Rust Terminal Forge

A professional web-based terminal application built with Rust and React, featuring industry-grade UI design and enterprise-level functionality.

Overview

Rust Terminal Forge delivers a production-ready terminal interface that rivals VS Code, GitHub Codespaces, and other professional development environments. Built with a Rust-powered backend and professionally designed React frontend, it provides seamless terminal functionality with modern UX standards.

Recent Updates

v2.0 Professional UI Redesign - Complete visual overhaul implementing:

• Industry-standard design system with professional typography (JetBrains Mono)
• Consolidated CSS architecture for improved performance and maintainability
• Mobile-first responsive design with proper touch controls
• Comprehensive TDD test suite with visual regression testing
• Production CI/CD pipeline with automated quality checks

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18.0+
• Rust 1.75+
• Git

Local Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/rust-terminal-forge/rust-terminal-forge.git
cd rust-terminal-forge

# Install dependencies and start development
npm install
npm run dev

# Access the application at http://localhost:8080

Architecture

The application consists of three main components:

• Frontend (React + TypeScript): User interface and terminal emulation
• HTTP Server (Rust): REST API for application logic
• PTY Server (Rust): WebSocket-based pseudo-terminal handling

Development

Available Scripts

• npm run dev - Start all development servers
• npm run build - Create production build
• npm run test - Run test suite
• npm run lint - Check code quality
• npm run typecheck - Validate TypeScript

Project Structure

rust-terminal-forge/
├── src/                    # Frontend React application
│   ├── components/         # Reusable UI components
│   ├── home/              # Main application views
│   └── hooks/             # Custom React hooks
├── server/                # Rust backend services
│   ├── http/              # HTTP API server
│   ├── pty/               # PTY WebSocket server
│   └── shared/            # Common utilities
├── tests/                 # Test files
└── docs/                  # Documentation

Features

Professional UI Design

• Industry-grade interface inspired by VS Code and GitHub Codespaces
• Professional typography using JetBrains Mono and Inter font families
• Design token system with consistent spacing, colors, and shadows
• Theme system with light/dark modes and professional color palettes
• Zero overlapping elements with proper CSS Grid layout architecture
• Mobile-optimized with touch-friendly controls and responsive breakpoints

Terminal Functionality

• Real PTY (pseudo-terminal) backend with WebSocket communication
• Multi-tab terminal sessions with professional tab management
• Full ANSI color support with 256-color terminal emulation
• Command history with persistent session storage
• Professional terminal cursor with smooth animations
• Copy/paste functionality with keyboard shortcuts

Development Features

• Hot module replacement for fast development iteration
• TypeScript support with strict type checking
• Comprehensive TDD test suite with 90%+ coverage
• Visual regression testing with Puppeteer
• ESLint and Prettier integration with production-grade rules
• Automated accessibility testing and validation

Testing

The project uses Test-Driven Development (TDD) methodology:

# Run all tests
npm run test

# Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:watch

# Generate coverage report
npm run test:coverage

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/new-feature
3. Make your changes with tests
4. Run quality checks: npm run lint && npm run typecheck && npm run test
5. Submit a pull request

See docs/DEVELOPER_ONBOARDING.md for detailed setup instructions.

Documentation

Core Documentation

• Documentation Index - Complete documentation overview
• Architecture Guide - System design and patterns
• Developer Onboarding - Setup and contribution guide

Implementation Reports

• UI Redesign Completion - Professional UI overhaul summary
• Clean UI Architecture - CSS consolidation methodology
• TDD Implementation - Testing strategy and coverage
• Production Readiness - Deployment preparation

Browser Support

• Chrome/Chromium 90+
• Firefox 88+
• Safari 14+
• Edge 90+

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Who This Helps

Rust Terminal Forge is designed for:

• Developers who need a reliable web-based terminal for local development
• Teams looking for consistent development environments across different machines
• Educators teaching terminal usage and command-line tools
• Anyone who prefers browser-based development tools

The project focuses on providing a solid foundation for terminal-based development workflows while maintaining compatibility with standard shell environments.