Docs: Anys Usage, Events & small cleanups (bp #8895) (#8911)

Co-authored-by: Barrie Byron <barrie.byron@tendermint.com>
Co-authored-by: Alessio Treglia <alessio@tendermint.com>
(cherry picked from commit 1a4418b)
Co-authored-by: Amaury <1293565+amaurym@users.noreply.github.com>

docs/basics/accounts.md

@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ Also see the [`Addresses`](#addresses) section for more information.
 
 `PubKey`s used in the Cosmos SDK are Protobuf messages and have the following methods:
 
-+++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/master/crypto/types/types.go#L8-L17
++++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.42.1/crypto/types/types.go#L8-L17
 
 - For `secp256k1` keys, the actual implementation can be found [here](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.40.0-rc3/crypto/keys/secp256k1/secp256k1.go).
 - For `ed25519` keys, it can be found [here](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.40.0-rc3/crypto/keys/ed25519/ed25519.go).

docs/basics/app-anatomy.md

@@ -113,7 +113,8 @@ The `EncodingConfig` structure is the last important part of the `app.go` file.
 
 Here are descriptions of what each of the four fields means:
 
-- `InterfaceRegistry`: The `InterfaceRegistry` is used by the Protobuf codec to handle interfaces, which are encoded and decoded (we also say "unpacked") using [`google.protobuf.Any`](https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/blob/master/src/google/protobuf/any.proto). `Any` could be thought as a struct which contains a `type_url` (the concrete type of the interface) and a `value` (its encoded bytes). `InterfaceRegistry` provides a mechanism for registering interfaces and implementations that can be safely unpacked from `Any`. Each of the application's modules implements the `RegisterInterfaces` method, which can be used to register the module's own interfaces and implementations.
+- `InterfaceRegistry`: The `InterfaceRegistry` is used by the Protobuf codec to handle interfaces that are encoded and decoded (we also say "unpacked") using [`google.protobuf.Any`](https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/blob/master/src/google/protobuf/any.proto). `Any` could be thought as a struct that contains a `type_url` (name of a concrete type implementing the interface) and a `value` (its encoded bytes). `InterfaceRegistry` provides a mechanism for registering interfaces and implementations that can be safely unpacked from `Any`. Each of the application's modules implements the `RegisterInterfaces` method that can be used to register the module's own interfaces and implementations.
+  - You can read more about Any in [ADR-19](../architecture/adr-019-protobuf-state-encoding.md#usage-of-any-to-encode-interfaces).
   - To go more into details, the SDK uses an implementation of the Protobuf specification called [`gogoprotobuf`](https://github.com/gogo/protobuf). By default, the [gogo protobuf implementation of `Any`](https://godoc.org/github.com/gogo/protobuf/types) uses [global type registration](https://github.com/gogo/protobuf/blob/master/proto/properties.go#L540) to decode values packed in `Any` into concrete Go types. This introduces a vulnerability where any malicious module in the dependency tree could registry a type with the global protobuf registry and cause it to be loaded and unmarshaled by a transaction that referenced it in the `type_url` field. For more information, please refer to [ADR-019](../architecture/adr-019-protobuf-state-encoding.md).
 - `Marshaler`: The `Marshaler` is the default codec used throughout the SDK. It is composed of a `BinaryMarshaler` used to encode and decode state, and a `JSONMarshaler` used to output data to the users (for example in the [CLI](#cli)). By default, the SDK uses Protobuf as `Marshaler`.
 - `TxConfig`: `TxConfig` defines an interface a client can utilize to generate an application-defined concrete transaction type. Currently, the SDK handles two transaction types: `SIGN_MODE_DIRECT` (which uses Protobuf binary as over-the-wire encoding) and `SIGN_MODE_LEGACY_AMINO_JSON` (which depends on Amino). Read more about transactions [here](../core/transactions.md).

docs/building-modules/invariants.md

@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ At its core, the `InvariantRegistry` is defined in the SDK as an interface:
 
 Typically, this interface is implemented in the `keeper` of a specific module. The most used implementation of an `InvariantRegistry` can be found in the `crisis` module:
 
-+++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/master/x/crisis/keeper/keeper.go#L50-L54
++++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.42.1/x/crisis/keeper/keeper.go#L50-L54
 
  The `InvariantRegistry` is therefore typically instantiated by instantiating the `keeper` of the `crisis` module in the [application's constructor function](../basics/app-anatomy.md#constructor-function).
 

docs/building-modules/simulator.md

@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ Operations on the simulation are simulated using the full [transaction cycle](..
 
 Shown below is how weights are set:
 
-+++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/master/x/staking/simulation/operations.go#L18-L68
++++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.42.1/x/staking/simulation/operations.go#L18-L68
 
-As you can see the weights are predefined in this case but there are options on how to override this behavior with different weights. One is allowing `*rand.Rand` to define a random weight for the operation, or you can inject your own predefined weights.
+As you can see, the weights are predefined in this case. Options exist to override this behavior with different weights. One option is to use `*rand.Rand` to define a random weight for the operation, or you can inject your own predefined weights.
 
