Obtain certificates, and wait for the one that matters

The public shape now works end to end: real ports, Caddy in front, and both
programs that need certificates getting them from the same CA -- Caddy for
the front ends over TLS-ALPN-01, the mail server for its own names over
HTTP-01, which Caddy forwards on port 80.

Proved in the lab against Pebble, with a DNS stub answering every name with
the machine's own address, so no public name or public CA is involved:
twenty checks, ending with IMAPS and submissions presenting a certificate
for the mail host that verifies against the CA, and the webmail sending
sign-in to the server as the first-party client the server registered.

Two things the test found, both of which would have shipped:

- The proxy fronted four of the server's five names. The server puts
  ua-auto-config in its own certificate too, so its challenge was never
  forwarded, one name failed, and the whole order failed with it -- leaving
  the mail ports on a self-signed certificate while everything else looked
  healthy. The list now matches what the server asks for.

- Nothing waited for the certificate. An order that fails is not retried on
  its own and a restart does not start a new one, so the install declared
  itself finished over a self-signed certificate. It now waits, asks again
  every 45 seconds, and reports the issuer -- or says plainly that the
  server will keep trying once the domain resolves here, which is the
  ordinary case on a first install.

--acme-directory and --acme-ca-root are what let a private CA be used: the
root is added to the server image's own bundle and given to Caddy, because
neither sees the other's trust store.
This commit is contained in:
2026-09-22 19:11:52 -07:00
parent 7141e565ea
commit 8725d8c11b
6 changed files with 263 additions and 14 deletions
+6 -2
View File
@@ -43,7 +43,10 @@ the installer draft); the phases are there too.
inbuxa install --local --domain example.test --install-deps --yes
is the shortest thing that works today: the whole suite on loopback, with no
DNS and no certificates, on a machine that starts with nothing.
DNS and no certificates, on a machine that starts with nothing. Without
`--local` it takes the real ports, puts Caddy in front and obtains
certificates -- which `e2e/cases/install-public.sh` proves against a private
CA, with no internet and no public name involved.
## Building and testing
@@ -55,7 +58,8 @@ is tested on a throwaway virtual machine rather than on anybody's desk:
e2e/vm/up.sh a Debian 13 machine, in qemu, as you
e2e/vm/run.sh e2e/cases/survey.sh what it says about a machine
e2e/vm/run.sh e2e/cases/deps.sh the offer, and taking it
e2e/vm/run.sh e2e/cases/install-local.sh a whole suite, and signing in to it
e2e/vm/run.sh e2e/cases/install-local.sh a whole suite, and signing in to it
e2e/vm/run.sh e2e/cases/install-public.sh the same with real ports and certificates
e2e/vm/down.sh remove it
Each case starts from a copy of the machine taken when it was new, so a run
+8
View File
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ install flags:
--proxy WHICH caddy | snippets | none (default: caddy)
--dir PATH where the installation lives; default: /var/lib/inbuxa
--local loopback evaluation: no public ports, no certificates
--acme-directory URL a private ACME CA, for testing the certificate path
--acme-ca-root PATH that CA's root, which both the server and the proxy
are made to trust
--install-deps install what the chosen shapes need and this
machine lacks, rather than refusing over it
--dry-run print the plan and stop
@@ -107,6 +110,8 @@ func install(args []string) int {
fs.StringVar(&o.Dir, "dir", "", "")
fs.BoolVar(&o.Local, "local", false, "")
fs.BoolVar(&o.InstallDeps, "install-deps", false, "")
fs.StringVar(&o.ACMEDirectory, "acme-directory", "", "")
fs.StringVar(&o.ACMECARoot, "acme-ca-root", "", "")
if err := fs.Parse(args); err != nil {
return 2
}
@@ -164,6 +169,9 @@ func install(args []string) int {
if res.WebmailURL != "" {
fmt.Printf(" webmail %s\n", res.WebmailURL)
}
if res.Certificate != "" {
fmt.Printf(" certificate issued by %s\n", res.Certificate)
}
if res.ZoneFile != "" {
fmt.Printf(" dns records %s\n", res.ZoneFile)
