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GitHub Repo Analysis: ValdikSS/GoodbyeDPI


Executive Summary

GoodbyeDPI is a software utility designed to help users bypass Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) systems used by ISPs to restrict access to websites. This tool is especially critical in regions with stringent internet censorship. Developed primarily in C and utilizing the WinDivert library, GoodbyeDPI is tailored for Windows platforms and is maintained under the Apache License 2.0, supporting both personal and commercial use.

Recent Activity

Recent commits and pull requests primarily focus on enhancing compatibility with different Windows versions and browsers, reflecting an ongoing effort to adapt to the latest technological changes.

Team Members and Contributions:

Key Issues and PRs:

Risks

  1. Compatibility Issues: Persistent compatibility challenges with both old (Windows 7) and newer Windows versions could alienate users or reduce the tool's effectiveness.
  2. Security Concerns: Direct manipulation of network packets poses inherent security risks, potentially exposing users to new vulnerabilities if not handled meticulously.
  3. Project Management: Several long-standing open PRs suggest potential issues in project management or decision-making processes that could delay the integration of important features.

Of Note

  1. Long-standing Open PRs: Some PRs have been open for years (e.g., PR #82 and PR #127), which might indicate either a lack of resources or prioritization issues within the project management.
  2. High Community Engagement: The active issue tracker and frequent discussions reflect a robust user base actively participating in the project’s development, which is crucial for its continuous improvement.
  3. Regional Customization Needs: Issues like #347 highlight the necessity for region-specific adaptations, underscoring the complex nature of DPI circumvention across different geopolitical landscapes.

Quantified Reports

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Quantified Commit Activity Over 14 Days

Developer Avatar Branches PRs Commits Files Changes
ValdikSS 2 0/0/0 12 5 113
mdashlw 1 1/1/0 1 1 2
Ikko Eltociear Ashimine 1 1/1/0 1 1 2
None (Bhader) 0 1/0/1 0 0 0

PRs: created by that dev and opened/merged/closed-unmerged during the period

Detailed Reports

Report On: Fetch issues



Recent Activity Analysis

Recent activity on the GoodbyeDPI project indicates a consistent focus on addressing compatibility issues, enhancing bypass techniques, and expanding support for different operating systems. Notably, there has been significant engagement from the community in identifying and troubleshooting issues related to specific regional ISPs and their unique DPI implementations.

Notable Issues and Themes:

  • Compatibility with Windows Versions: Several issues (#344, #350, #353) indicate ongoing challenges with newer Windows versions or specific configurations where GoodbyeDPI does not perform as expected. This suggests a need for continuous updates to maintain compatibility with evolving OS environments.
  • Regional Specific Challenges: Issues like #347 and #349 highlight problems specific to certain regions, underscoring the importance of regional customization in DPI circumvention tools.
  • Browser-Specific Anomalies: Problems reported with specific browsers (#348, #362) suggest that browser-specific behaviors or updates can affect the efficacy of DPI bypass techniques. This points to the necessity for regular testing across popular browsers to ensure consistent user experience.
  • Community Engagement: The active participation in reporting and discussing issues (#354, #357) reflects a strong community involvement which is crucial for the iterative improvement of the project.

Issue Details

Most Recently Created Issue

  • Issue #411: Проблема с Discord и Game jolt
    • Priority: High
    • Status: Open
    • Creation Time: 0 days ago
    • Update Time: N/A

Most Recently Updated Issue

  • Issue #386: GoodbyeDPI blocks YouTube! (for some reason)
    • Priority: High
    • Status: Open
    • Creation Time: 1 day ago
    • Update Time: 0 days ago

These issues highlight critical areas where GoodbyeDPI needs enhancement, particularly in ensuring compatibility with various applications and services like Discord, Game Jolt, and YouTube. The frequent updates and community feedback are indicative of an active project responsive to user needs.