 Here is how one can override the above package `simappparams`.
 

docs/core/baseapp.md

@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ is the canonical state of the application and the volatile states, `checkState`
 are used to handle state transitions in-between the main state made during [`Commit`](#commit).
 
 Internally, there is only a single `CommitMultiStore` which we refer to as the main or root state.
-From this root state, we derive two volatile state through a mechanism called _store branching_ (performed by `CacheWrap` function). 
+From this root state, we derive two volatile states by using a mechanism called _store branching_ (performed by `CacheWrap` function).
 The types can be illustrated as follows:
 
 ![Types](./baseapp_state_types.png)
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ The `AnteHandler` is theoretically optional, but still a very important componen
 - Perform preliminary _stateful_ validity checks like ensuring signatures are valid or that the sender has enough funds to pay for fees.
 - Play a role in the incentivisation of stakeholders via the collection of transaction fees.
 
-`BaseApp` holds an `anteHandler` as paraemter, which is initialized in the [application's constructor](../basics/app-anatomy.md#application-constructor). The most widely used `anteHandler` today is that of the [`auth` module](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/master/x/auth/ante/ante.go).
+`BaseApp` holds an `anteHandler` as parameter that is initialized in the [application's constructor](../basics/app-anatomy.md#application-constructor). The most widely used `anteHandler` is the [`auth` module](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.42.1/x/auth/ante/ante.go).
 
 Click [here](../basics/gas-fees.md#antehandler) for more on the `anteHandler`.
 

docs/core/encoding.md

@@ -69,9 +69,141 @@ typically used for when the data needs to be streamed or grouped together
 
 ### Gogoproto
 
-Modules are encouraged to utilize Protobuf encoding for their respective types.
+Modules are encouraged to utilize Protobuf encoding for their respective types. In the SDK, we use the [Gogoproto](https://github.com/gogo/protobuf) specific implementation of the Protobuf spec that offers speed and DX improvements compared to the official [Google protobuf implementation](https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf).
 