}
+153
View File
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
#!/bin/bash
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Coffey Labs
# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
#
# The public shape, with no internet involved: Pebble stands in for Let's
# Encrypt and a DNS stub answers every name with this machine's address, so
# both Caddy and the mail server really obtain certificates, over the real
# ports, through the real Caddyfile.
#
# --local proves the pieces talk to each other. This proves the part an
# operator actually gets wrong: ports 25 and 443 held for real, two programs
# asking the same CA for certificates for overlapping names, and a proxy in
# front of all of it. The two are kept apart by challenge type -- Caddy uses
# TLS-ALPN-01 on 443, the server HTTP-01 on 80, which Caddy forwards -- and
# this is where that is checked.
#
# Run from the host with: e2e/vm/run.sh e2e/cases/install-public.sh
set -uo pipefail
pass=0; fail=0
ok() { echo " ok $*"; pass=$((pass+1)); }
bad() { echo " FAIL $*"; fail=$((fail+1)); }
DOMAIN=lab.test
MAIL=mx.lab.test # not "mail": proves the names follow --mail-host
CONSOLE=console.lab.test
WEBMAIL=webmail.lab.test
DIR=/var/lib/inbuxa
WORK=/tmp/lab
LABNET=inbuxa-e2e
LABSUBNET=172.31.254.0/24
HOSTIP=172.31.254.1 # this machine, as the lab network sees it
rm -rf "$WORK"; mkdir -p "$WORK"
echo "==> what the installer needs, before the lab"
/tmp/inbuxa deps --console container --webmail container --install >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
docker version >/dev/null 2>&1 && ok "docker is usable" || { bad "no docker"; exit 1; }
echo
echo "==> standing up a private CA and a DNS stub"
docker network create --subnet "$LABSUBNET" "$LABNET" >/dev/null 2>&1
# Pebble's own certificate names localhost and "pebble"; the server and Caddy
# reach it at this machine's address from another network, so it gets one for
# that address, signed by the test root that ships with it.
docker create --name inbuxa-e2e-extract ghcr.io/letsencrypt/pebble:latest >/dev/null 2>&1
docker cp inbuxa-e2e-extract:/test/certs "$WORK/pebble-certs" >/dev/null
docker cp inbuxa-e2e-extract:/test/config/pebble-config.json "$WORK/pebble-config.json" >/dev/null
docker rm inbuxa-e2e-extract >/dev/null
openssl req -new -newkey ec -pkeyopt ec_paramgen_curve:P-256 -nodes -subj "/CN=pebble" \
-keyout "$WORK/pebble-key.pem" -out "$WORK/pebble.csr" 2>/dev/null
openssl x509 -req -in "$WORK/pebble.csr" -days 2 -CA "$WORK/pebble-certs/pebble.minica.pem" \
-CAkey "$WORK/pebble-certs/pebble.minica.key.pem" -CAcreateserial \
-extfile <(printf 'subjectAltName=IP:%s\nextendedKeyUsage=serverAuth\n' "$HOSTIP") \
-out "$WORK/pebble-cert.pem" 2>/dev/null
python3 - "$WORK/pebble-config.json" <<'PY'
import json, sys
c = json.load(open(sys.argv[1]))
c["pebble"].update(httpPort=80, tlsPort=443,
certificate="/work/pebble-cert.pem", privateKey="/work/pebble-key.pem")
json.dump(c, open(sys.argv[1], "w"))
PY
chmod -R a+r "$WORK"
docker run -d --name inbuxa-e2e-dns --network "$LABNET" --ip 172.31.254.3 \
ghcr.io/letsencrypt/pebble-challtestsrv:latest \
-defaultIPv4 "$HOSTIP" -defaultIPv6 "" -http01 "" -https01 "" -tlsalpn01 "" -doh "" >/dev/null
# Nonce rejection off: Pebble refuses 5% of nonces on purpose, and the server
# gives up an order on the first one rather than retrying.
docker run -d --name inbuxa-e2e-pebble --network "$LABNET" --ip 172.31.254.2 \
-p 14000:14000 -p 15000:15000 -v "$WORK:/work:ro" \
-e PEBBLE_VA_NOSLEEP=1 -e PEBBLE_WFE_NONCEREJECT=0 \
ghcr.io/letsencrypt/pebble:latest -config /work/pebble-config.json -dnsserver 172.31.254.3:8053 >/dev/null
for _ in $(seq 1 30); do
curl -sf --cacert "$WORK/pebble-certs/pebble.minica.pem" "https://$HOSTIP:14000/dir" >/dev/null && break
sleep 1
done
curl -sf --cacert "$WORK/pebble-certs/pebble.minica.pem" "https://$HOSTIP:14000/dir" >/dev/null \
&& ok "Pebble answers at https://$HOSTIP:14000/dir" || { bad "Pebble did not come up"; exit 1; }
echo
echo "==> installing the public shape"
OUT="$(/tmp/inbuxa install --domain "$DOMAIN" --mail-host "$MAIL" --console-host "$CONSOLE" \
--webmail-host "$WEBMAIL" --acme-directory "https://$HOSTIP:14000/dir" \
--acme-ca-root "$WORK/pebble-certs/pebble.minica.pem" --yes 2>&1)"; rc=$?
