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Contributing to Helix

First off, thank you for considering contributing to Helix! 🧬

Helix is a Systems-Level DNA Storage engine. Unlike typical web or CLI tools, changes here have physical consequences. A bug in the trellis encoder doesn't just crash the program; it creates unreadable biological slime in a synthesizer.

Because of this, we prioritize Correctness and Stability over new features.

🛠️ Development Environment

Prerequisites

  • Rust: Latest Stable (rustup update stable)
  • Python 3.8+: Required for the Validation Suite (full_test.py)
  • Rayon: We use highly parallel processing; ensure your environment supports threading.

Setup

git clone [https://github.com/SSL-ACTX/helix.git](https://github.com/SSL-ACTX/helix.git)
cd helix
cargo build

🧪 Testing Policy (Strict)

We do not merge code that fails the Validation Suite.

Helix includes a "Chaos Monkey" style test harness that simulates thousands of years of DNA decay. Before submitting a PR, you MUST pass the full suite:

# Run the rigorous integration suite
python3 tests/full_test.py

If you are modifying the Codec (dna_mapper.rs, rs_engine.rs), please add a specific regression test to tests/full_test.py that targets your edge case.

📐 Coding Standards

Rust Style

  • Formatting: All code must be formatted with cargo fmt.
  • Linting: Zero warnings allowed from cargo clippy.
  • Comments: Complex logic (especially Trellis transitions and Crypto math) must be commented with "Why", not just "What".

Architecture Alignment

Please read ARCHITECTURE.md before refactoring core components.

  • No malloc in loops: We use streaming buffers (stream_manager.rs) to keep memory footprint flat. Do not introduce Vec::new() inside tight loops.
  • Panic Free: The core library should never panic. Return Result<T> and propagate errors to main.rs.

🔄 Pull Request Process

  1. Fork the repo and create your branch from master.
  2. If you've added code that should be tested, add tests.
  3. If you've changed the encoding spec (HES-1), update SPEC.md.
  4. Ensure the test suite passes.
  5. Issue that Pull Request!

🔭 Roadmap & Areas for Contribution

We are specifically looking for help with:

  • SIMD Optimization: Porting the Viterbi engine to AVX2/NEON.
  • GPU Compute: CUDA kernels for the Reed-Solomon engine.
  • Fuzzing: Integrating cargo-fuzz for the packet parsers.

📜 Code of Conduct

This project is a professional engineering effort. Be respectful, be constructive, and keep the signal-to-noise ratio high.

Paranoia is a virtue in preservation.