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package zeroecho.core.annotation;

/**
 * Defines a contract for objects that can provide a concise, human-readable
 * description.
 *
 * <p>
 * Implementations of {@code Describable} are intended to supply metadata that
 * is suitable for display in user interfaces, diagnostic logs, or serialization
 * outputs. This avoids overloading {@link Object#toString()} with potentially
 * verbose or unstable text, and ensures that a stable, context-appropriate
 * description is available.
 * </p>
 *
 * <h2>Design considerations</h2>
 * <ul>
 * <li>The description should never include sensitive data such as key
 * material.</li>
 * <li>Descriptions are meant for human consumption, not for protocol
 * negotiation or cryptographic decisions.</li>
 * <li>Catalogs and registries (for example, {@code CryptoCatalog}) can use this
 * interface to extract meaningful labels for algorithms or specs.</li>
 * </ul>
 *
 * <h2>Example</h2> <pre>{@code
 * public final class AesSpec implements Describable {
 *     &#64;Override
 *     public String description() {
 *         return "AES-256 in GCM mode with 128-bit tag";
 *     }
 * }
 * }</pre>
 *
 * @since 1.0
 */
public interface Describable { // NOPMD
    /**
     * Returns a short, human-readable description of this object.
     *
     * <p>
     * The description should be concise and stable enough for logging or display
     * purposes, while avoiding exposure of any sensitive information.
     * </p>
     *
     * @return non-null descriptive string
     */
    String description();
}