echo "$OUT" | grep -v '^ |' | tail -22 | sed 's/^/ /'
[ $rc -eq 0 ] && ok "installed (exit 0)" || bad "exit $rc"
echo
echo "==> the ports an operator would expect"
for p in 25 80 443 465 993 995 4190; do
ss -ltn "sport = :$p" | grep -q LISTEN && ok "$p is listening" || bad "$p is not listening"
done
# Caddy obtains its certificates in the background, so give the first
# handshake for each name a little room.
expect() {
local want=$1 got=; shift
for _ in $(seq 1 40); do
got=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' "$@" 2>/dev/null || true)
[ "$got" = "$want" ] && return 0
sleep 1
done
echo " got HTTP ${got:-nothing}, wanted $want" >&2
return 1
}
CA="$WORK/pebble-certs/pebble.minica.pem"
curl -sf --cacert "$CA" "https://$HOSTIP:15000/roots/0" > "$WORK/root.pem"
curl -sf --cacert "$CA" "https://$HOSTIP:15000/intermediates/0" > "$WORK/int.pem"
cat "$WORK/int.pem" "$WORK/root.pem" > "$WORK/chain.pem"
echo
echo "==> the front ends, over HTTPS, with certificates from the CA"
expect 200 --cacert "$WORK/chain.pem" --resolve "$WEBMAIL:443:127.0.0.1" "https://$WEBMAIL/api/health" \
&& ok "the webmail answers over HTTPS" || bad "the webmail does not answer over HTTPS"
expect 200 --cacert "$WORK/chain.pem" --resolve "$CONSOLE:443:127.0.0.1" "https://$CONSOLE/" \
&& ok "the console answers over HTTPS" || bad "the console does not answer over HTTPS"
expect 308 --cacert "$WORK/chain.pem" --resolve "$WEBMAIL:80:127.0.0.1" "http://$WEBMAIL/" \
&& ok "port 80 redirects" || bad "port 80 does not redirect"
echo
echo "==> the mail server's own certificate, on the mail ports"
grep -q "certificate issued by" <<<"$OUT" && ok "the install reported a certificate" || bad "the install reported no certificate"
for port in 993 465; do
out=$(echo | timeout 20 openssl s_client -connect "127.0.0.1:$port" -servername "$MAIL" \
-verify_hostname "$MAIL" -CAfile "$WORK/chain.pem" 2>&1)
grep -q "Verify return code: 0 (ok)" <<<"$out" \
&& ok "$port presents a certificate for $MAIL, issued by the CA" \
|| { bad "$port did not verify"; grep -E "Verify return code|subject=|issuer=" <<<"$out" | sed 's/^/ /'; }
done
echo
echo "==> sign-in goes to the mail server's own page, as a registered client"
# Unlike --local, this shape has OAuth: the webmail refuses a password of its
# own and sends the browser to the server, as the first-party client the
# server registered for this URL. A 302 to the mail host is that working.
USER=$(awk '/^first mailbox/ {print $3}' "$DIR/credentials.txt")
LOC=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{redirect_url}' --cacert "$WORK/chain.pem" \
--resolve "$WEBMAIL:443:127.0.0.1" --resolve "$MAIL:443:127.0.0.1" \
"https://$WEBMAIL/api/auth/oauth/start?username=$USER&remember=1")
grep -q "^https://$MAIL/" <<<"$LOC" && ok "the webmail sends sign-in to $MAIL" || bad "sign-in went to '${LOC:-nowhere}'"
grep -q "client_id=ihasmail-inbuxa" <<<"$LOC" && ok "as the first-party client" || bad "no first-party client id in '$LOC'"
CODE=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' --cacert "$WORK/chain.pem" --resolve "$MAIL:443:127.0.0.1" "$LOC")
[ "$CODE" = 200 ] && ok "and the server serves that page over its own certificate" || bad "the server answered $CODE for the sign-in page"
echo
echo "==> and nothing was left behind that should not be"
ENVOUT="$(docker inspect --format '{{range .Config.Env}}{{println .}}{{end}}' "$(docker compose -f $DIR/compose.yaml ps -q server)")"
grep -q "RECOVERY_ADMIN" <<<"$ENVOUT" && bad "the server still carries a recovery admin" || ok "no recovery admin on the server"
echo
echo "==> $pass passed, $fail failed"
[ "$fail" -eq 0 ]
+81 -10
View File
@@ -48,15 +48,16 @@ const (
// Result is what the operator is left holding.
type Result struct {
Dir string
AdminUser string
AdminPass string
FirstUser string
FirstPass string
ZoneFile string
ConsoleURL string
WebmailURL string
ServerURL string
Dir string
AdminUser string
AdminPass string
FirstUser string
FirstPass string
ZoneFile string
Certificate string // what issued the mail server's certificate, when one arrived
ConsoleURL string
WebmailURL string
ServerURL string
}
// Log is how apply reports progress. The interface will draw ticks from it;
@@ -130,6 +131,34 @@ func Run(ctx context.Context, p plan.Plan, log Log) (*Result, error) {
}
}
// A private ACME CA has to be trusted by two programs that never see each
// other's trust store: the mail server, which asks for its own
// certificate over HTTP-01, and Caddy, which asks for the front ends'.
