Our project is a lightweight and customizable typing test, inspired by Monkeytype. It is implemented in Rust and features both a command-line interface (CLI) and a web-based user interface (Web UI). Users can practice typing in different modes, track performance statistics, and improve their typing speed.
The main motivation behind this project is that most existing typing tests often focus either on visual effects and gamification or, conversely, on a minimalistic interface without flexibility. This leads to some tools being too heavy and overloaded with unnecessary features, while others are limited in customization and use. In addition, most popular solutions are written in high-level languages, which affects their performance. Our project is aimed at creating a fast, cross-platform typing test with minimalistic design, support for custom settings and allowing users to practice typing both while casually browsing the web and while coding in the terminal during breaks or context switches.
TUI uses a flag-based configuration system, giving users fine-grained control over test behavior. Critical errors are caught immediately - the test won’t start with invalid arguments. After parsing, an additional backend validation layer ensures internal consistency. If needed, the system performs a fallback to the closest valid configuration, maintaining correctness without interrupting the experience.
Below is the full list of options:
~$ typecrab -h
A minimalistic, customizable typing test.
Usage: typecrab [OPTIONS]
Options:
--list-languages List available languages
--list-schemes List available color schemes
-w, --words Enable words mode [default]
-q, --quote Enable quote mode
-z, --zen Enable zen mode
-p, --punctuation Include punctuation in test text
-n, --numbers Include numbers in test text
--strict Disable backtracking of completed words
--death Enable sudden death on first mistake
-l, --language <lang> Specify test language [default: en]
--language-file <path> Specify custom test file
-s, --scheme <lang> Specify color scheme [default: monokai]
--scheme-file <path> Specify custom color scheme file
-c, --count <n> Specify word count [default: 25]
-t, --time <sec> Specify time limit
-h, --help Print help
-V, --version Print version
Examples of correct configurations:
typecrab -c 10 -l sk # 10-word test in slovak language
typecrab -q -l code-cpp -s gruvbox # quote mode with c++ quotes and gruvbox color scheme
typecrab -w -p -t 45 --strict # words mode with punctuation, 45-second timer and strict mode enabled
In addition to the standard Monokai Pro scheme which is shown above, other schemes are implemented:
The Web UI offers a streamlined and intuitive setup. Thanks to buttons, dropdowns, and checkboxes, users can only select valid configurations - eliminating input errors at the source.
You can adjust all test parameters directly through a dedicated screen:
These configurations are persistently stored in the browser's local storage, so they remain available across sessions without requiring an account or backend storage.
Visual themes are instantly previewed and can be changed with one click. Here’s how they look on the Web UI:
This project follows a modular design, separating core logic from user interfaces. The core module contains all shared logic and exposes a core public API (Core API). Both the CLI and Web UI are fully independent components that interact only with the core, not with each other.
┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐
│ cli │ │ web │
├───────────┴───────────────┐ ├───────────┴────────────────┐
│ │ │ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │ │ ┌────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ CLI │ │ │ │ Web UI │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │ │ └──────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
└─────────────┼─────────────┘ └──────────────┼─────────────┘
│ │
uses uses
│ │
│ ┌────────────┐ │
│ │ core │ │
│ ├────────────┴─────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ ┌──────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
└────┼──────►│ Core API │◄──────┼────┘
│ │ │ │
│ └──────────────┘ │
│ │
└──────────────────────────────┘
This modular approach results in the following project layout:
core/- shared logic and interfaces backendcli/- command-line interfaceweb/- browser-based interfaceresources/- build-in content:words/- language-specific word listsquotes/- language-specific quotesschemes/- color CSS schemes