-#### FAQ
+### Guidelines for protobuf message definitions
+
+In addition to [following official Protocol Buffer guidelines](https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/proto3#simple), we recommend using these annotations in .proto files when dealing with interfaces:
+
+- use `cosmos_proto.accepts_interface` to annote fields that accept interfaces
+- pass the same fully qualified name as `protoName` to `InterfaceRegistry.RegisterInterface`
+- annotate interface implementations with `cosmos_proto.implements_interface`
+- pass the same fully qualified name as `protoName` to `InterfaceRegistry.RegisterInterface`
+
+### Transaction Encoding
+
+Another important use of Protobuf is the encoding and decoding of
+[transactions](./transactions.md). Transactions are defined by the application or
+the SDK but are then passed to the underlying consensus engine to be relayed to
+other peers. Since the underlying consensus engine is agnostic to the application,
+the consensus engine accepts only transactions in the form of raw bytes. 
+
+- The `TxEncoder` object performs the encoding.
+- The `TxDecoder` object performs the decoding.
+
++++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.40.0-rc4/types/tx_msg.go#L83-L87
+
+A standard implementation of both these objects can be found in the [`auth` module](../../x/auth/spec/README.md):
+
++++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.40.0-rc4/x/auth/tx/decoder.go
+
++++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.40.0-rc4/x/auth/tx/encoder.go
+
+See [ADR-020](../architecture/adr-020-protobuf-transaction-encoding.md) for details of how a transaction is encoded.
+
+### Interface Encoding and Usage of `Any`
+
+The Protobuf DSL is strongly typed, which can make inserting variable-typed fields difficult. Imagine we want to create a `Profile` protobuf message that serves as a wrapper over [an account](../basics/accounts.md):
+
+```proto
+message Profile {
+  // account is the account associated to a profile.
+  cosmos.auth.v1beta1.BaseAccount account = 1;
+  // bio is a short description of the account.
+  string bio = 4;
+}
+```
+
+In this `Profile` example, we hardcoded `account` as a `BaseAccount`. However, there are several other types of [user accounts related to vesting](../../x/auth/spec/05_vesting.md), such as `BaseVestingAccount` or `ContinuousVestingAccount`. All of these accounts are different, but they all implement the `AccountI` interface. How would you create a `Profile` that allows all these types of accounts with an `account` field that accepts an `AccountI` interface?
+
++++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.42.1/x/auth/types/account.go#L307-L330
+
+In [ADR-019](../architecture/adr-019-protobuf-state-encoding.md), it has been decided to use [`Any`](https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/blob/master/src/google/protobuf/any.proto)s to encode interfaces in protobuf. An `Any` contains an arbitrary serialized message as bytes, along with a URL that acts as a globally unique identifier for and resolves to that message's type. This strategy allows us to pack arbitrary Go types inside protobuf messages. Our new `Profile` then looks like:
+
+```protobuf
+message Profile {
+  // account is the account associated to a profile.
+  google.protobuf.Any account = 1 [
+    (cosmos_proto.accepts_interface) = "AccountI"; // Asserts that this field only accepts Go types implementing `AccountI`. It is purely informational for now.
+  ];
+  // bio is a short description of the account.
+  string bio = 4;
+}
+```
+
+To add an account inside a profile, we need to "pack" it inside an `Any` first, using `codectypes.NewAnyWithValue`:
+
+```go
+var myAccount AccountI
+myAccount = ... // Can be a BaseAccount, a ContinuousVestingAccount or any struct implementing `AccountI`
+
+// Pack the account into an Any
+accAny, err := codectypes.NewAnyWithValue(myAccount)
+if err != nil {
+  return nil, err
+}
+
+// Create a new Profile with the any.
+profile := Profile {
+  Account: accAny,
+  Bio: "some bio",
+}
+
+// We can then marshal the profile as usual.
+bz, err := cdc.MarshalBinaryBare(profile)
+jsonBz, err := cdc.MarshalJSON(profile)
+```
+
+To summarize, to encode an interface, you must 1/ pack the interface into an `Any` and 2/ marshal the `Any`. For convenience, the SDK provides a `MarshalInterface` method to bundle these two steps. Have a look at [a real-life example in the x/auth module](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.42.1/x/auth/keeper/keeper.go#L218-L221).
+
+The reverse operation of retrieving the concrete Go type from inside an `Any`, called "unpacking", is done with the `GetCachedValue()` on `Any`.
+
+```go
+profileBz := ... // The proto-encoded bytes of a Profile, e.g. retrieved through gRPC.
+var myProfile Profile
+// Unmarshal the bytes into the myProfile struct.
+err := cdc.UnmarshalBinaryBare(profilebz, &myProfile)
+
+// Let's see the types of the Account field.
+fmt.Printf("%T\n", myProfile.Account)                  // Prints "Any"
+fmt.Printf("%T\n", myProfile.Account.GetCachedValue()) // Prints "BaseAccount", "ContinuousVestingAccount" or whatever was initially packed in the Any.
+
+// Get the address of the accountt.
+accAddr := myProfile.Account.GetCachedValue().(AccountI).GetAddress()
+```
+
+It is important to note that for `GetCachedValue()` to work, `Profile` (and any other structs embedding `Profile`) must implement the `UnpackInterfaces` method:
+
+```go
+func (p *Profile) UnpackInterfaces(unpacker codectypes.AnyUnpacker) error {
+  if p.Account != nil {
+    var account AccountI
+    return unpacker.UnpackAny(p.Account, &account)
+  }
+
+  return nil
+}
+```
+
+The `UnpackInterfaces` gets called recursively on all structs implementing this method, to allow all `Any`s to have their `GetCachedValue()` correctly populated.
+
+For more information about interface encoding, and especially on `UnpackInterfaces` and how the `Any`'s `type_url` gets resolved using the `InterfaceRegistry`, please refer to [ADR-019](../architecture/adr-019-protobuf-state-encoding.md).
+
+#### `Any` Encoding in the SDK
+
+The above `Profile` example is a fictive example used for educational purposes. In the SDK, we use `Any` encoding in several places (non-exhaustive list):
+
+- the `cryptotypes.PubKey` interface for encoding different types of public keys,
+- the `sdk.Msg` interface for encoding different `Msg`s in a transaction,
+- the `AccountI` interface for encodinig different types of accounts (similar to the above example) in the x/auth query responses,
+- the `Evidencei` interface for encoding different types of evidences in the x/evidence module,
+- the `AuthorizationI` interface for encoding different types of x/authz authorizations.
+
+A real-life example of encoding the pubkey as `Any` inside the Validator struct in x/staking is shown in the following example:
+
++++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.42.1/x/staking/types/validator.go#L40-L61
+
+## FAQ
 
 1. How to create modules using protobuf encoding?
 
@@ -123,32 +255,6 @@ type UnpackInterfacesMessage interface {
 }
 ```
 
-#### Guidelines for protobuf message definitions
-
-In addition to [following official guidelines](https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/proto3#simple), we recommend to use these annotations in .proto files when dealing with interfaces:
-
-- fields which accept interfaces should be annotated with `cosmos_proto.accepts_interface`
-  using the same full-qualified name passed as `protoName` to `InterfaceRegistry.RegisterInterface`
-- interface implementations should be annotated with `cosmos_proto.implements_interface`
-  using the same full-qualified name passed as `protoName` to `InterfaceRegistry.RegisterInterface`
-
-#### Transaction Encoding
-
-Another important use of Protobuf is the encoding and decoding of
-[transactions](./transactions.md). Transactions are defined by the application or
-the SDK, but passed to the underlying consensus engine in order to be relayed to
-other peers. Since the underlying consensus engine is agnostic to the application,
-it only accepts transactions in the form of raw bytes. The encoding is done by an
-object called `TxEncoder` and the decoding by an object called `TxDecoder`.
-
-+++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.40.0-rc4/types/tx_msg.go#L83-L87
-
-A standard implementation of both these objects can be found in the [`auth` module](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/master/x/auth):
-
-+++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.40.0-rc4/x/auth/tx/decoder.go
-
-+++ https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/blob/v0.40.0-rc4/x/auth/tx/encoder.go
-
 ## Next {hide}
 
 Learn about [gRPC, REST and other endpoints](./grpc_rest.md) {hide}