NetRuleRouter

English is the default project documentation language for AI-facing files. The synchronized Russian version of this README is available in README_RU.md.

Overview

NetRuleRouter is a Windows-first network policy and traffic routing manager.

The product is designed to help a user control how traffic is routed across already existing network interfaces such as:

• primary internet + VPN
• provider A + provider B
• Wi-Fi + Ethernet
• Wi-Fi + VPN

NetRuleRouter is not positioned as:

• a VPN client
• an anonymity tool
• a censorship bypass tool
• a proxy manager
• a cloud-first service

Product Direction

The current product direction fixed in the repository is:

• Windows-first
• local-first
• predictable rule behavior
• transparent diagnostics
• safe rollback
• tray-based daily control
• service-based startup behavior
• strong Free tier with a clear Pro expansion path

Free Version

The current Free version is centered around:

• exactly 2 active routes: primary and secondary
• one active configuration at a time
• rules by application
• rules by exact FQDN
• rules by subdomain / suffix
• rules by individual IP address
• local SQLite cache for FQDN/IP mapping and explain mode
• open, text-based presets with YAML as the primary format
• RU and EN localization as baseline languages
• Fail-Closed behavior when secondary is unavailable

Recommended rule matching priority:

1. exact FQDN
2. subdomain / suffix
3. exact IP
4. application
5. default route

Technology Direction

The planned implementation direction is:

• Rust for core logic
• Qt for desktop GUI

The intended split of responsibilities is:

• Rust for rule engine, system integration, configuration, cache, logging, and diagnostics
• Qt GUI for presentation, user interaction, tray integration, and communication with the Rust core

Business logic should stay in Rust wherever practical. The Rust-to-Qt boundary should stay explicit, narrow, and maintainable. The product is expected to expose a Windows tray application for everyday control, while the background part starts with Windows as a service.

Repository Status

The repository is currently documentation-first.

At this stage it contains:

• working documentation
• project structure scaffolding
• AI context and project rules

Implementation code, build scripts, and runnable application entry points are not yet present in the repository.

Repository Structure

Repository structure is documented in STRUCTURE.md and STRUCTURE_RU.md.

Key Documents

• AI_CONTEXT.md and AI_RULES.md capture the AI-facing working baseline for the project
• ARCHITECTURE.md captures the current baseline architecture model
• SECURITY.md captures the baseline security model, trust boundaries for policy changes, and update-check expectations
• STRUCTURE.md captures the maintained repository structure baseline

Dependency and License Policy

Code license:

• MPL-2.0

Important dependency rule:

• dependencies must remain compatible with future commercial distribution goals
• Qt Community modules and all other dependencies must be checked for commercial-use suitability before they are treated as approved
• dependencies with unclear licensing must not be treated as approved by default

The license choice is fixed. This repository does not yet include the full license text.

Documentation Sync

README.md and README_RU.md are intended to stay synchronized. When one is updated, the other should be updated in the same change set.