Cryptcoder: An Automatic Code Generator for Cryptographic Tasks in Ethereum Smart Contracts

Libin Xia, Jiashuo Zhang, Che Wang, Zezhong Tan, Jianbo Gao, Zhi Guan, Zhong Chen

Abstract: Cryptographic APIs provided by Ethereum are widely adopted in decentralized applications (DApps) for cryptographic operations. However, developers who lack expertise in cryptography frequently encounter difficulties when working with low-level cryptographic APIs, thereby producing insecure code. To address this issue, we introduce Cryptcoder, an automatic code generator designed to bridge the gap between low-level cryptographic APIs and high-level cryptographic tasks in Ethereum. The fundamental component of Cryptcoder is Cryptlang, a Solidity-compatible domain-specific language (DSL) designed for cryptographic tasks. Developers can utilize Cryptlang for the straightforward and secure implementation of cryptographic tasks, such as signatures and commitments, and employ Cryptcoder for the automatic conversion into Solidity code. The evaluation of Cryptcoder demonstrates both its functionality in generating Solidity code and an acceptable overhead, evidenced by a mere 4% average increase in gas costs compared to the reference code. A demonstration video of Cryptcoder is available at https://youtu.be/AxhCdGiu7dw.