Sunday, March 21, 2021

Java Architecture

Java Architecture is a collection of components, i.e., JVM, JRE, and JDKIt integrates the process of interpretation and compilation. It defines all the processes involved in creating a Java program. Java Architecture explains each and every step of how a program is compiled and executed.

Java Architecture can be explained by using the following steps:

  • There is a process of compilation and interpretation in Java.
  • Java compiler converts the Java code into byte code.
  • After that, the JVM converts the byte code into machine code.
  • The machine code is then executed by the machine.

 



Components of Java Architecture

The Java architecture includes the three main components:

  • Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
  • Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
  • Java Development Kit (JDK)

Java Runtime Environment

It provides an environment in which Java programs are executed. JRE takes our Java code, integrates it with the required libraries, and then starts the JVM to execute it. To learn more about the Java Runtime Environment, click here.

Java Development Kit

It is a software development environment used in the development of Java applications and applets. Java Development Kit holds JRE, a compiler, an interpreter or loader, and several development tools in it.

Java Virtual Machine

JVM's main task is to convert byte code into machine code.

JVM, first of all, loads the code into memory and verifies it. JVM(Java Virtual Machine) acts as a run-time engine to run Java applications. JVM is the one that actually calls the main method present in a java code. JVM is a part of JRE(Java Runtime Environment).

Java applications are called WORA (Write Once Run Anywhere). This means a programmer can develop Java code on one system and can expect it to run on any other Java-enabled system without any adjustment. This is all possible because of JVM.

When we compile a .java file, .class files(contains byte-code) with the same class names present in .java file are generated by the Java compiler. This .class file goes into various steps when we run it. These steps together describe the whole JVM. 






ClassLoader: ClassLoader is a subsystem used to load class files. ClassLoader first loads the Java code whenever we run it.

Class Method Area: In the memory, there is an area where the class data is stored during the code's execution. Class method area holds the information of static variables, static methods, static blocks, and instance methods.

Heap: The heap area is a part of the JVM memory and is created when the JVM starts up. Its size cannot be static because it increase or decrease during the application runs.

Stack: It is also referred to as thread stack. It is created for a single execution thread. The thread uses this area to store the elements like the partial result, local variable, data used for calling method and returns etc.

Native Stack: It contains the information of all the native methods used in our application.

Execution Engine: It is the central part of the JVM. Its main task is to execute the byte code and execute the Java classes. The execution engine has three main components used for executing Java classes.

  • Interpreter: It converts the byte code into native code and executes. It sequentially executes the code. The interpreter interprets continuously and even the same method multiple times. This reduces the performance of the system, and to solve this, the JIT compiler is introduced.
  • JIT Compiler: JIT compiler is introduced to remove the drawback of the interpreter. It increases the speed of execution and improves performance.
  • Garbage Collector: The garbage collector is used to manage the memory, and it is a program written in Java. It works in two phases, i.e., Mark and Sweep. Mark is an area where the garbage collector identifies the used and unused chunks of memory. The Sweep removes the identified object from the Mark

OAuth1 vs OAuth2

OAuth 1.0

OAuth 1.0 addressed delegation with a framework based on digital signatures in December 2007. It was secure and it was strong. However, OAuth 1.0 required crypto-implementation and crypto-interoperability. Although safe, implementing this has been a challenge for many developers. Then arrived OAuth 2.0 in October 2012. NoteThis specification was obsoleted by OAuth Core 1.0 Revision A on June 24th, 2009 to address a session fixation attack. 



OAuth 2.0 


OAuth 2.0 released in October 2012 to overcome the problem as specified above in OAuth 1.0. The OAuth 2.0 authorization framework allows a third-party application to gain limited access to an HTTP service, either on behalf of a resource owner by orchestration of an approval agreement between the resource owner and the HTTP service, or by requiring the third-party application to obtain access on its own behalf




Difference between OAuth 1.0 and OAuth 2.0

OAuth 1.0 Flow

  1. Client application registers with provider, such as Twitter.
  2. Twitter provides client with a “consumer secret” unique to that application.
  3. Client app signs all OAuth requests to Twitter with its unique “consumer secret.”
  4. If any of the OAuth request is malformed, missing data, or signed improperly, the request will be rejected.

