13 KiB
📘 grel-rs Technical Design Document (v3.0)
Binary: grel | Repository: grel-rs
Target Platforms: Linux, Windows (macOS optional)
Core Philosophy: Pure CLI, deterministic asset resolution, pacman/Artix-familiar UX, explicit over implicit, robust upgrade edge-case handling.
1. Overview & Goals
grel (Global/General Release) is a terminal-native, high-performance package manager for downloading and managing binary releases from Git forges. It abstracts provider-specific APIs into a unified resolution pipeline, supports HTTP/SOCKS5 proxies, caches optimal DNS endpoints, downloads assets in parallel, and delivers a transparent, scriptable, pacman-compatible UX.
Key Requirements Met:
- ✅ Pure CLI (no TUI/GUI), standard
std::ioprompts - ✅ Deterministic asset resolution: filter → sort → explicit prompt (zero scoring magic)
- ✅ Robust parsing of non-standard release names via
Os/Archenums + alias mapping - ✅ Format control:
.deb/.rpm/.msi/.dmgdisabled by default - ✅ Pacman/Artix-style numbered selection with
[default], TTY/CI fallback,-y/--noconfirm - ✅
-Syuresilience: detects filename renames, handles repo 404s via orphan tracking, explicit migration path - ✅ Cross-platform PATH integration (
grel path add), XDG-compliant, nosudo - ✅ Forge-agnostic provider routing (public + self-hosted URLs)
2. Workspace Architecture
grel-rs/
├── Cargo.toml # Workspace root (resolver = "2")
├── crates/
│ ├── grel-cli/ # CLI parsing, pure-text prompts, progress routing
│ ├── grel-core/ # Resolution, tokenization, filter/sort pipeline, upgrade state
│ ├── grel-providers/ # Forge trait, registry, API implementations (modules)
│ ├── grel-network/ # HTTP client, proxy routing, IP cache resolver, parallel downloader
│ ├── grel-cache/ # SQLite state, IP cache, artifact storage, TTL eviction
│ └── grel-config/ # Layered config, migrations, asset priority matrices
├── tests/ # Integration, mock servers, e2e fixtures
└── scripts/ # CI, release, benchmark helpers
| Crate | Responsibility |
|---|---|
grel-cli |
Subcommand routing, pure CLI prompt loops, indicatif progress, tabled output |
grel-core |
PackageRef parsing, AssetTokens extraction, deterministic filter/sort, upgrade planning |
grel-providers |
ReleaseProvider trait, GitHub/GitLab/Gitea/Codeberg modules, self-hosted auto-detection |
grel-network |
Proxy chaining, DNS/IP cache resolver, JoinSet parallel downloads, streaming extraction |
grel-cache |
state.sqlite management, ETag/IP cache, LRU artifact eviction, atomic install temp dirs |
grel-config |
TOML loading, env/CLI overrides, schema validation, config migrations |
3. CLI Specification & Pure UX
No TUI frameworks. All interaction uses standard terminal I/O with predictable, pipe-safe behavior.
Commands & Aliases
| Command | Aliases | Description |
|---|---|---|
grel sync foo/bar |
S, -S |
Download & install latest |
grel sync foo/bar@1.2.3 |
-S |
Pin version |
grel search keyword |
Ss, -Ss |
Search across registered forges |
grel upgrade |
Syu, -Syu |
Refresh + upgrade installed |
grel info foo/bar |
Si, -Si |
Show release metadata |
grel list |
Q, -Q |
List installed packages (shows status) |
grel remove foo/bar |
R, -R |
Uninstall & clean DB |
grel clean |
Sc, -Sc |
Purge artifact/metadata cache |
grel path add |
- | Generate shell/registry snippets for $PATH |
grel migrate old/path new/path |
- | Remap repo path in state DB |
Pure CLI Prompt (Artix/Pacman Compatible)
:: 3 compatible asset(s) found for linux/x86_64
1) foo-1.0.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | 12.4 MB | tar.gz (default)
2) foo-1.0.0-linux-x86_64-musl.tar.gz | 10.2 MB | tar.gz
3) foo-1.0.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz | 11.8 MB | tar.gz
:: Select asset to download [1]: _
- Accepts
1–3orEnter(selects[1]) - Invalid input →
:: Invalid selection. Enter a number [1-3]: --noconfirm/-y→ skips prompt, selects[1]- Non-Interactive Fallback:
!std::io::stdin().is_terminal()→ auto-selects[1], printsℹ️ Non-interactive mode. Using: <filename>tostderr, never blocks CI/pipes.
