Files
mc-webui/docs/architecture.md
MarekWo 66ada3d03c docs: comprehensive documentation update for v2 features
Update all documentation to reflect features added since last doc update:
- README: new features list, gallery screenshots, development status
- User Guide: global search, console commands, device dashboard, settings,
  system log, backup, updated DM and contact management sections
- Architecture: complete API reference, WebSocket namespaces, updated
  project structure and database tables
- Troubleshooting: remove v1 bridge references, add UI-based backup,
  system log references
- Gallery: add 4 new screenshots (search, filtering, settings, system log),
  update 12 existing screenshots

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-03-21 16:26:52 +01:00

264 lines
12 KiB
Markdown

# mc-webui Architecture
Technical documentation for mc-webui, covering system architecture, project structure, and internal APIs.
## Table of Contents
- [Tech Stack](#tech-stack)
- [Container Architecture](#container-architecture)
- [DeviceManager Architecture](#devicemanager-architecture)
- [Project Structure](#project-structure)
- [Database Architecture](#database-architecture)
- [API Reference](#api-reference)
- [WebSocket API](#websocket-api)
- [Offline Support](#offline-support)
---
## Tech Stack
- **Backend:** Python 3.11+, Flask, Flask-SocketIO (gevent), SQLite
- **Frontend:** HTML5, Bootstrap 5, vanilla JavaScript, Socket.IO client
- **Deployment:** Docker / Docker Compose (Single-container architecture)
- **Communication:** Direct hardware access (USB, BLE, or TCP) via `meshcore` library
- **Data source:** SQLite Database (`./data/meshcore/<device_name>.db`)
---
## Container Architecture
mc-webui uses a **single-container architecture** for simplified deployment and direct hardware communication:
```text
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Docker Network │
│ │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ mc-webui │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ - Flask web app (Port 5000) │ │
│ │ - DeviceManager (Direct USB/TCP access) │ │
│ │ - Database (SQLite) │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └─────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
└────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌──────────────┐
│ USB/TCP │
│ Device │
└──────────────┘
```
This v2 architecture eliminates the need for a separate bridge container and relies on the native `meshcore` Python library for direct communication, ensuring lower latency and greater stability.
---
## DeviceManager Architecture
The `DeviceManager` handles the connection to the MeshCore device via a direct session:
- **Single persistent session** - One long-lived connection utilizing the `meshcore` library
- **Event-driven** - Subscribes to device events (e.g., incoming messages, advert receptions, ACKs) and triggers appropriate handlers
- **Direct Database integration** - Seamlessly syncs contacts, messages, and device settings to the SQLite database
- **Real-time messages** - Instant message processing via callback events without polling
- **Thread-safe queue** - Commands are serialized to prevent device lockups
- **Auto-restart watchdog** - Monitors connection health and restarts the session on crash
---
## Project Structure
```text
mc-webui/
├── Dockerfile # Main app Docker image
├── docker-compose.yml # Single-container orchestration
├── app/
│ ├── __init__.py
│ ├── main.py # Flask entry point + Socket.IO handlers
│ ├── config.py # Configuration from env vars
│ ├── database.py # SQLite database models and CRUD operations
│ ├── device_manager.py # Core logic for meshcore communication
│ ├── contacts_cache.py # Persistent contacts cache
│ ├── read_status.py # Server-side read status manager
│ ├── version.py # Git-based version management
│ ├── migrate_v1.py # Migration script from v1 flat files to v2 SQLite
│ ├── meshcore/
│ │ ├── __init__.py
│ │ ├── cli.py # Meshcore library wrapper interface
│ │ └── parser.py # Data parsers
│ ├── archiver/
│ │ └── manager.py # Archive scheduler and management
│ ├── routes/
│ │ ├── __init__.py
│ │ ├── api.py # REST API endpoints
│ │ └── views.py # HTML views
│ ├── static/ # Frontend assets (CSS, JS, images, vendors)
│ └── templates/ # HTML templates
├── docs/ # Documentation
├── scripts/ # Utility scripts (update, watchdog, updater)
└── README.md
```
---
## Database Architecture
mc-webui v2 uses a robust **SQLite Database** with WAL (Write-Ahead Logging) enabled.
Location: `./data/meshcore/<device_name>.db`
Key tables:
- `messages` - All channel and direct messages (with FTS5 index for full-text search)
- `contacts` - Contact list with sync status, types, block/ignore flags
- `channels` - Channel configuration and keys
- `echoes` - Sent message tracking and repeater paths
- `acks` - DM delivery status
- `settings` - Application settings (migrated from .webui_settings.json)
The use of SQLite allows for fast queries, reliable data storage, full-text search, and complex filtering (such as contact ignoring/blocking) without the risk of file corruption inherent to flat JSON files.
---
## API Reference
### Messages
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| GET | `/api/messages` | List messages (`?archive_date`, `?days`, `?channel_idx`) |
| POST | `/api/messages` | Send message (`{text, channel_idx, reply_to?}`) |
