DasherControl: A workspace dashboard across three boundaries

DasherControl brings homelab links and embedded applications into saved workspaces. Vue handles the interface, Rust and Rocket expose the API, and Diesel persists the layout in PostgreSQL. Docker control follows a separate path.

Application and services Docker

Updated 2026-10-23
8
Rust · 46.84%
MIT

Rust (Rocket)Vue 3PostgreSQLDocker Compose

View source README

Repository languagesRust 46.84%6

Shares calculated from GitHub Linguist bytes.

Language	%	Bytes
Rust	46.84%	60,028
Vue	43.67%	55,958
JavaScript	4%	5,121
Shell	2.55%	3,267
Dockerfile	2.05%	2,628
PLpgSQL	0.89%	1,145

GitHub · README · Language statistics

Overview

Why it exists

Decoupled homelab architecture: Rust/Rocket backend managing Docker daemon via Shiplift, paired with a reactive Vue workspace frontend.

Best fit

Centralized command dashboard for homelab containerized services, bookmarks, and layout management.

Getting started

These commands come from the repository documentation. They were not run during this review.

README.md · Install (Tested only on Ubuntu 20.04)

// bash scripts/rust-setup-dev.sh
// bash scripts/js-dev-setup.sh
cd frontend && npm install && npm run build && cd ..
cargo install diesel_cli --no-default-features --features postgres
// go in Rocket.toml and .env and change DATABASE_URL to your postgresql server
diesel migration run
// create admin user
cargo run --bin create_admin
// run web app
cargo run

Tasks declared in manifests

`frontend/package.json`

lint: eslint --ext .js,.vue frontend tests/unit
build: npm run clean && webpack --mode production
test: echo "Error: no test specified" && exit 1

docker-compose.yml · Docker

DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build -t antoinebou13/dashercontrol .
DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker-compose up -d --build && docker-compose logs -f

Repository references

The repository does not provide a detailed guide for these steps. Start with its README and the source walkthrough above.

Source documentation

2 documents read from 2 candidates.

Features and components 2

Workspace ownership: Workspace list handlers derive a tenant identifier from a token. The applet retrieval handler checks the workspace’s tenant before returning its contents. A workspace and its applets therefore form a persisted user-owned layout.
Container operations: src/containers/docker.rs wraps Shiplift operations for Docker. These calls manage containers and images rather than layout records. Their failure handling matters: a failed list request prints an error and returns an empty vector.

Architecture

The components and their connections remain available as text. The diagram adds an interactive view.

System context Context

Vue workspace UI
Rocket handlers
Diesel and PostgreSQL
Shiplift adapter
Docker daemon

Links verified in the repository.

Mermaid Interactive diagram (loads on open)

System overview of the components and connections verified in the repository.

Static architecture view for DasherControl — Static preview. The interactive diagram replaces it after Mermaid loads.

flowchart LR

subgraph group_dashboard["Dashboard UI"]
  node_main_ui["Dashboard Shell<br/>[Main.vue]"]
  node_grid["Workspace Grid<br/>[GridLayoutMain.vue]"]
  node_grid_item["Grid Items<br/>[GridItemApplet.vue]"]
  node_applet_router["Applet Selector<br/>[Applet.vue]"]
  node_applet_authoring["Applet Creation<br/>[CreateNew.vue]"]
  node_editor["Applet Editor<br/>[Editor.vue]"]
  node_iframe["Embedded Sites"]
  node_shortcut["Shortcuts<br/>[Shortcut.vue]"]
  node_canvas["Canvas Applet<br/>[Canvas.vue]"]
  node_login_ui["Login Screen<br/>[Login.vue]"]
end

subgraph group_identity["Tenant Identity"]
  node_tenant_api["Tenant Endpoints<br/>[handler.rs]"]
  node_tenant_model["Tenant Accounts<br/>[model.rs]"]
  node_token_auth["Token Validation<br/>[token.rs]"]
end

subgraph group_workspace["Workspace Data"]
  node_workspace_api["Workspace Endpoints<br/>[handler.rs]"]
  node_workspace_model["Workspace Records<br/>[model.rs]"]
  node_database[("PostgreSQL Access<br/>[db.rs]")]
  node_schema["Database Schema<br/>[schema.rs]"]
end