Important Rules Recap:

  • Always reference issues by their number prefixed by #, e.g., #411.
  • Be succinct in descriptions; avoid unnecessary details.

This analysis underscores the importance of ongoing development and community engagement in maintaining GoodbyeDPI's effectiveness as a tool against internet censorship.

Report On: Fetch pull requests



Analysis of Open and Recently Closed Pull Requests in GoodbyeDPI Repository

Open Pull Requests

  1. PR #322: TLS/SNI parsing

    • Status: Open for 281 days, edited recently.
    • Summary: Enhances TLS/SNI parsing capabilities but introduces potential issues with TCP sequence numbers.
    • Discussion: There's an ongoing discussion about the feasibility and implementation details, including potential integration with WinDivert for handling TCP sequence numbers.
    • Concerns: The PR is complex and might introduce performance and error-prone changes without clear benefits, as noted by ValdikSS.
  2. PR #305: Add whitelist option

    • Status: Open for 452 days.
    • Summary: Introduces a whitelist feature to bypass DPI tricks for specified hosts.
    • Progress: The feature seems useful and straightforward, but it has not been merged or updated recently, which might indicate a lack of priority or unresolved issues.
  3. PR #127: For GUI For GoodbyeDPI

    • Status: Open for 1991 days.
    • Summary: Adds fflush() after stdout functions to support GUI operations.
    • Discussion: ValdikSS suggested an alternative approach, and the contributor acknowledged that the PR could be closed if the alternative is preferable.
  4. PR #82: Added initial cmake build support

    • Status: Open for 2263 days.
    • Summary: Adds CMake build support and updates compatibility with WinDivert.
    • Discussion: There's a debate about making certain variables configurable. ValdikSS has suggested splitting the PR and has reservations about merging it in its current state.

Recently Closed Pull Requests

  1. PR #383: Update README.md

    • Status: Closed 1 day ago, merged.
    • Summary: Updated README to reflect support for macOS and Windows in a related project (zapret).
    • Impact: Minor documentation update, merged quickly indicating good maintenance of project documentation.
  2. PR #381: add class.md

    • Status: Closed 2 days ago, not merged.
    • Summary: Appears to be a test or accidental PR adding a non-relevant markdown file.
    • Action Taken: Correctly closed without merging as it was irrelevant to the project.
  3. PR #379: chore: update README.md

    • Status: Closed 4 days ago, merged.
    • Summary: Fixed a typo in README from "resover" to "resolver".
    • Impact: Minor but important fix for clarity in documentation.
  4. PR #356: State Secure DNS Prevents Poisoning

    • Status: Closed 63 days ago, not merged.
    • Summary: Suggested change in wording regarding DNS poisoning prevention capabilities.
    • Discussion: The wording change was debated, and it seems there was no consensus on the phrasing, leading to closure without merge.
  5. PR #319: Оптимизация кода

    • Status: Closed 180 days ago, not merged.
    • Summary: Multiple commits with unclear descriptions mostly updating goodbyedpi.c.
    • Concerns: The large number of commits with vague descriptions likely contributed to its non-merger. It suggests a need for clearer contribution guidelines or better PR management.

Conclusion

The GoodbyeDPI project has several long-standing open PRs that suggest some challenges in project management or prioritization (#127 and #82). The recent quick closure of irrelevant or minor PRs (#383, #381, and #379) shows effective recent oversight. However, the presence of significant unmerged changes like those in PR #322 and PR #305 indicates potential areas for improvement in handling substantial contributions. This could involve more active discussions or clearer guidelines on contributions to ensure valuable features are integrated efficiently into the project.

Report On: Fetch Files For Assessment



Analysis of GoodbyeDPI Project Source Code Files

1. src/goodbyedpi.c

Overview

  • This file is the core of the GoodbyeDPI project, containing the main logic for DPI circumvention.
  • It includes implementations for various DPI circumvention techniques such as packet fragmentation, header manipulation, and fake packet generation.