| GET | `/api/messages/updates` | Check for new messages (smart refresh) |
| GET | `/api/messages/<id>/meta` | Get message metadata (echoes, paths) |
| GET | `/api/messages/search` | Full-text search (`?q=`, `?channel_idx=`, `?limit=`) |
### Contacts
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| GET | `/api/contacts` | List contacts |
| GET | `/api/contacts/detailed` | Full contact data (includes protection, ignore, block flags) |
| GET | `/api/contacts/cached` | Get cached contacts (superset of device contacts) |
| POST | `/api/contacts/delete` | Soft-delete contact (`{selector}`) |
| POST | `/api/contacts/cached/delete` | Delete cached contact |
| GET | `/api/contacts/protected` | List protected public keys |
| POST | `/api/contacts/<key>/protect` | Toggle contact protection |
| POST | `/api/contacts/<key>/ignore` | Toggle contact ignore |
| POST | `/api/contacts/<key>/block` | Toggle contact block |
| GET | `/api/contacts/blocked-names` | Get blocked names count |
| POST | `/api/contacts/block-name` | Block a name pattern |
| GET | `/api/contacts/blocked-names-list` | List blocked name patterns |
| POST | `/api/contacts/preview-cleanup` | Preview cleanup criteria |
| POST | `/api/contacts/cleanup` | Remove contacts by filter |
| GET | `/api/contacts/cleanup-settings` | Get auto-cleanup settings |
| POST | `/api/contacts/cleanup-settings` | Update auto-cleanup settings |
| GET | `/api/contacts/pending` | Pending contacts (`?types=1&types=2`) |
| POST | `/api/contacts/pending/approve` | Approve pending contact |
| POST | `/api/contacts/pending/reject` | Reject pending contact |
| POST | `/api/contacts/pending/clear` | Clear all pending contacts |
### Channels
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| GET | `/api/channels` | List all channels |
| POST | `/api/channels` | Create new channel |
| POST | `/api/channels/join` | Join existing channel |
| DELETE | `/api/channels/<index>` | Remove channel |
| GET | `/api/channels/<index>/qr` | QR code (`?format=json\|png`) |
| GET | `/api/channels/muted` | Get muted channels |
| POST | `/api/channels/<index>/mute` | Toggle channel mute |
### Direct Messages
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| GET | `/api/dm/conversations` | List DM conversations |
| GET | `/api/dm/messages` | Get messages (`?conversation_id=`, `?limit=`) |
| POST | `/api/dm/messages` | Send DM (`{recipient, text}`) |
| GET | `/api/dm/updates` | Check for new DMs |
| GET | `/api/dm/auto_retry` | Get DM retry configuration |
| POST | `/api/dm/auto_retry` | Update DM retry configuration |
### Device & Settings
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| GET | `/api/status` | Connection status (device name, serial port) |
| GET | `/api/device/info` | Device information |
| GET | `/api/device/stats` | Device statistics |
| GET | `/api/device/settings` | Get device settings |
| POST | `/api/device/settings` | Update device settings |
| POST | `/api/device/command` | Execute command (advert, floodadv) |
| GET | `/api/device/commands` | List available special commands |
| GET | `/api/chat/settings` | Get chat settings (quote length) |
| POST | `/api/chat/settings` | Update chat settings |
| GET | `/api/retention-settings` | Get message retention settings |
| POST | `/api/retention-settings` | Update retention settings |
### Archives & Backup
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| GET | `/api/archives` | List archives |
| POST | `/api/archive/trigger` | Manual archive |
| GET | `/api/backup/list` | List database backups |
| POST | `/api/backup/create` | Create database backup |
| GET | `/api/backup/download` | Download backup file |
### Other
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| GET | `/api/read_status` | Get server-side read status |
| POST | `/api/read_status/mark_read` | Mark messages as read |
| POST | `/api/read_status/mark_all_read` | Mark all messages as read |
| GET | `/api/version` | Get app version |
| GET | `/api/check-update` | Check for available updates |
| GET | `/api/updater/status` | Get updater service status |
| POST | `/api/updater/trigger` | Trigger remote update |
| GET | `/api/advertisements` | Get recent advertisements |
| GET | `/api/console/history` | Get console command history |
| POST | `/api/console/history` | Save console command |
| DELETE | `/api/console/history` | Clear console history |
| GET | `/api/logs` | Get application logs |
---
## WebSocket API
### Console Namespace (`/console`)
Interactive console via Socket.IO WebSocket connection.
**Client → Server:**
- `send_command` - Execute command (`{command: "infos"}`)
**Server → Client:**
- `console_status` - Connection status
- `command_response` - Command result (`{success, command, output}`)
### Chat Namespace (`/chat`)
Real-time message delivery via Socket.IO.
**Server → Client:**
- `new_channel_message` - New channel message received
- `new_dm_message` - New DM received
- `message_echo` - Echo/ACK update for sent message
- `dm_ack` - DM delivery confirmation
### Logs Namespace (`/logs`)
Real-time log streaming via Socket.IO.
**Server → Client:**
- `log_line` - New log line
---
## Offline Support
The application works completely offline without internet connection. Vendor libraries (Bootstrap, Bootstrap Icons, Socket.IO, Emoji Picker) are bundled locally. A Service Worker provides hybrid caching to ensure functionality without connectivity.