Performance & Security Notes

Complexity

Ladder Sign cost (hash ops) Verify cost* Channel requirement
S N(N−1)/2 g × (N−g) Lossy/out-of-order OK
X N(N−1)/2 N−1 Strictly sequential (gap = 1)

*Counting cryptographic operations only.

Choosing parameters

Target platform Suggested N originSize Notes
Constrained MCU/RFID 4–8 128 bit Small code/data footprint
Browser/Mobile 8–16 256 bit Good HW acceleration for SHA-256
Desktop/Server 16–32 256–512 bit Higher brute-force margin

Export formats

  • bytes — smallest, fastest; may need encoding for text channels.
  • hex — human-readable, doubles size.
  • base64 — URL/form-safe, +33% overhead.

Security checklist

  • Prefer SHA-256/SHA-512/SHA3 family or vetted WASM implementations.
  • For CDN-loaded hashers use SRI and strict CSP.
  • Offload heavy signing to a Web Worker for UX smoothness.
  • In X-mode, enforce reliable delivery (e.g., over TLS/WebSocket).