Bug 458318

Summary:	Deprecate `org.kde.kwalletd5` API
Product:	[Frameworks and Libraries] frameworks-kwallet	Reporter:	michaelk83 <mk.mateng>
Component:	general	Assignee:	Valentin Rusu <valir>
Status:	REPORTED ---
Severity:	wishlist	CC:	anubhavkini, dashonwwIII, elvis.angelaccio, heri+kde, hey, j5lx, kde, kdelibs-bugs, m.kurz, mitya57, nate, sam, saurabhmhatre54772, uwu, voidpointertonull+bugskdeorg
Priority:	NOR
Version:	5.97.0
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	unspecified
OS:	Linux
See Also:	https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=459039 https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=313216 https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=458639 https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=458085
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Bug Depends on:	458644, 459289
Bug Blocks:

Description michaelk83 2022-08-25 21:39:40 UTC

SUMMARY
Now that https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kwallet/-/merge_requests/11 has been merged, and KWallet Framework supports the Secret Service API (`org.freedesktop.secrets`) as of 5.97.0, can the entire `org.kde.kwalletd5` API finally be marked as deprecated? This should encourage more KDE apps to migrate to QtKeyChain, which supports both API backends.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.98.0+

ADDITIONAL DETAILS
`org.freedesktop.secrets` is the new standard API supported by GNOME keyring, KeePassXC, and others. See discussion in https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=313216 and its duplicates.

Early attempts to replace KWallet with `org.freedesktop.secrets` were abandoned due to lack of developer time. This has apparently plagued KWallet since those times, as evidenced also by the difficulty finding reviewers for the above-mentioned MR.

The situation was discussed back in the day on the Plasma-devel mailing list - https://mail.kde.org/pipermail/plasma-devel/2016-July/055641.html - and the consensus seemed to be to migrate the KDE apps to QtKeyChain, which would separate the API from the backend implementation. QtKeyChain added support for `org.freedesktop.secrets` (via `libsecret`) a few months later: https://github.com/frankosterfeld/qtkeychain/pull/62 .

However, there was little incentive for KDE apps to make this migration while the old `org.kde.kwalletd5` API is still around, and it was not possible to remove it while apps are still using it. Now that KWallet supports the `org.freedesktop.secrets` API, the old API can finally be deprecated to encourage the apps to migrate. Then, maybe, it can be dropped completely in KF6.

There is still one migration concern as discussed in https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kwallet/-/merge_requests/11#note_428272 and its replies, but that should probably be handled by QtKeyChain. I will post on that to their github issues.

Comment 1 michaelk83 2022-09-02 17:51:59 UTC

(In reply to michaelk83 from comment #0)
> There is still one migration concern as discussed in
> https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kwallet/-/merge_requests/11#note_428272
> and its replies, but that should probably be handled by QtKeyChain. I will
> post on that to their github issues.
Posted Bug 458644 instead. I think that's a better way to handle possible migration needs.
Also marked Bug 458085 as blocking, since it presents a significant usability issue, and one of the workarounds there is disabling the Secret Service API.

Comment 2 michaelk83 2022-09-06 21:22:42 UTC

An interesting thought has occurred to me in Bug 399232: if `org.kde.kwalletd5` is discontinued without porting KWalletManager to Secret Service, then KWallet daemon would be left without a KDE-native front-end (or does KWalletManager talk to the daemon some other way?). This raises the question: should KWalletManager be ported to Secret Service, or should this be taken as an opportunity to write a new, modern KDE front-end for Secret Service?

Comment 3 michaelk83 2022-09-07 19:14:16 UTC

Related: https://github.com/frankosterfeld/qtkeychain/issues/220

Comment 4 michaelk83 2025-04-14 14:14:10 UTC

Moved 458085 to non-blocking list, since it has available workarounds, and a proper fix is likely not worth the effort.
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=458085#c70