TrueEntropy 🎲

True randomness from real-world entropy sources.

TrueEntropy harvests chaos from the physical world to generate truly random numbers. Unlike pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) that use deterministic algorithms, TrueEntropy collects entropy from:

• CPU Timing Jitter - Nanosecond variations in code execution
• Network Latency - The "weather" of internet infrastructure
• System State - RAM, processes, and hardware fluctuations
• External APIs - Seismic activity (USGS), cryptocurrency prices
• Weather Data - Temperature, humidity, pressure from OpenWeatherMap/wttr.in
• Quantum Randomness - Atmospheric noise (random.org) and quantum vacuum fluctuations (ANU QRNG)

All entropy sources are mixed using SHA-256 cryptographic hashing, ensuring uniform distribution and unpredictability.

Installation

pip install trueentropy

Quick Start

import trueentropy

# Generate a random float [0.0, 1.0)
value = trueentropy.random()
print(f"Random float: {value}")

# Generate a random integer in range [1, 100]
number = trueentropy.randint(1, 100)
print(f"Random integer: {number}")

# Random boolean (coin flip)
coin = trueentropy.randbool()
print(f"Coin flip: {'Heads' if coin else 'Tails'}")

# Random choice from a sequence
colors = ["red", "green", "blue", "yellow"]
color = trueentropy.choice(colors)
print(f"Random color: {color}")

# Generate random bytes
secret = trueentropy.randbytes(32)
print(f"Random bytes: {secret.hex()}")

# Check entropy health
health = trueentropy.health()
print(f"Entropy health: {health['score']}/100 ({health['status']})")

Background Collector

For applications requiring continuous randomness, start the background collector:

import trueentropy

# Start collecting entropy every 2 seconds
trueentropy.start_collector(interval=2.0)

# ... your application code ...

# Generate random numbers (pool is continuously filled)
for _ in range(1000):
    value = trueentropy.random()

# Stop when done
trueentropy.stop_collector()

Offline Mode

TrueEntropy can operate without network access using local entropy sources only.

Sources by Network Requirement

Source	Requires Network	Description
Timing Jitter	❌ No	CPU timing variations
System State	❌ No	RAM, processes, CPU metrics
Network Latency	✅ Yes	Ping response times
External APIs	✅ Yes	Earthquakes, crypto prices
Weather Data	✅ Yes	OpenWeatherMap / wttr.in
Quantum Random	✅ Yes	random.org / ANU QRNG

Enabling Offline Mode

import trueentropy

# Enable offline mode (disables all network-dependent sources)
trueentropy.configure(offline_mode=True)

# Generate random numbers using local sources only
value = trueentropy.random()
number = trueentropy.randint(1, 100)

# Check which sources are active
health = trueentropy.health()
print(f"Offline mode: {health['offline_mode']}")
for source, info in health['sources'].items():
    status = "✓" if info['enabled'] else "○"
    print(f"  {status} {source}")

Selective Source Configuration

import trueentropy

# Disable only specific sources
trueentropy.configure(
    enable_weather=False,      # Disable weather API
    enable_radioactive=False,  # Disable quantum sources
)

# Or enable only fast local sources
trueentropy.configure(
    offline_mode=True,         # Disable all network sources
    enable_timing=True,        # Keep timing jitter
    enable_system=True,        # Keep system state
)

# Reset to defaults (all sources enabled)
trueentropy.reset_config()

Health Monitoring in Offline Mode

from trueentropy import get_pool
from trueentropy.health import print_health_report

# Configure offline mode
trueentropy.configure(offline_mode=True)

# View detailed health report with source status
print_health_report(get_pool())

Note: Offline mode provides reduced entropy diversity. For security-critical applications, consider using all available sources when network access is available.

Direct vs Hybrid Mode

TrueEntropy offers two modes of operation to balance security and performance:

Mode	Entropy Source	Performance	Use Case
DIRECT (Default)	Directly from entropy pool	Slower, blocking	Cryptographic keys, wallets, severe security
HYBRID	PRNG seeded by pool	Extremely fast	Simulations, games, UI, general purpose

Using Hybrid Mode

Hybrid mode uses the TrueEntropy pool to periodically re-seed a fast pseudo-random number generator (PRNG). This provides the best of both worlds: the speed of standard Python random numbers with the entropy quality of our harvesters.

import trueentropy

# Configure Hybrid Mode (re-seed every 60 seconds)
trueentropy.configure(mode="HYBRID", hybrid_reseed_interval=60.0)

# Generate numbers at max speed
# The internal PRNG is automatically re-seeded from the entropy pool
for _ in range(1000000):
   val = trueentropy.random()

Tuning Hybrid Mode

The hybrid_reseed_interval should be chosen based on your offline_mode setting:

• Online (Default): Network harvesters take time to collect entropy (latency). Set the interval to 10.0s or higher to allow the pool to refill between reseeds.
• Offline (offline_mode=True): Local sources are near-instant. You can use lower intervals (e.g., 1.0s - 2.0s) for frequent reseeding.

Tip: If health() reports degraded status with low entropy bits, increase your reseed interval.