4. Asset Resolution Pipeline (Deterministic)
No scoring. No fuzzy logic. Strict filtering → transparent sorting → explicit selection.
Step 1: Tokenization
Filenames are split on non-alphanumeric characters. Tokens are matched against case-insensitive alias maps for Os and Arch.
// foo-v1.2.3-win64-setup.exe → Os::Windows, Arch::X86_64
// bar_1.0.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz → Os::Linux, Arch::X86_64
// app.Darwin.arm64.zip → Os::MacOS, Arch::Aarch64
Unknown tokens fall back to Os::Unknown("...") or Arch::Unknown("...") → never crash, just filter out later.
Step 2: Strict Filtering
Assets are filtered in fixed order. Failure at any step → discard.
1. OS matches target OR is Unknown
2. Arch matches priority list OR fallback allowed (32-bit on 64-bit)
3. Format NOT in `ignore_formats` (deb/rpm/msi/dmg disabled by default)
Step 3: Deterministic Sorting
Remaining assets sorted by explicit cascade:
arch_priorityindex (lower = better)prefer_formatsindex- Lexicographic filename
- Size descending (tie-breaker)
Step 4: Selection
0assets →❌ No compatible assets. Run grel sync --list-assets1asset → Auto-select, logℹ️ Selected: <filename>>1assets → Pure CLI numbered prompt (see §3)
5. Platform Enums & Alias Mapping
Strongly-typed, exhaustive, infallible parsing.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
#[non_exhaustive]
pub enum Os { Linux, Windows, MacOS, FreeBSD, Android, iOS, Unknown(String) }
#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
#[non_exhaustive]
pub enum Arch { X86_64, Aarch64, I686, ArmV7, ArmV6, Riscv64, S390x, PowerPC64, Unknown(String) }
FromStrimplemented withto_lowercase()+ alias tableserdeready for TOML configDisplayoutputs canonical names for DB/CLI consistency
6. Configuration vs State Management
Strict separation. Humans edit TOML. Machines manage SQLite.
~/.config/grel/config.toml
[general]
version = 1
max_concurrent = 4
proxy = "http://127.0.0.1:7890"
[assets]
ignore_formats = ["*.deb", "*.rpm", "*.msi", "*.dmg", "*.pkg", "*.AppImage"]
prefer_formats = ["*.tar.gz", "*.tar.xz", "*.zip", "*.exe"]
arch_priority = ["x86_64", "aarch64", "x86", "armv7"]
fallback_to_32bit = true
prefer_musl = false
[migrations]
"legacy/old-tool" = "new-org/old-tool"
[upgrade]
check_interval_hours = 6
max_parallel_checks = 10
state.sqlite Schema (installed table)
CREATE TABLE installed (
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
forge TEXT NOT NULL, -- 'github', 'gitlab', or self-hosted base URL
owner TEXT NOT NULL,
repo TEXT NOT NULL,
version TEXT NOT NULL, -- Strict semver
asset_filename TEXT NOT NULL, -- Exact remote filename used
checksum TEXT,
install_path TEXT NOT NULL,
status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'active' CHECK (status IN ('active', 'orphaned', 'migrated')),
orphaned_at INTEGER, -- Unix timestamp when marked unreachable
last_checked INTEGER, -- For smart polling intervals
installed_at INTEGER DEFAULT (strftime('%s', 'now'))
);
CREATE UNIQUE INDEX idx_pkg_unique ON installed(forge, owner, repo);
CREATE INDEX idx_status ON installed(status);
7. -Syu Upgrade Logic & Edge Cases
7.1 Filename Change Detection
Authors often rename assets (x86_64 → amd64, .tar.gz → .tar.xz).
- Load stored
asset_filenamefrom DB - Resolve new release → filter → sort → get
new_best - If
new_best.filename != stored.filename:⚠️ Remote asset renamed: old-name.tar.gz → new-name.tar.xz ℹ️ Proceeding with update... - Download → verify → extract → update DB record with new filename. Proceeds safely.
7.2 Repository Rename / 404 Handling
- Provider fetch →
404or unreachable - Mark
status = 'orphaned', setorphaned_at = now() - Skip in future
-Syuruns - Warn user:
⚠️ Package unreachable: foo/bar (HTTP 404) ℹ️ Skipped. Run `grel migrate foo/bar new/path` or `grel remove foo/bar` - No auto-migration. Explicit user action required.
