redstr-server

A high-performance HTTP API server for redstr string transformations. Built with Axum, this server provides a modern, async REST API that allows external tools to use redstr's transformation functions over HTTP.

Features

• ⚡ High Performance - Built on Axum and Tokio for async I/O
• 🚀 Serverless Ready - Compatible with Railway and other serverless platforms
• 📝 Structured Logging - Professional logging with tracing and request tracking
• 🔄 Type-Safe - Leverages Rust's type system with Serde for JSON handling
• 🌐 CORS Enabled - Full CORS support for browser access
• 📊 Request Tracing - Automatic request/response logging with latency tracking
• 🛡️ Modern Stack - Axum, Tower, Tokio, and Serde

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.70+ installed
• Access to the redstr core library (as a dependency)

Installation

git clone https://github.com/arvid-berndtsson/redstr-server.git
cd redstr-server
cargo build --release

The binary will be available at target/release/redstr-server.

Usage

Start the server:

cargo run --release

Or run the compiled binary:

./target/release/redstr-server

The server will listen on http://127.0.0.1:8080 by default.

API Endpoints

GET /

Returns server information and available endpoints.

Response:

{
  "service": "redstr",
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "endpoints": ["/transform", "/batch", "/functions", "/health", "/version"]
}

GET /health

Health check endpoint.

Response:

{
  "status": "healthy"
}

GET /version

Get detailed version information.

Response:

{
  "service": "redstr-server",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "redstr_version": "0.2.0"
}

GET /functions

List all available transformation functions.

Response:

{
  "functions": ["leetspeak", "base64_encode", "url_encode", ...],
  "count": 62
}

POST /transform

Transform a string using a redstr function.

Request:

{
  "function": "leetspeak",
  "input": "Hello World"
}

Response:

{
  "output": "H3ll0 W0rld"
}

Error Response:

{
  "error": "Unknown function: invalid_function"
}

POST /batch

Transform multiple strings in a single request.

Request:

{
  "transforms": [
    {"function": "leetspeak", "input": "Hello"},
    {"function": "base64_encode", "input": "World"}
  ]
}

Response:

{
  "results": [
    {"output": "H3ll0"},
    {"output": "V29ybGQ="}
  ]
}

Available Functions

See the redstr documentation for a complete list of available transformation functions. All redstr functions are available via the API.

Example Usage

Using curl

# List all available functions
curl http://localhost:8080/functions

# Check server health
curl http://localhost:8080/health

# Get version information
curl http://localhost:8080/version

# Basic transformation
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/transform \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"function":"leetspeak","input":"password"}'

# Batch transformations
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/batch \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"transforms":[{"function":"leetspeak","input":"hello"},{"function":"base64_encode","input":"world"}]}'

# SQL injection pattern
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/transform \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"function":"sql_comment_injection","input":"SELECT * FROM users"}'

# Domain typosquatting
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/transform \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"function":"domain_typosquat","input":"example.com"}'

Using Python

import requests

url = "http://localhost:8080/transform"
payload = {
    "function": "xss_tag_variations",
    "input": "<script>alert('XSS')</script>"
}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload)
print(response.json()["output"])

Using JavaScript

fetch('http://localhost:8080/transform', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    function: 'base64_encode',
    input: 'Hello World'
  })
})
.then(res => res.json())
.then(data => console.log(data.output));

Integration with External Tools

This HTTP server is designed to be used as a bridge between redstr and external security testing tools:

• EvilJinx: Use for domain generation and email obfuscation
• Caido: Create plugins that call this API for transformations
• Burp Suite: Build extensions that interface with this server
• OWASP ZAP: Create add-ons that use this API
• Custom Tools: Any tool that can make HTTP requests

Security Considerations

• The server binds to localhost (127.0.0.1) by default for security
• No authentication is implemented - add your own if exposing to network
• Designed for local use and authorized security testing only
• Log all transformation requests for audit purposes

Performance

• Async I/O - Built on Tokio for high concurrency
• Low Latency - Sub-millisecond response times
• Scalable - Handles thousands of concurrent connections
• Memory Efficient - Minimal memory footprint per request
• Production Ready - Battle-tested Axum framework

Troubleshooting

Port already in use:

Error: Address already in use (os error 98)

Solution: Change the port in main.rs or kill the process using port 8080.

Connection refused: Ensure the server is running and accessible at the configured address.

Testing

The project includes comprehensive unit and integration tests.

Run Unit Tests

cargo test --bin redstr-server

Run Integration Tests

Integration tests require the server to be running. Start the server in one terminal:

cargo run --release

Then in another terminal, run the integration tests:

cargo test --test integration_tests -- --ignored

Logging

The server provides comprehensive structured logging in JSON format using Rust's tracing framework, fully compatible with Railway's log filtering.

Log Format

All logs are output as JSON objects with structured fields for easy filtering and analysis:

{
  "timestamp": "2025-11-25T16:10:22.262009Z",
  "level": "ERROR",
  "fields": {
    "message": "Transformation failed",
    "function": "invalid",
    "error": "Unknown function: invalid"
  },
  "target": "redstr_server",
  "span": {
    "method": "POST",
    "uri": "/transform",
    "version": "HTTP/1.1",
    "name": "request"
  }
}

Log Levels

Control logging verbosity with the RUST_LOG environment variable:

# Show all logs (default)
RUST_LOG=info cargo run

# Show only warnings and errors
RUST_LOG=warn cargo run

# Show only errors
RUST_LOG=error cargo run

# Show debug logs (verbose)
RUST_LOG=debug cargo run

Railway Log Filtering

Use Railway's powerful filtering syntax with the JSON log attributes:

Filter by log level:

• @level:ERROR - Show only errors
• @level:INFO - Show info logs
• @level:DEBUG - Show debug logs

Filter by custom fields:

• @fields.function:leetspeak - Show logs for specific transformation
• @fields.status:400 - Show specific status codes
• @fields.error:* - Show all logs with error field
• @span.uri:/transform - Show logs for specific endpoint
• @span.method:POST - Show POST requests only

Combine filters:

• @level:ERROR AND @span.uri:/transform - Show errors on /transform endpoint
• @level:INFO AND @fields.function:* - Show info logs with function field
• "Unknown function" - Text search within log messages

Examples:

@level:ERROR                           # All errors
@fields.function:reverse_string        # Specific function
@span.uri:/batch                       # Batch endpoint logs
@level:ERROR AND @span.uri:/transform  # Transform errors only

What Gets Logged

✅ Request Start - Method, URI, HTTP version
✅ Request Processing - Function name, operation details
✅ Request Completion - Latency, status code
✅ Transformation Success - Function name and confirmation
✅ All Errors - Detailed error messages with context
✅ Batch Operations - Count of operations processed

Technology Stack

• Axum - Web framework
• Tokio - Async runtime
• Tower - Middleware and service abstractions
• Serde - JSON serialization/deserialization
• Tracing - Structured logging and diagnostics

Future Enhancements

• Configuration file support
• Environment-based port binding (✅ Supports PORT env var)
• Authentication/authorization with JWT
• Rate limiting middleware
• Request logging (✅ Completed with tracing)
• Metrics endpoint (Prometheus format)
• Async I/O (✅ Completed with Tokio)
• TLS support
• OpenAPI/Swagger documentation

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file in the repository root.

Important: This server is designed for authorized security testing only. Users must obtain proper authorization before conducting any security assessments.