Advanced Features

Async Support

import asyncio
from trueentropy import aio

async def main():
    value = await aio.random()
    uuid = await aio.random_uuid()
    password = await aio.random_password(16)

asyncio.run(main())

Pool Persistence

Save and restore entropy pool state between runs:

from trueentropy import get_pool
from trueentropy.persistence import save_pool, load_pool

# Save current pool state
save_pool(get_pool(), "entropy_state.bin")

# Later: restore the pool
pool = load_pool("entropy_state.bin")

Multiple Pools

Isolated entropy pools for different purposes:

from trueentropy.pools import PoolManager

manager = PoolManager()
manager.create("crypto")   # For security-critical operations
manager.create("gaming")   # For game mechanics

secure_bytes = manager.randbytes("crypto", 32)
dice_roll = manager.randint("gaming", 1, 6)

Cython Acceleration

Optional C-level performance (10-50x faster for some operations):

pip install -e ".[cython]"
python setup.py build_ext --inplace

from trueentropy.accel import is_accelerated
print(is_accelerated())  # True if compiled

Entropy Sources

Timing Jitter

Measures nanosecond variations in CPU execution time. The operating system's scheduler introduces unpredictable delays that are impossible to reproduce.

Network Latency

Pings multiple servers (Cloudflare, Google) and measures response times. Network congestion, routing changes, and physical distance create natural randomness.

System State

Samples volatile system metrics:

• Available RAM (changes constantly)
• Number of running processes
• CPU usage percentages
• System uptime with high precision

External APIs

Fetches real-world data:

• USGS Earthquake API - Latest seismic magnitude readings
• Cryptocurrency prices - Bitcoin/Ethereum prices with high precision

Weather Data

Collects meteorological data from multiple cities:

• Temperature, feels-like, min/max
• Humidity and atmospheric pressure
• Wind speed and direction
• Cloud coverage and visibility
• Supports OpenWeatherMap (with API key) or wttr.in (no key required)

Quantum Randomness

True random numbers from quantum phenomena:

• random.org - Atmospheric noise from radio receivers
• ANU QRNG - Quantum vacuum fluctuations (fallback)

API Reference

Core Functions

Function	Description
random()	Returns float in [0.0, 1.0)
randint(a, b)	Returns integer in [a, b]
randbool()	Returns True or False
choice(seq)	Returns random element from sequence
randbytes(n)	Returns n random bytes
shuffle(seq)	Shuffles sequence in-place
sample(seq, k)	Returns k unique elements from sequence

Distributions

Function	Description
uniform(a, b)	Float uniformly distributed in [a, b]
gauss(mu, sigma)	Gaussian/normal distribution
triangular(low, high, mode)	Triangular distribution
exponential(lambd)	Exponential distribution
weighted_choice(seq, weights)	Weighted random selection

Generators

Function	Description
random_uuid()	UUID v4 (e.g., f47ac10b-58cc-4372-...)
random_token(length, encoding)	Hex or base64 token
random_password(length, ...)	Secure password with configurable charset

Management Functions

Function	Description
configure(...)	Set mode (DIRECT/HYBRID), offline_mode, enable sources
reset_config()	Reset configuration to defaults
health()	Returns entropy pool health status
start_collector(interval)	Starts background entropy collection
stop_collector()	Stops background collection
feed(data)	Manually feed entropy into the pool
get_tap()	Get current tap instance (EntropyTap or HybridTap)
get_pool()	Get the global entropy pool instance

How It Works

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    ENTROPY HARVESTERS                        |
|  +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ +--------------+    |
|  |  Timing  | | Network  | |  System  | |   External   |    |
|  |  Jitter  | | Latency  | |  State   | |     APIs     |    |
|  +----+-----+ +----+-----+ +----+-----+ +------+-------+    |
|       |            |            |              |            |
|       +------------+-----+------+--------------+            |
|                          v                                  |
|                   +-----------+                             |
|                   |   MIXER   |  SHA-256 Hashing            |
|                   | (Whitening)|  Avalanche Effect          |
|                   +-----+-----+                             |
|                         v                                   |
|              +-----------------------+                      |
|              |     ENTROPY POOL      |  4096 bits           |
|              |   (Accumulated State) |  Thread-safe         |
|              +-----------+-----------+                      |
|                          v                                  |
|                   +-----------+                             |
|                   | EXTRACTOR |  Secure extraction          |
|                   |   (Tap)   |  DIRECT or HYBRID mode      |
|                   +-----+-----+                             |
|                         v                                   |
|         +---------------+--------------+                    |
|         v               v              v                    |
|   +----------+    +----------+    +----------+              |
|   |  Float   |    | Integer  |    |  Bytes   |              |
|   | [0.0,1.0)|    |  [a, b]  |    |    n     |              |
|   +----------+    +----------+    +----------+              |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

Security Considerations

• Not a CSPRNG replacement: While TrueEntropy uses cryptographic primitives, it's designed for applications needing real-world randomness, not as a replacement for secrets module in security contexts.
• Network dependency: Some entropy sources require network access. The library gracefully degrades when sources are unavailable.
• Rate limiting: External APIs may have rate limits. Use the background collector for sustained generation.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guide for details.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/medeirosdev/TrueEntropy-PyLib.git
cd TrueEntropy-PyLib

# Install development dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Run linting
ruff check src/
black --check src/
mypy src/

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Author

Guilherme de Medeiros - UNICAMP

Acknowledgments

Inspired by:

• Linux /dev/random and the entropy pool concept
• random.org - Atmospheric noise randomness
• Hardware random number generators (HRNGs)

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TrueEntropy - Because the universe is the best random number generator.