Architecture

System overview and deployment architectures for Enclave

Enclave provides a layered security architecture for executing untrusted JavaScript code. This page explains the system components and how they work together.

Core Components

@enclave-vm/ast

Static analysis and validation layer:

• Pre-scanner - Catches DoS attacks before parsing
• AST validation - Blocks dangerous constructs
• Code transformation - Wraps code for safe execution

@enclave-vm/core

Runtime execution layer:

• Sandboxed context - Isolated JavaScript environment
• Resource limits - Timeout, iteration, memory limits
• Tool routing - Controlled external interactions

Tools

Your application’s capabilities exposed to scripts:

• Type-safe handlers - Validate inputs, sanitize outputs
• Rate limiting - Control how often tools are called
• Audit logging - Track all tool invocations

Defense-in-Depth Layers

Enclave uses a 6-layer security model:

Layer	Component	Purpose
0	Pre-Scanner	Catch DoS before parsing
1	AST Validation	Block dangerous syntax
2	Code Transform	Wrap in safe runtime
3	AI Scoring Gate	Detect attack patterns
4	Runtime Sandbox	Isolate execution
5	Output Sanitization	Clean return values

Each layer provides independent protection. Even if one layer is bypassed, subsequent layers catch the attack.

Deployment Architectures

Single Process (Embedded)

Simplest deployment - everything runs in one process:

import { Enclave } from '@enclave-vm/core';

const enclave = new Enclave({
  toolHandler: async (name, args) => executeLocalTool(name, args),
});

Best for: Internal tools, low traffic, simplicity.

Worker Pool (Process Isolation)

Code runs in separate worker threads for stronger isolation:

import { Enclave } from '@enclave-vm/core';

const enclave = new Enclave({
  adapter: 'worker_threads',
  workerPoolConfig: {
    minWorkers: 2,
    maxWorkers: 8,
    memoryLimitPerWorker: 256 * 1024 * 1024,
  },
});

Best for: Multi-tenant applications, untrusted code, memory isolation.

Distributed (3-Tier with EnclaveJS)

For production applications with streaming and real-time features:

• Client - React hooks for real-time streaming UI
• Broker - HTTP API, tool registry, session management
• Runtime - Isolated code execution worker

// Broker
import { createBroker } from '@enclave-vm/broker';

const broker = createBroker({
  mode: 'extracted',
  runtimeUrl: 'ws://runtime:3001',
});

broker.tool('users:list', {
  handler: async () => db.users.findAll(),
});

Best for: Production SaaS, real-time UIs, horizontal scaling.

Data Flow

Request Flow

Tool Call Flow

When to Use Each Architecture

Scenario	Recommended Architecture
Prototyping	Single Process
Internal tools	Single Process
User scripts (single tenant)	Worker Pool
Multi-tenant SaaS	Worker Pool or Distributed
Real-time UI with streaming	Distributed
Edge/serverless deployment	Distributed (Runtime as Lambda)

Related

• Security Model - 6-layer defense explained
• AgentScript - Language subset definition
• enclave-vm - Core library documentation
• EnclaveJS - Streaming runtime