ProtoXEF

remote window software

Current Status

Early Development - Contains a basic project structure with CMake build system and a functional Win32 UI framework.

Planned Features

Core Technology

• QUIC Protocol - Modern transport protocol built on UDP (2012)
  • Built in TLS encryption for secure connections
  • Multiplexing support without head-of-line blocking
  • Congestion control
  • Client side toggle for TCP style ordering when needed
• Windows Graphics Capture API - GPU-accelerated screen capture
  • Minimal CPU overhead
  • High-performance frame capture
  • Per-window capture support

Connection Flow

QUIC Handshake (1-RTT)

Client ────────────────────────────────────────────> Server
       Initial packet with TLS ClientHello
       + Connection setup

Client <──────────────────────────────────────────── Server
       Handshake complete + TLS ServerHello
       + Encrypted connection ready

QUIC combines transport and TLS 1.3 handshake into a single round-trip, unlike TCP+TLS which requires 2-3 round-trips

Application Handshake

Client ─────────> Server
       "are you there?"

Client <──────── Server
       "yes"
       (5 second timeout)

Client ─────────> Server
       {
          "auth_required": "true/false",
          "user_name": "changeme",
          "password": "changeme"
       }

Client <──────── Server
       "ok"
       + Window metadata
       + Session start

Note: Authentication is designed for local network use only. Credentials are transmitted within the QUIC encrypted channel.

Window Management Protocol

Note: Authentication is designed for local network use only. Credentials are transmitted within the QUIC encrypted channel.

Resize Window Client ─> Server:

{
   "action": "window.update.size",
   "window": { "id": "abc123" },
   "size": { "width": 1280, "height": 720 }
}

Server ─> Client:

{
   "action": "window.update.size",
   "window": { "id": "abc123" },
   "size": { "width": 1280, "height": 720 },
   "status": "applied"
}

Update Title Client ─> Server:

{
   "action": "window.update.title",
   "window": { "id": "abc123" },
   "title": "New Title"
}

Server ─> Client:

{
   "action": "window.update.title",
   "window": { "id": "abc123" },
   "title": "New Title",
   "status": "updated"
}

Close Window Client ─> Server:

{
   "action": "window.update.close",
   "window": { "id": "abc123" }
}

Server ─> Client:

{
   "action": "window.update.close",
   "window": { "id": "abc123" },
   "status": "closed"
}

Window IDs correspond directly to Windows HWND handles for simplified development.

UI Features

Client

• Login/connection window
• Authentication toggle (enable/disable username/password)
• QUIC head-of-line blocking toggle
• Remote window display and interaction

Server

• Setup and configuration window
• Authentication management
• Connection status display

Development Roadmap

1. Phase 1: Foundation

   • Client login window UI
   • Server setup window UI
   • Server authentication and network code
   • Client authentication and network code

2. Phase 2: Window Management

   • Server-side window enumeration
   • Window metadata transmission (dimensions, titles)
   • Client-to-server window resize
   • Window close handling

3. Phase 3: Input Handling

   • Mouse movement replication (inspired by JigglyMouser)
   • Keyboard input forwarding
   • Window focus management

4. Phase 4: Screen Capture

   • Windows Graphics Capture API integration (reference: Win32CaptureSample)
   • Frame encoding and transmission
   • Client-side rendering
   • Dynamic title updates

Build System

CMake-based build system for cross-component compilation and dependency management.

Security Notes

• QUIC provides TLS 1.3 encryption by default
• Designed for trusted local networks only
• Optional authentication for access control
• Not intended for internet-facing deployments

License

Contributing

Project is in early development. Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests.

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ProtoXEF - Remote Window Manager for your local network, built for performance.