration Tests

Test interoperability with other QUIC implementations:

# Test against Picoquic
python -m pytest tests/integration/test_mvfst_picoquic_interop.py

# Test against Quiche
python -m pytest tests/integration/test_mvfst_quiche_interop.py

Performance Benchmarks

# Run high-performance benchmarks
python -m pytest tests/performance/test_mvfst_performance.py --benchmark

# Test congestion control algorithms
python -m pytest tests/performance/test_mvfst_congestion_control.py

Security Testing

# Test vulnerability variants
python -m pytest tests/security/test_mvfst_vulnerabilities.py

# Test security features
python -m pytest tests/security/test_mvfst_security.py

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Build failures	Ensure C++17 compiler and all Meta dependencies are available
Folly dependency issues	Verify Folly library installation and version compatibility
Performance issues	Tune congestion control and transport parameters
Memory usage concerns	Adjust max_data and stream limits for available memory
Connection failures	Check network configuration and firewall settings
Certificate issues	Verify TLS certificate and key file validity

Debugging

Enable comprehensive logging for debugging:

logging:
  level: DEBUG
  format: "%(asctime)s [%(levelname)s] - %(module)s - %(message)s"
  mvfst_debug: true
  congestion_control_debug: true

For C++ level debugging, compile mvfst with debug symbols and use gdb or lldb:

# Debug with gdb
gdb --args mvfst_server --config server.json

# Debug with lldb
lldb -- mvfst_server --config server.json

Performance Tuning

High-Throughput Configuration

For maximum throughput:

config:
  congestion_control: "bbr"
  max_data: 1073741824  # 1GB
  max_streams_bidi: 10000
  transport_params:
    max_udp_payload_size: 1452  # Optimal for most networks
    max_idle_timeout: 60000

Low-Latency Configuration

For minimum latency:

config:
  congestion_control: "copa"
  transport_params:
    max_udp_payload_size: 1200
    max_idle_timeout: 10000

See Also

• QUIC IUT Plugin - Parent plugin documentation
• QUIC Protocol Plugin - QUIC protocol implementation
• Picoquic Plugin - Alternative QUIC implementation
• Quiche Plugin - Rust-based QUIC implementation
• Service Plugin Development Guide - General development guidelines