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Merge pull request #339 from smallstep/smallstep-app
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added smallstep app docs
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tashian authored Jul 29, 2024
2 parents 8e7ad97 + 6d91c73 commit 84146e7
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4 changes: 4 additions & 0 deletions manifest.json
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{
"title": "Smallstep API",
"path": "/platform/smallstep-api.mdx"
},
{
"title": "Smallstep App",
"path": "/platform/smallstep-app.mdx"
}
]
},
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4 changes: 2 additions & 2 deletions platform/core-concepts.mdx
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html_title: Smallstep Core Concepts
description: High-level overview of the major components and concepts you’ll encounter while working with the Smallstep platform, and how they interact/relate with one another to protect your resources and provide strong assurance of device identity.
---
![Image: Device Identity Attestation Flow](/graphics/tpm-attestation.png)
![Device Identity Attestation Flow](/graphics/tpm-attestation.png)

# Workflow Overview

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## Smallstep app
The Smallstep app is a desktop app that offers a uniform experience for device identity across macOS, Windows, and Linux. It is the foundation for Smallstep's high-assurance device identity attestation workflow, automating the issuance of certificates to devices and configuring the components that depend on these certificates.

The app is installed on individual company-managed devices and operates without administrative privileges. It only collects the device security context essential for your organisation's administrative policy configuration.
The app is installed on individual company-managed devices and only collects the device security context essential for your organisation's administrative policy configuration.

After proving its identity to the Smallstep Attestation CA, the app obtains a device identity certificate. This device certificate is then used to obtain short-lived client resources for accessing organisational resources such as Wi-Fi or VPN networks, ensuring that sensitive organisational resources are only accessible from trusted company-managed devices.

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78 changes: 78 additions & 0 deletions platform/smallstep-app.mdx
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---
title: The Smallstep App
html_title: The Smallstep App
description: This document specifies app download links, system requirements, runtime requirements, file permissions, and telemetry data collected for the Smallstep desktop app.
---
Smallstep ensures that access to financial data, code repositories, PII, and other sensitive resources is only possible from trusted, company-managed devices.

The Smallstep desktop app is central to that process. It offers a uniform experience for device identity across macOS, Windows, and Linux, and is the foundation for Smallstep's high-assurance device identity attestation workflow, automating the issuance of certificates to devices and configuring the components that depend on these certificates.

Here's all the necessary info you need to install and use the app effectively and consciously:

## Download

| Platform | Release |
|:--|:--|
| macOS | <a href='https://packages.smallstep.com/stable/darwin/Smallstep.dmg'>Latest Version</a> |
| Linux (Flatpak) | <a href='https://packages.smallstep.com/stable/flatpak/Smallstep.flatpakref'>Latest Version</a> |
| Linux (.deb) | <a href='https://packages.smallstep.com/stable/deb/smallstep-desktop.deb'>Latest Version</a> |
| Linux (.rpm) | <a href='https://packages.smallstep.com/stable/deb/smallstep-desktop.rpm'>Latest Version</a> |
| Windows | <a href='https://packages.smallstep.com/stable/windows/Smallstep.exe'>Latest Version</a> |

Installers for macOS, Windows and Linux can be also be downloaded from [GitHub releases](https://github.com/smallstep/smallstep-desktop/releases). Releases are signed with, and can be verified, by cosign.

## System Requirements

### Windows

- Windows 10 or later
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0)

### Linux

- Flatpak, or Debian 12+, Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 38+
- `systemd`-based service manager
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0)
- p11-kit
- tpm-tss2

### macOS

- macOS 13 (Ventura) or later
- Secure Enclave

## Runtime Requirements

All platforms require an internet connection for normal operation.

### Windows

- *Administrator privileges* - the Smallstep app requires privilege escalation to be able to communicate to the TPM

### macOS

- *Location permission* - to enable management of Wifi networks, the Smallstep app needs location permission
- *Keychain access* - the Smallstep app uses the macOS keychain to store both keys and certificates it manages
- *Network Extension entitlement* - the Smallstep app requests the *Network Extension* entitlement so that it can manage VPN connections

### Linux

- *TPM read/write permission* - the Smallstep app communicates to the TPM from user-space using `tpm-tss2`, and the running user must have read/write permissions to the TPM resource manager (typically `/dev/tpmrm0`)

## File Access
On all platforms, the Smallstep app creates and manages a directory on the filesystem in a well-known location for management of keys and certificates. However, it does not access any other file on a device except the one it creates.

- On macOS: `$HOME/Library/Application Support/Smallstep`
- On Windows: `%LOCALAPPDATA%/Smallstep`
- On Linux: `$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/step-agent` and `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/step-agent`

## Telemetry

The Smallstep app collects and reports some data from the host device as part of its normal operation. These are:

- Device Identifiers from TPM-enabled platforms
- Device/Computer Name
- Device/Computer Hostname
- Chipset Architecture
- Operating System Version
- WAN IP Address

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