SolidityDesignPatternAnalyzer

Solidity design pattern analyzer

A utility for the recognition of design pattern on blockchain through static analysis of the code

This Readme is available in the Following Languages:
Italian · English

Content table

1. I notify
2. Project information
   • Based on
3. Use guide
   • Prerequisites
   • How to use it
4. License
5. Bibliography

I notify

After the degree, the project has undergone a variety and improvements, therefore what is described in the elaborate of the thesis may not reflect more reliable.

To view the project in the form described in the elaborate of the thesis and the thesis itself, refer to the frozen branch, click here.

Project information

Solidity Design Pattern Analyzer is a software application developed for my degree thesis for the three -year CDL in computer science at the University of Catania.

The software application and able to perform the following operations:

• Detect, within the linguistic and dependencies used, all and twenty -two design pattern documented in the thesis, whose relative descriptor are included in the source code, and is possible, through the combination of generic controls, to define new descriptor to recognize future patterns design;
• Describe a smart-contract, or extract useful information to create a new descriptor;

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Based on

• Python
• Python-Solidity-Parser
• Python-Hsonschema
• matplotlib

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Use guide

Before using the application it is necessary to install addictions.

Prerequisites

To install employees you can use the Python Installer package called PIP :

• Like global packages:

  pip install -r requirements.txt

• Via virtual environment:

  python3 -m venv /path/to/new/virtual/environment
  source /path/to/new/virtual/environment/bin/activate
  pip install -r requirements.txt

How to use it

To use Analyzer it is necessary to provide a series of parameters, listed here:

Parameter	Description
-h, --help	An optional parameter that, if provided, will make a guide on the use in the terminal
-a, --action	A mandatory parameter that only accepts analyze and describe values, depending on the operation you want to perform.
-t, --target	A mandatory parameter that represents the absolute or relative path of the file or folder containing the Solidty source code. If a directory is provided, the modalità batch will be performed that will save all the results obtained in a single file.
-d, --descriptor	An optional parameter for the analyze operation that represents the Path, absolute or relative, of the file or folder containing the Design Pattern Descriptor . If you omit a predefined path it will be used.
-v, --verbose	An optional parameter that, if supplied, can print debugs log in the terminal, normally not displayed.
-ai, --allow-incompatible	An optional parameter that determines the control of compatibility of the version of Soliditch used in the file provided. Accepts as values: ask , skip , always . Default: ask , asks for confirmation.
-p, --plot	An optional parameter that determines the display of a summary graph. Accepts as values: ask , skip , always . Default: ask , asks for confirmation.
-pr, --print-result	An optional parameter that, if provided, will make a summary of the results obtained from the analysis print on the terminal.
-wr, --write-result	An optional parameter that determines the rescue on disk of the results obtained from the analysis of the individual files. Accepts as values: ask , skip , always . Default: ask , asks for confirmation.
-fr, --format-result	An optional parameter that determines the format with which the data obtained is saved. Accepts as values: json , csv . Default: json .
--debug-analysis	An optional parameter that, if provided, will make a debug analysis on the Ast.

For example, wanting to analyze a Smart-Contract in order to identify the use of the ownship pattern and need to execute the command:

python analyzer.py -a analyze -t ./source_code.sol -d ./Ownership_descriptor.json --print-result --write-result always --plot always

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License

The software is released under MIT license. View LICENSE for more information.

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Bibliography

• What is ethereum?
• Solidity documentation.
• The Official Home of the Python Programming Language.
• Another Tool for Language Recognition.
• [An expertimental solidity parser for python built on top of a robust antlr4 grammar.] (Https://github.com/consensys/ python-solidity-parser)
• [Json scheme- The home of json scheme.] (Https: // json- scheme.org/)
• [Json Draft-07 Release Notes.
• An implementation of the Json Scheme Specification for Python.
• M. Wohrer and U. Zdun. "From Domain-Specific Language to Code: Smart Contracts and the Application of Design Patterns". In: IEEE Software 37.05 (Set of 2020), pp. 37–1. ISSN: 1937-4194. DOI: 10.1109/- MS.2020.293470
• Lodovica Marchesi et al. "Design Patterns for Gas Optimization in Ethereum". In: 2020 IEEE International Workshop on Blockchain oriented Software Engineering (IWBOSE) 2020.9050163
• Smart Contracts Design Patterns in The Ethereum Ecosystem and Solidity Code.
• Smart-Contract Patterns Written in Solide, collated for community good.
• A Compilation of Patterns and Best Practices for the Smart Contract Programming Language solidity.
• Maximilian Wohrer and Uwe Zdun. "Smart Contracts: Security Patterns in the Ethereum Ecosystem and Solidity". In: 2018 International Workshop on Blockchain oriented Software Engineering (iWbose). - Mar. 2018, pp.2–8.Doi: 10.1109/iWbose.2018.8327565
• OPENZEPPELIN CONTRACTS IS A Library for Secure Smart Contract Development.

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