// The server gets the image's own roots plus this one as a file it mounts
// over its bundle; Caddy gets the root on its own.
if o.ACMECARoot != "" {
root, err := os.ReadFile(o.ACMECARoot)
if err != nil {
return nil, fmt.Errorf("reading the ACME CA root: %w", err)
}
if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0o750); err != nil {
return nil, err
}
bundle, err := docker.SystemCABundle(ctx, stack.ServerImage)
if err != nil {
return nil, fmt.Errorf("reading the server image's CA bundle: %w", err)
}
if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "ca-bundle.crt"), append(bundle, root...), 0o644); err != nil {
return nil, err
}
if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "acme-ca-root.pem"), root, 0o644); err != nil {
return nil, err
}
stack.CABundle = true
stack.ACMECARoot = "acme-ca-root.pem"
}
stack.ACMEDirectory = o.ACMEDirectory
log.Step("writing the deployment into %s", dir)
if _, err := compose.Write(dir, &stack); err != nil {
return nil, err
@@ -246,9 +275,21 @@ func Run(ctx context.Context, p plan.Plan, log Log) (*Result, error) {
if !o.Local {
log.Step("turning on certificates")
if _, err := srv.EnableACME(ctx, domainID, "", o.ACMEEmail); err != nil {
if _, err := srv.EnableACME(ctx, domainID, o.ACMEDirectory, o.ACMEEmail); err != nil {
return res, fmt.Errorf("enabling ACME: %w", err)
}
// An order that fails is not retried on its own, and a restart does
// not start a new one: moving the domain to manual and back is what
// does. So this waits, and asks again every so often, rather than
// declaring the install finished over a self-signed certificate that
// every mail client will refuse.
if issuer := waitForCertificate(ctx, srv, log, domainID, o.MailHost, 3*time.Minute); issuer != "" {
res.Certificate = issuer
log.Info("certificate for %s issued by %s", o.MailHost, issuer)
} else {
log.Info("no certificate yet for %s: the server keeps trying, and will succeed once %s resolves to this machine and port 80 reaches it",
o.MailHost, o.MailHost)
}
}
log.Step("creating the first account")
@@ -276,6 +317,36 @@ func Run(ctx context.Context, p plan.Plan, log Log) (*Result, error) {
return res, nil
}
// waitForCertificate waits for the mail server's own certificate to arrive,
// asking for a fresh order every 45 seconds. It returns the issuer, or ""
// when none arrived in time -- which is not a failure: on a real install the
// domain often does not point here yet, and the server goes on trying.
func waitForCertificate(ctx context.Context, srv *jmap.Client, log Log, domainID, host string, limit time.Duration) string {
deadline := time.Now().Add(limit)
nextRetry := time.Now().Add(45 * time.Second)
for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
certs, err := srv.Certificates(ctx)
if err == nil {
for _, c := range certs {
if c.SubjectAlternativeNames[host] && !strings.Contains(c.Issuer, "self signed") {
return c.Issuer
}
}
}
if time.Now().After(nextRetry) {
log.Info("asking for the certificate again")
_ = srv.RetryCertificates(ctx, domainID)
nextRetry = time.Now().Add(45 * time.Second)
}
select {
case <-ctx.Done():
return ""
case <-time.After(3 * time.Second):
}
}
return ""
}
// Verify is the last step: does what was installed actually answer?
func Verify(ctx context.Context, res *Result, stackConsole, stackWebmail bool, log Log) []string {
var problems []string
+9 -2
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@@ -71,10 +71,17 @@ type Stack struct {
CABundle bool
}
// ServerNames is every name the server's certificate and the proxy need.
// ServerNames is every name the server's certificate and the proxy need:
// the mail host, and the four service names the server puts in its own
// certificate by default.
//
// The list has to match what the server asks for exactly. Leaving
// ua-auto-config out of the proxy meant its HTTP-01 challenge was not
// forwarded, the whole order failed on that one name, and the mail ports
// served a self-signed certificate while every other name validated.
func (s Stack) ServerNames() []string {
names := []string{s.MailHost}
for _, n := range []string{"autoconfig", "autodiscover", "mta-sts"} {
for _, n := range []string{"autoconfig", "autodiscover", "mta-sts", "ua-auto-config"} {
names = append(names, n+"."+s.Domain)
}
return names
+6
View File
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ type Options struct {
Proxy string // "caddy", "snippets", "none"
Choices []Choice
InstallDeps bool // resolve what is missing rather than refusing over it
// A private ACME CA, for testing the certificate path without asking a
// public CA for certificates for names that are not ours. Empty means
// Let's Encrypt, which is what an install should use.
ACMEDirectory string
ACMECARoot string
}
// Shape returns what was chosen for a component.