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Architecture

Project Structure

tauri-app/
├── frontend/              # Frontend assets
│   ├── index.html        # Main HTML file
│   ├── js/               # JavaScript modules
│   │   ├── app.js        # Main application logic
│   │   ├── app-state.js  # State management
│   │   ├── email-service.js    # Email functionality
│   │   ├── dm-service.js       # Direct messages
│   │   ├── contacts-service.js # Contact management
│   │   ├── tauri-service.js    # Backend communication
│   │   └── ...
│   └── styles/          # CSS files
│       ├── variables.css
│       ├── email.css
│       ├── contacts.css
│       └── ...
├── backend/              # Rust backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── main.rs       # Main entry point
│   │   ├── lib.rs        # Library exports
│   │   ├── email.rs      # Email operations
│   │   ├── nostr.rs      # Nostr protocol
│   │   ├── crypto.rs     # Encryption/decryption
│   │   ├── database.rs   # Database operations
│   │   └── ...
│   └── Cargo.toml       # Rust dependencies
└── tauri.conf.json       # Tauri configuration

Data Flow

1. Frontend (JavaScript) handles UI and user interactions

2. Tauri Service bridges frontend and backend via Tauri commands

3. Backend (Rust) handles:

  • Email operations (SMTP/IMAP)
  • Nostr operations (DMs, profiles, relays)
  • Encryption/decryption (NIP-44/NIP-04)
  • Database operations (SQLite)

4. Database stores:

  • Contacts and profiles
  • Email messages
  • DM conversations
  • Settings and preferences

Key Technologies

  • Tauri: Cross-platform framework wrapping Rust backend with web frontend
  • nostr-sdk: Rust library for Nostr protocol implementation
  • lettre: Rust email library for SMTP/IMAP
  • rusqlite: SQLite database for local storage
  • NIP-44: Modern encryption standard for Nostr messages

Frontend Architecture

Module Structure

  • app-state.js: Centralized state management
  • dom-manager.js: DOM element management utilities
  • tauri-service.js: Backend communication layer
  • email-service.js: Email-specific functionality
  • dm-service.js: Direct message functionality
  • contacts-service.js: Contact management
  • notification-service.js: User feedback system
  • utils.js: Common utility functions

State Management

The application uses a centralized state management system (appState) that tracks:

  • Contacts
  • Direct messages
  • Email messages
  • Settings
  • Keypair
  • Relays
  • Selection state

Backend Architecture

Core Modules

  • main.rs: Application entry point and Tauri command definitions
  • lib.rs: Library exports and shared utilities
  • email.rs: SMTP sending and IMAP fetching
  • nostr.rs: Nostr protocol operations (DMs, profiles, relays)
  • crypto.rs: Encryption/decryption operations
  • database.rs: SQLite database operations
  • types.rs: Shared type definitions

Database Schema

The SQLite database stores:

  • Contacts (profiles, metadata)
  • Email messages (encrypted content, metadata)
  • DM conversations (encrypted messages, metadata)
  • Settings (per-pubkey configuration)
  • Relay configurations

Security Considerations

  • The current private is stored in frontend localStorage (not in database)
  • Entering a new private key effectively logs out of the previous profile
  • Encryption happens in Rust backend
  • Database is local and encrypted at rest (OS-level)
  • All network communications use TLS/SSL
  • NIP-44 encryption provides modern security guarantees
  • App passwords are encrypted at rest via the user's private key

The workflow for switching accounts is being simplified. Currently, the app will not keep store a previous private key when switching accounts, but the user data (private contacts, settings) will be stored with the public key.