ArcherDB Data Protection Security Model
This document defines ArcherDB’s security boundary for data protection.
Security Boundary
ArcherDB is designed for trusted-network deployment and assumes:
- Authentication and authorization are enforced before ArcherDB (gateway/service layer)
- Transport security is enforced outside ArcherDB (TLS termination/service mesh/private links)
- At-rest encryption is enforced by storage and cloud platform controls
- Backup confidentiality and retention are enforced by external backup tooling
In Scope (ArcherDB)
- Replication safety and durability guarantees
- Deterministic recovery behavior (
recover, replica sync) - Operational guidance for private-network deployment
Out of Scope (ArcherDB Product Surface)
- Native authn/authz provider implementation
- Native TLS/mTLS session management for client and replica traffic
- Native encryption-at-rest and key hierarchy lifecycle
- Native backup orchestration and encrypted archive lifecycle
Required External Controls
For production deployments, implement:
- API gateway/service mesh policies for identity and authorization
- Network segmentation + firewall controls for DB ports
- Encrypted storage volumes and encrypted snapshot/object stores
- KMS/HSM-backed key governance and audit logging
- Backup/restore automation with periodic drill evidence
Compliance Positioning
Compliance attestations (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI) should map to platform and organizational controls around ArcherDB, not to built-in ArcherDB cryptographic/auth subsystems.