SWACN (Software Without Any Cool Name)

SWACN is a next-generation interactive terminal recording and sharing platform. Unlike traditional recorders that only capture passive standard output, SWACN bridges the gap between passive observation and active experimentation.

By syncing high-performance .cast video playback with an in-browser v86 Virtual Machine (x86 WASM Emulator) running in a Web Worker, SWACN allows viewers to pause the video at any timestamp and instantly spin up an interactive terminal sandbox. The sandbox is pre-hydrated with the exact directory state and files of the workspace at that exact moment.

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Repository Architecture

The codebase is structured into three primary subdirectories:

1. /server (High-Performance C++ Backend)

   • Built on the highly optimized asynchronous Drogon C++ Web Framework.
   • Integrates with a PostgreSQL database for user, project, and session management.
   • Handles user authentication (Google & GitHub OAuth), CLI upload routes, subscription management via Dodo Payments webhooks, and oEmbed providers.

2. /web (Modern React Client)

   • Built with React 19, Vite, TypeScript, and styled using Tailwind CSS v4 (incorporating a bold, warm neo-brutalist theme).
   • Employs xterm.js with fit addons to handle interactive terminal input.
   • Integrates v86 hardware emulation to mount and execute Linux/x86 statically-linked binaries directly inside the browser.
   • Features custom terminal recording visualizers, a tactile Keystroke HUD, and dynamic dashboard controls.

3. /infrastructure (Production Configuration)

   • Configuration for production servers using Caddy (with automated HTTPS/SSL).
   • Scripting (provision-vm.sh) for rapid deployment on cloud virtual machines.
   • Systemd service file (swacn.service) to run the compiled C++ application server.

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Key Features

• Interactive Sandbox Player: Pause a recording to take over the console. Run code, inspect logs, and debug workspace files live in-browser.
• OAuth Integrations: Seamless login flows via Google and GitHub OAuth.
• Enterprise Seat Management: Auto-provisions Pro tier access to users signing up with approved enterprise domains.
• Subscription & Billing: Integrates with Dodo Payments to manage subscriptions and support upgrade options directly from the dashboard.
• Keyboard HUD (Keystroke Visualizer): Overlays live keyboard shortcuts and typing counts during replay, capturing the input using the CLI's --stdin logging.
• Project Dashboard: A single panel where users can delete recordings, rename projects, toggle public/private visibility, customize display themes (including Catppuccin variants), and manage download rights.

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Database Model (schema.sql)

The database is built on PostgreSQL with the following core entities:

• enterprises: Manages enterprise subscription seats and license domains.
• users: Stores user credentials, OAuth ids, API keys (used by the CLI), and subscription tier state.
• projects: Represents workspaces, housing their styling preferences (e.g., custom themes), visibility toggle, and remote paths to baseline tarballs (baseline_url).
• casts: Records individual terminal recordings associated with projects and files.

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Local Development Setup

1. Database Setup

Ensure PostgreSQL is running locally, create a database, and initialize it:

createdb swacn_db
psql -d swacn_db -f server/schema.sql

2. Running the Drogon Server (/server)

Prerequisites

• CMake (3.14 or higher)
• GCC/Clang with C++17 support
• Drogon Framework (installed globally or via package managers like vcpkg/apt)
• OpenSSL developer libraries

Compilation

From the project root:

cd server
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make

Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the /server directory:

DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=5432
DB_NAME=swacn_db
DB_USER=postgres
DB_PASS=your_password
LISTEN_ADDR=127.0.0.1
LISTEN_PORT=8080
APP_URL=http://localhost:3000
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=your_github_client_id
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=your_github_client_secret
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret
DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY=your_dodo_api_key
DODO_PAYMENTS_API_URL=https://sandbox.dodopayments.com
DODO_PAYMENTS_WEBHOOK_SECRET=your_webhook_secret
DODO_PRO_PRODUCT_ID=your_pro_id
LOG_PATH=./logs
LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG

Start the compiled binary:

./swacn_server

3. Running the React Client (/web)

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v20+ recommended)
• npm or yarn

Running the Dev Server

From the project root:

cd web
npm install
npm run dev

The client will be running on http://localhost:3000.

Building for Production

npm run build

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Production Deployment

We maintain comprehensive setup sheets for deploying the application on various cloud providers:

• For general droplet setups (Ubuntu, PostgreSQL, Caddy, Systemd): Check out the Production Deployment Guide.
• For cost-effective Microsoft Azure deployments (~$6.86/month): Refer to the Azure Deployment Guide.