subgraph group_integrations["Runtime Integrations"]
  node_docker_ui["Docker Manager<br/>[DockerManager.vue]"]
  node_container_api["Container Endpoints<br/>[handler.rs]"]
  node_docker_engine["Docker Engine<br/>[docker.rs]"]
  node_terminal_ui["Terminal Applet<br/>[Terminal.vue]"]
  node_terminal_ws["Terminal WebSocket<br/>[websocket.rs]"]
  node_server["Rocket Server<br/>[main.rs]"]
end

node_user(("Dashboard User"))

node_user -->|"uses"| node_main_ui
node_main_ui -->|"renders"| node_grid
node_grid -->|"renders"| node_grid_item
node_grid_item -->|"renders"| node_applet_router
node_applet_router -->|"selects"| node_applet_authoring
node_applet_router -->|"selects"| node_editor
node_applet_router -->|"selects"| node_iframe
node_applet_router -->|"selects"| node_shortcut
node_applet_authoring -->|"configures"| node_applet_authoring
node_grid -->|"requests"| node_workspace_api
node_tenant_api -->|"authenticates"| node_tenant_model
node_tenant_api -->|"issues tokens"| node_token_auth
node_token_auth -->|"checks session"| node_tenant_model
node_workspace_api -->|"queries"| node_workspace_model
node_workspace_api -->|"validates"| node_token_auth
node_tenant_model -->|"queries"| node_schema
node_workspace_model -->|"queries"| node_schema
node_tenant_api -->|"uses connection"| node_database
node_workspace_api -->|"uses connection"| node_database
node_docker_ui -->|"requests"| node_container_api
node_container_api -->|"controls"| node_docker_engine
node_applet_router -->|"selects"| node_docker_ui
node_applet_router -->|"selects"| node_terminal_ui
node_server -->|"mounts routes"| node_tenant_api
node_server -->|"mounts routes"| node_workspace_api
node_server -->|"mounts routes"| node_container_api
node_server -->|"references"| node_terminal_ws
node_user -.->|"may use"| node_canvas
node_terminal_ui -.->|"SSH terminal"| node_terminal_ws


class node_main_ui,node_grid,node_grid_item,node_applet_router,node_applet_authoring,node_editor,node_iframe,node_shortcut,node_canvas,node_login_ui,node_user toneBlue
class node_tenant_api,node_tenant_model,node_token_auth toneAmber
class node_workspace_api,node_workspace_model,node_database,node_schema toneMint
class node_docker_ui,node_container_api,node_docker_engine,node_terminal_ui,node_terminal_ws,node_server toneRose

A configurable homelab dashboard where users arrange workspaces of applets. Vue calls Rocket endpoints for persistence, tenant checks and Docker actions; PostgreSQL stores workspace data and a separate adapter talks to Docker.

Components: 24
Connections: 29
Links supported by code or README: 26/29

Text version of the diagram

Vue workspace UI → Rocket handlers
Rocket handlers → Diesel and PostgreSQL
Rocket handlers → Shiplift adapter
Shiplift adapter → Docker daemon

Follow one path through the code

Loading a workspace reaches the tenant-aware handlers and then its applet records. Restarting a container goes through the Docker adapter instead. The UI should distinguish an empty workspace, an unavailable Docker service and an iframe blocked by the embedded application.

Deployment and operations

The ports, storage, and startup relationships below come from the repository configuration. depends_on records startup order, not service readiness.

Network. Bridge network dasher-net linking the DasherControl web app with PostgreSQL.

Deployment map

Compose topology of documented services, ports, and startup dependencies.

flowchart LR
  classDef svc fill:#1b3040,stroke:#6fdbd0,color:#edf4fb
  dashercontrol["dashercontrol<br/>8000:8000"]:::svc
  postgres["postgres<br/>5432:5432"]:::svc
  postgres --> dashercontrol

Components: 24
Connections: 29
Links supported by code or README: 26/29

Text version of the diagram

dashercontrol — Build from multi-stage Dockerfile · 8000:8000 → postgres, startup healthcheck
postgres — postgres:14-alpine · 5432:5432

Service	Image or build	Published ports	Startup	Storage
dashercontrol	Build from multi-stage Dockerfile	8000:8000	postgres, startup healthcheck	Named volume dasher-data
postgres	postgres:14-alpine	5432:5432		Named volume pgdata

Types and file structure

36 declared types, with 12 in the base-relationship overview.

