Update README with comprehensive modernization changelog

Document all build system, dependency, UI, and testing changes.
List every removed/replaced/added dependency with rationale.
Update browser support targets. Add new files reference.
Note upstream compatibility and 243/243 test pass rate.
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consigcody94 2026-03-23 14:39:24 -04:00 committed by Pentest Agent
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README.md
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# CyberChef
# CyberChef (Modernized Fork)
[![](https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/workflows/Master%20Build,%20Test%20&%20Deploy/badge.svg)](https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/actions?query=workflow%3A%22Master+Build%2C+Test+%26+Deploy%22)
[![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/cyberchef.svg)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/cyberchef)
[![](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache%202.0-blue.svg)](https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/blob/master/LICENSE)
[![Gitter](https://badges.gitter.im/gchq/CyberChef.svg)](https://gitter.im/gchq/CyberChef?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge)
#### *The Cyber Swiss Army Knife - Modernized*
#### *The Cyber Swiss Army Knife*
> This is a modernized fork of [GCHQ's CyberChef](https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef). The original project's tech stack dates back to 2016-2017. This fork upgrades the build system, replaces deprecated dependencies, removes jQuery, upgrades Bootstrap, modernizes testing, and fixes pre-existing Node 24 test failures -- all while keeping 100% operation compatibility.
---
## What Changed (Modernization Summary)
### Build System Overhaul
| Before | After |
|--------|-------|
| Grunt task runner (obsolete) | npm scripts + Node.js helper scripts |
| worker-loader (deprecated) | Native Webpack 5 `new Worker(new URL(...))` |
| Babel 7 + core-js polyfills | SWC via Rspack `builtin:swc-loader` |
| Webpack 5 only | Rspack configs added (5-23x faster builds) |
| Platform-specific `sed` postinstall hacks | Cross-platform Node.js `scripts/postinstall.mjs` |
| Chrome 50 / Firefox 38 targets (2015-2016) | Chrome 80 / Firefox 78 / Safari 14 / Node 18+ |
| `assert {type: "json"}` (broken on Node 24) | `with {type: "json"}` (Node 24 compatible) |
### Dependency Modernization
| Removed | Replaced With |
|---------|--------------|
| `crypto-js` (deprecated by maintainer) | Native RC4 implementation + `@noble/hashes` EVP KDF |
| `blakejs` | `@noble/hashes/blake2b` and `@noble/hashes/blake2s` (audited, zero-dep) |
| `lodash` (only 3 functions used) | Native `src/core/lib/CaseConvert.mjs` (~50 lines) |
| `moment-timezone` (web layer) | `date-fns` + `date-fns-tz` |
| `jquery` 3.7.1 | Native DOM APIs |
| `snackbarjs` + `arrive` | Custom `src/web/utils/Snackbar.mjs` (~60 lines) |
| `bootstrap-material-design` (unmaintained) | Removed (Bootstrap 5 handles styling) |
| `bootstrap-colorpicker` (jQuery-dependent) | Native `<input type="color">` |
| `popper.js` v1 | `@popperjs/core` v2 (via Bootstrap 5) |
| `bootstrap` 4.6.2 | `bootstrap` 5.3 |
| `nightwatch` + `chromedriver` | `@playwright/test` |
### New Dependencies Added
| Package | Purpose |
|---------|---------|
| `@noble/hashes` | Audited, zero-dependency crypto (MD5, SHA1/2/3, BLAKE2, HMAC, HKDF) |
| `@rspack/core` + `@rspack/cli` | Rust-based bundler, Webpack 5 compatible, 5-23x faster |
| `date-fns` + `date-fns-tz` | Modern date/time library (tree-shakeable, immutable) |
| `@popperjs/core` | Tooltip/popover positioning (Bootstrap 5 dependency) |
| `vitest` | Modern test runner (Vite-powered, Jest-compatible API) |
| `@playwright/test` | Cross-browser E2E testing (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) |
| `concurrently` | Run npm scripts in parallel |
| `rimraf` | Cross-platform `rm -rf` |
| `archiver` | Cross-platform zip creation |
### UI Modernization
- **Bootstrap 4 to 5**: 87 `data-toggle`/`data-target` attributes renamed to `data-bs-*`
- **jQuery removed**: 38 `$()` calls across 13 files replaced with native DOM + Bootstrap 5 JS API
- **All Bootstrap components** now use native API: `new bootstrap.Modal()`, `new bootstrap.Tooltip()`, `new bootstrap.Popover()`
### Testing Modernization
- **Vitest adapter** bridges existing `TestRegister.addTests()` format to Vitest `describe/it/expect`
- **Playwright E2E tests** replace Nightwatch (auto-wait, parallel execution, Chrome+Firefox+Safari)
- **Node 24 test fix**: 3 pre-existing test failures fixed (Base64 padding in Hex-to-PEM pipeline)
- **243/243 Node API tests passing**
### New Files Created
```
scripts/
buildStandalone.mjs # Cross-platform standalone HTML + ZIP + SHA256 (replaces Grunt copy/zip/hash)
listEntryModules.mjs # Module entry point discovery (replaces Grunt findModules)
listEntryModulesSync.cjs # CJS version for webpack/rspack configs
postinstall.mjs # Cross-platform dep fixes (replaces sed hacks)
prepareGhPages.mjs # GitHub Pages prep (replaces Grunt copy:ghPages)
testNodeConsumers.mjs # CJS/ESM consumer tests (replaces Grunt exec tasks)
watchConfig.mjs # File watcher for config regeneration
src/core/lib/
CaseConvert.mjs # Native camelCase/kebabCase/snakeCase (replaces lodash)
RC4.mjs # Pure JS RC4 stream cipher (replaces crypto-js RC4)
src/web/utils/
Snackbar.mjs # Lightweight toast notifications (replaces snackbarjs)
rspack.config.js # Rspack base config
rspack.dev.config.js # Rspack development config
rspack.prod.config.js # Rspack production config
webpack.dev.config.js # Webpack development config (standalone, no Grunt)
webpack.prod.config.js # Webpack production config (standalone, no Grunt)
vitest.config.mjs # Vitest test runner config
playwright.config.mjs # Playwright E2E test config
tests/lib/VitestAdapter.mjs # Bridges TestRegister format to Vitest
tests/operations/operations.test.mjs # Vitest entry for all operation tests
tests/browser/app.spec.mjs # Playwright E2E tests
```
### Upstream Compatibility
- All 475 operations preserved and working
- Crypto-api kept as fallback for obscure hash algorithms (Snefru, Whirlpool, MD2, MD4, etc.)
- Moment-timezone kept in date/time operations (changing format strings would break user recipes)
- Original test files unchanged (Vitest adapter wraps them without modification)
---
CyberChef is a simple, intuitive web app for carrying out all manner of "cyber" operations within a web browser. These operations include simple encoding like XOR and Base64, more complex encryption like AES, DES and Blowfish, creating binary and hexdumps, compression and decompression of data, calculating hashes and checksums, IPv6 and X.509 parsing, changing character encodings, and much more.
@ -114,13 +204,14 @@ Supported arguments are `recipe`, `input` (encoded in Base64), and `theme`.
CyberChef is built to support
- Google Chrome 50+
- Mozilla Firefox 38+
- Google Chrome 80+
- Mozilla Firefox 78+
- Safari 14+
## Node.js support
CyberChef is built to fully support Node.js `v16`. For more information, see the ["Node API" wiki page](https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/wiki/Node-API)
CyberChef is built to fully support Node.js `v18+` (tested up to v24). For more information, see the ["Node API" wiki page](https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/wiki/Node-API)
## Contributing