Quality Assessment

  • Modularity: The code appears to be modular with functions dedicated to specific tasks, enhancing readability and maintainability.
  • Error Handling: There is evidence of error handling which is crucial for robustness, especially given the network-level operations performed.
  • Performance: The use of efficient data structures and algorithms suggests that performance has been considered, although detailed profiling would be needed for confirmation.

Potential Issues

  • Security: Direct manipulation of network packets can lead to vulnerabilities if not handled correctly. However, without specific security analysis, no concrete issues can be cited.
  • Compatibility: The file includes conditional compilation which suggests an attempt to maintain compatibility across different Windows versions.

2. .github/workflows/build.yml

Overview

  • This YAML file configures GitHub Actions for automated builds of the GoodbyeDPI project.
  • It specifies steps for environment setup, dependencies installation, building the project for different architectures, and artifact uploading.

Quality Assessment

  • Clarity and Maintainability: The workflow is well-structured and easy to understand, with clear separation of steps and descriptive names.
  • Efficiency: Uses caching for dependencies like WinDivert, which can speed up the build process significantly.

Potential Issues

  • Hardcoding: Some values like URLs and SHA256 hashes are hardcoded, which could make updates tedious and error-prone.
  • Error Handling: Limited visibility into error handling within the workflow steps. While GitHub Actions will catch errors in the steps themselves, more granular error handling might be necessary.

3. src/Makefile

Overview

  • This Makefile is used for building the GoodbyeDPI project on systems with MinGW.
  • It includes targets for cleaning build files, compiling source files, and linking objects into the final executable.

Quality Assessment

  • Modularity: The Makefile is well-organized with clear targets for different build stages.
  • Flexibility: Conditional statements allow for customization based on the environment (e.g., presence of MSYSTEM), which enhances portability across different build environments.

Potential Issues

  • Complexity: Some parts of the Makefile use complex expressions which might be challenging for new developers to understand.
  • Dependency Management: While it handles local dependencies well (like WinDivert libraries), there's no mechanism for managing or verifying external dependencies beyond what's manually specified.

Conclusion

The GoodbyeDPI project's source code demonstrates a strong focus on functionality with an adequate consideration of maintainability and performance. The GitHub Actions workflow and Makefile support robust and flexible builds. However, areas such as security within goodbyedpi.c and dependency management in the Makefile could benefit from further scrutiny or enhancement. Overall, the project structure supports its goal of providing a DPI circumvention tool effectively.

Report On: Fetch commits



Development Team and Recent Activity

Team Members and Their Recent Contributions

ValdikSS

  • Recent Commits: Focused on updating README.md, modifying workflow build files, and enhancing the software's functionality with new modes and options.
  • Collaborations: Merged pull requests from contributors mdashlw and eltociear.
  • In-Progress Work: Likely ongoing development in the quic_block branch with recent commits addressing auto-ttl adjustments and QUIC blocking.

mdashlw

  • Recent Commits: Contributed to updating README.md.
  • Collaborations: Had a pull request merged by ValdikSS.

eltociear (Ikko Eltociear Ashimine)

  • Recent Commits: Made a typographical correction in README.md.
  • Collaborations: Had a pull request merged by ValdikSS.

Bhader

  • Recent Activity: Involved in a pull request that remains open and unmerged.

Patterns, Themes, and Conclusions

  • Active Development Focus: The team is actively working on enhancing compatibility and functionality, as evidenced by recent commits in the quic_block branch focusing on new modes for better handling DPI circumvention.
  • Collaborative Efforts: There is active collaboration within the team, with ValdikSS merging contributions from other developers like mdashlw and eltociear.
  • Documentation and Maintenance: Regular updates to README.md suggest a focus on keeping the documentation current with the software changes, which is crucial for end-user clarity.
  • Branch Management: The use of specific branches for developing new features (like quic_block) indicates a structured approach to introducing changes, likely aimed at maintaining stability in the master branch.