Wire Format Reference
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Wire Format Reference

Detailed 48-byte header offsets

KSP packets utilize a strict binary representation. The 48-byte header is structured as follows, followed immediately by the encrypted payload (if any) and a 16-byte authentication tag:

Offset  Size (B)   Field Name         Description
------------------------------------------------------------------
0       4          Magic Number       Magic bytes "KSP1" (0x4B535031)
4       1          Packet Type        Routing flag (0x01 - 0xFF)
5       2          Flags              Flags bitfield (COMPRESSED, etc.)
7       4          Payload Length     Size of encrypted payload
11      16         Session ID         Unique UUID v4 session token
27      4          Stream ID          Logical channel number (0 - 256)
31      8          Sequence Number    Monotonically increasing sequence
39      12         Nonce / IV         XORed initialization vector

Field Details

  • Magic Number: All KSP readers discard frames immediately if the first 4 bytes do not match 0x4B535031.
  • Sequence Number: Must begin at 1 for both endpoints and increment by 1 for every packet. It prevents replay attacks and provides the basis for nonce generation.
  • Flags Bitfield: Bit 0 indicates Zstd compression. Bit 1 indicates AEAD encryption is active. Bit 2 signals stream teardown.