OAuth 2.0 Flow

  1. Client application registers with provider, such as Twitter.
  2. Twitter provides client with a “client secret” unique to that application.
  3. Client application includes “client secret” with every request commonly as http header.
  4. If any of the OAuth request is malformed, missing data, or contains the wrong secret, the request will be rejected.

Detailed Explanation

Security of the OAuth 1.0 protocol (RFC 5849) relies on the assumption that a secret key embedded in a client application can be kept confidential. However, the assumption is naive.

In OAuth 2.0 (RFC 6749), such a naive client application is called a confidential client. On the other hand, a client application in an environment where it is difficult to keep a secret key confidential is called a public client. See 2.1. Client Types for details.
In that sense, OAuth 1.0 is a specification only for confidential clients.
"OAuth 2.0 and the Road to Hell" says that OAuth 2.0 is less secure, but there is no practical difference in security level between OAuth 1.0 clients and OAuth 2.0 confidential clients. OAuth 1.0 requires to compute signature, but it does not enhance security if it is already assured that a secret key on the client side can be kept confidential. Computing signature is just a cumbersome calculation without any practical security enhancement. I mean, compared to the simplicity that an OAuth 2.0 client connects to a server over TLS and just presents client_id and client_secret, it cannot be said that the cumbersome calculation is better in terms of security.
In addition, RFC 5849 (OAuth 1.0) does not mention anything about open redirectors while RFC 6749 (OAuth 2.0) does. That is, oauth_callback parameter of OAuth 1.0 can become a security hole.
Therefore, I don't think OAuth 1.0 is more secure than OAuth 2.0.
OAuth 1.0 security relies on signature computation. A signature is computed using a secret key where a secret key is a shared key for HMAC-SHA1 (RFC 5849, 3.4.2) or a private key for RSA-SHA1 (RFC 5849, 3.4.3). Anyone who knows the secret key can compute the signature. So, if the secret key is compromised, complexity of signature computation is meaningless however complex it is.
This means OAuth 1.0 security relies not on the complexity and the logic of signature computation but merely on the confidentiality of a secret key. In other words, what is needed for OAuth 1.0 security is only the condition that a secret key can be kept confidential. This may sound extreme, but signature computation adds no security enhancement if the condition is already satisfied.
Likewise, OAuth 2.0 confidential clients rely on the same condition. If the condition is already satisfied, is there any problem in creating a secure connection using TLS and sending client_id and client_secret to an authorization server through the secured connection? Is there any big difference in security level between OAuth 1.0 and OAuth 2.0 confidential clients if both rely on the same condition?

I cannot find any good reason for OAuth 1.0 to blame OAuth 2.0. 

The fact is simply that (1) OAuth 1.0 is just a specification only for confidential clients and (2) OAuth 2.0 has simplified the protocol for confidential clients and supported public clients, too. Regardless of whether it is known well or not, smartphone applications are classified as public clients (RFC 6749, 9), which benefit from OAuth 2.0.

 OAuth 2 delegates security to the HTTPS protocol. OAuth 1 did not require this and consequentially had alternative methods to deal with various attacks. These methods required the application to engage in certain security protocols which are complicated and can be difficult to implement. Therefore, it is simpler to just rely on the HTTPS for security so that application developers dont need to worry about it.
As to your other questions, the answer depends. Some services dont want to require the use of HTTPS, were developed before OAuth 2, or have some other requirement which may prevent them from using OAuth 2. Furthermore, there has been a lot of debate about the OAuth 2 protocol itself. As you can see, Facebook, Google, and a few others each have slightly varying versions of the protocols implemented. So some people stick with OAuth 1 because it is more uniform across the different platforms. Recently, the OAuth 2 protocol has been finalized but we have yet to see how its adoption will take.


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