7.3 Orphaned Visibility
$ grel list
:: Installed packages (3 active, 1 orphaned)
🟢 bar/fuzz 1.2.3 linux/x86_64 tar.gz
🟢 foo/tool 0.9.1 windows/amd64 exe
🟡 legacy/old-proj 2.0.0 linux/x86_64 tar.gz [orphaned since 2024-05-01]
8. Networking, Proxy & DNS/IP Caching
- Proxy Priority:
--proxy>GREL_PROXYenv >http_proxy/all_proxy>config.toml - DNS/IP Cache:
- Resolve
A/AAAAviahickory-resolver - Parallel
TcpStream::connectprobes on443 - Store fastest IP + RTT in SQLite with
300sTTL reqwest::ClientBuilder::resolve(host, ip)forces routing
- Resolve
- Background Refresh: Idle task pre-warms hot domains, evicts stale entries
9. Rate Limiting & ETag Optimization
GitHub: 60/hr unauth, 5000/hr auth. grel handles gracefully:
- ETag Caching:
If-None-Match→304 Not Modifiedfree. Cached in DB. - Smart Polling: Only checks packages where
last_checked < now() - check_interval_hours - Rate Limit Parsing: Reads
X-RateLimit-Remaining/Reset. If< 50→ sleep/queue. - Auth Prompt: First run suggests
GREL_GITHUB_TOKENfor 5000/hr. --no-apiFallback: Skips remote checks, uses local timestamps only.
10. PATH Integration & Post-Install
- Installs to
~/.local/share/grel/bin/(Linux) /%LOCALAPPDATA%\grel\bin\(Windows) grel path addprints exact shell/registry snippets:export PATH="$HOME/.local/share/grel/bin:$PATH"[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\grel\bin;$env:Path", "User")- First run:
💡 Run: grel path add to enable global command access - XDG-compliant, no
sudo, no system conflicts.
11. Security & Reliability
- ✅ TLS:
rustlsonly (no native OpenSSL) - ✅ Checksums:
sha256verification before extraction - ✅ Archive safety: Reject
.., absolute paths, external symlinks - ✅ Atomic installs: Temp dir → verify →
rename→ DB update - ✅ No auto-exec: Binaries installed but not run unless invoked
- ✅ Graceful degradation: Network errors → retry/backoff, rate limits → sleep/queue, missing assets → clear error + suggestions
12. Dependency Matrix
# Core & Async
tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
futures = "0.3"
async-trait = "0.1"
# CLI & UX (Pure CLI, no TUI)
clap = { version = "4", features = ["derive", "wrap_help", "string"] }
indicatif = { version = "0.17", features = ["tokio"] }
tracing-indicatif = "0.3"
tabled = "0.16"
owo-colors = "4"
# Network & Proxy
reqwest = { version = "0.12", features = ["rustls-tls", "json", "socks", "stream"] }
hickory-resolver = "0.24"
dashmap = "6"
# Cache & Storage
sqlx = { version = "0.8", features = ["runtime-tokio-rustls", "sqlite"] }
sha2 = "0.10"
directories = "5"
tar = "0.4"
zip = "2"
zstd = "0.13"
xz2 = "0.1"
bzip2 = "0.5"
sanitize-filename = "0.5"
# Config & Utils
figment = { version = "0.10", features = ["toml", "env"] }
semver = "1"
url = "2"
chrono = { version = "0.4", features = ["serde"] }
regex = "1"
serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
anyhow = "1"
thiserror = "2"
tracing = "0.1"
tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3", features = ["env-filter", "fmt"] }
13. Testing & CI Strategy
- Unit: Token extraction from 20+ messy filenames, filter/sort determinism, config parsing, migration logic
- Mocked Providers:
wiremockfor 200/304/403/429/500, rate limit header injection - Integration: Download fixtures → extract → verify checksums & paths,
grel migrateDB state changes - Non-Interactive:
echo "" | grel sync foo/barmust not hang, must log to stderr - Cross-Platform CI:
ubuntu-latest,windows-latest(GitHub Actions) - Performance:
criterionfor DNS/IP cache + parallel download throughput - Fuzzing:
cargo-fuzzonAssetTokens::from_filename()+ archive path validation