Type diagram

classDiagram
direction TB
class t883aa4939d84["DockerInterface"] {
  <<struct>>
  new()
  init()
  get_containers()
  get_images()
}
class t6c6e876f9471["NewTenant"] {
  <<struct>>
}
class td007a4775b01["NewTenantConfiguration"] {
  <<struct>>
}
class t9d91c22b8e18["DBJsonType"] {
  <<struct>>
  from_sql()
  to_sql()
}
class t11bf41e6278b["Container"] {
  <<struct>>
  create()
  all()
}
class ta9679a334153["NewContainer"] {
  <<struct>>
}
class tdc82d141f21c["DbConn"] {
  <<struct>>
  from_request()
  deref()
}
class t981fd8c93b75["CORS"] {
  <<struct>>
  info()
  on_response()
}
class te127dc44374a["HitCount"] {
  <<struct>>
}
class t6437f975dc23["TemplateContext"] {
  <<struct>>
}
class tb361ddc722e9["JsonMessage"] {
  <<struct>>
}
class t8722c44b4eb9["MyError"] {
  <<enum>>
  from()
  fmt()
}

Unresolved bases remain labelled; full signatures are not reconstructed.

Type index

DockerInterface (struct) · src/containers/docker.rs:27
Methods in the overview: new, init, get_containers, get_images.
NewTenant (struct) · src/bin/create_admin.rs:48
NewTenantConfiguration (struct) · src/bin/create_admin.rs:60
DBJsonType (struct) · src/bin/create_admin.rs:137
Methods in the overview: from_sql, to_sql.
Container (struct) · src/containers/model.rs:9
Methods in the overview: create, all.
NewContainer (struct) · src/containers/model.rs:18
DbConn (struct) · src/db.rs:26
Methods in the overview: from_request, deref.
CORS (struct) · src/fairing.rs:7
Methods in the overview: info, on_response.
HitCount (struct) · src/router.rs:18
TemplateContext (struct) · src/router.rs:21
JsonMessage (struct) · src/router.rs:27
MyError (enum) · src/tenants/error.rs:6
Methods in the overview: from, fmt.

Reference

49 / 49 eligible files read (139 in the tree); 0 oversized, 0 failed reads and 0 syntax diagnostics.

What the scan covers

Known dependency/build folders, credential files and binaries are excluded. The scan covers READMEs, recognized manifests and parser-supported source files.

Linguist statistics cover the whole repository and may include other languages.

File map

flowchart TD
  root["DasherControl"]
  f0["Cargo.toml"]
  root --> f0
  f1["src/containers/docker.rs"]
  root --> f1
  f2["src/workspaces/handler.rs"]
  root --> f2
  f3["README.md"]
  root --> f3
  f4["docker-compose.yml"]
  root --> f4
  f5["start-server.sh"]
  root --> f5
  f6["certs/create_aes128key.sh"]
  root --> f6
  f7["certs/create_jwt_key.sh"]
  root --> f7
  f8["certs/create_tls.sh"]
  root --> f8
  f9["frontend/main.js"]
  root --> f9
  f10["frontend/package.json"]
  root --> f10
  f11["frontend/utils.js"]
  root --> f11
  f12["frontend/webpack.config.js"]
  root --> f12
  f13["scripts/create_db.sh"]
  root --> f13
  f14["scripts/install-docker-compose.sh"]
  root --> f14
  f15["scripts/js-dev-setup.sh"]
  root --> f15

Files to read 3

References

GitHubSource repository
READMERepository documentation
DasherControl: a homelab dashboard built around workspacesBlog article

Overview

Why it exists

Best fit

Related articles & deep dives

DasherControl: a homelab dashboard built around workspaces

Getting started

frontend/package.json

Repository references

Features and components 2

Architecture

Deployment and operations

Types and file structure

Reference

Files to read 3

References

`frontend/package.json`