terminaide 0.6.2

Serve Python CLI applications in the browser using ttyd

Terminaide

A handy Python library for serving CLI applications in a browser or desktop window. Terminaide allows developers to instantly web-enable terminal-based Python applications without packaging or distribution overhead, making it ideal for prototypes, demos, and applications with small user bases.

How It Works

Terminaide builds on four core technical elements:

1. ttyd Management: Automatically handles the installation and lifecycle of ttyd (terminal over WebSocket) binaries for the current platform. This eliminates the need for manual ttyd configuration.

2. Single-Port Proxying: Routes all HTTP and WebSocket traffic through a single port, simplifying deployments in containers and cloud environments while maintaining cross-origin security.

3. FastAPI Integration: Seamlessly integrates with FastAPI applications, allowing terminals to coexist with traditional web pages and REST endpoints via flexible route prioritization.

4. Desktop Mode: Native desktop application support, allowing terminals to run in dedicated desktop windows instead of browsers for focused local development.

Installation

Install it from PyPI via your favorite package manager:

pip install terminaide
# or
poetry add terminaide

Terminaide automatically installs and manages its own ttyd binary within the package, with no reliance on system-installed versions:

• On Linux: Pre-built binaries are downloaded automatically
• On macOS: The binary is compiled from source (requires Xcode Command Line Tools)

This approach ensures a consistent experience across environments and simplifies both setup and cleanup.

Usage

Terminaide offers two primary approaches: Solo Mode for quickly serving individual functions, scripts, or servers, and Apps Mode for integrating multiple terminals into a FastAPI application. Start with Solo Mode for simplicity, then graduate to Apps Mode when you need multiple terminals in one application.

Solo Mode

The Solo Server provides the fastest way to web-enable a Python function, script, or server. It creates a standalone web server with a single terminal and handles all the configuration details for you. Choose between Function, Script, or Meta Server based on your use case.

Desktop Mode: Solo Mode supports desktop mode via the desktop=True parameter, which opens the terminal in a native desktop window instead of a browser.

Function Server

Serve a Python function directly from a single entry point. Just pass any Python function to serve_function() and it's instantly accessible:

from terminaide import serve_function

def hello():
    name = input("What's your name? ")
    print(f"Hello, {name}!")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Browser mode (default)
    serve_function(hello)
    
    # Desktop mode with custom window size
    serve_function(hello, desktop=True, desktop_width=800, desktop_height=600)

Script Server

The absolute simplest way to use Terminaide is to serve an existing Python script that you don't want to modify:

from terminaide import serve_script

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Browser mode (default)
    serve_script("my_script.py")
    
    # Desktop mode
    serve_script("my_script.py", desktop=True)

Meta Server

The Meta Server enables running a server that itself serves terminal instances. This creates a "meta-server" where both the server process and the terminals it manages are accessible, with proper directory context preservation.

from fastapi import FastAPI
from terminaide import serve_apps, meta_serve

# Example 1: Meta-serve a function
def run_my_server():
    """This function starts a server with multiple terminals"""
    app = FastAPI()
    
    @app.get("/")
    async def root():
        return {"message": "Welcome to my terminal app"}
    
    serve_apps(
        app,
        terminal_routes={
            "/cli": "my_script.py",
            "/admin": admin_function
        }
    )

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Browser mode (default)
    meta_serve(run_my_server)
    
    # Desktop mode with custom window size
    meta_serve(run_my_server, desktop=True, desktop_width=1400, desktop_height=900)

# Example 2: Meta-serve a script
meta_serve("server_script.py", desktop=True)

Solo Mode Configuration Options

All Solo Mode functions (serve_function, serve_script, meta_serve) accept these configuration options:

kwargs = {
    # Server options
    "port": 8000,                # Web server port
    "title": None,               # Terminal title (auto-generated if not specified)
    "debug": True,               # Enable debug mode
    "reload": False,             # Enable auto-reload on code changes
    "trust_proxy_headers": True, # Trust X-Forwarded-Proto headers
    "template_override": None,   # Custom HTML template path
    "preview_image": None,       # Custom preview image for social media sharing
    
    # Desktop mode options (Solo Mode only)
    "desktop": False,            # Open in desktop window instead of browser
    "desktop_width": 1200,       # Desktop window width in pixels
    "desktop_height": 800,       # Desktop window height in pixels
    
    # Terminal appearance
    "theme": {
        "background": "black",     # Background color
        "foreground": "white",     # Text color
        "cursor": "white",         # Cursor color
        "cursor_accent": None,     # Secondary cursor color
        "selection": None,         # Selection highlight color
        "font_family": None,       # Terminal font
        "font_size": None          # Font size in pixels
    },
    
    # TTYD process options
    "ttyd_options": {
        "writable": True,            # Allow terminal input
        "interface": "127.0.0.1",    # Network interface to bind
        "check_origin": True,        # Enforce same-origin policy
        "max_clients": 1,            # Maximum simultaneous connections
        "credential_required": False, # Enable authentication
        "username": None,            # Login username
        "password": None,            # Login password
        "force_https": False         # Force HTTPS mode
    },
    
    # Environment variable handling
    "forward_env": True,         # Forward all environment variables (default)
    # Alternative 1: "forward_env": False,  # Disable environment forwarding
    # Alternative 2: "forward_env": ["AWS_PROFILE", "PATH", "DJANGO_SETTINGS"],  # Specific variables
    # Alternative 3: "forward_env": {       # With selective overrides
    #     "AWS_PROFILE": "dev",   # Set specific value
    #     "DEBUG": "1",           # Set specific value
    #     "PATH": None            # Use value from parent process
    # }
}

# Meta Server additional options
meta_serve(
    target,                   # Function or script that starts your server
    app_dir="/path/to/app",   # Application directory (auto-detected if not specified)
    # ... plus all options above
)

Apps Mode

The Apps Server extends terminaide's capabilities to integrate multiple terminals into an existing FastAPI application. This approach gives you more control over routing, allows multiple terminals to coexist with regular web endpoints, and provides additional configuration options.

Note: Desktop mode is not yet supported for Apps Mode. Apps Mode currently supports browser mode only.

You can use both functions and scripts in your terminal routes:

from fastapi import FastAPI
from terminaide import serve_apps
import uvicorn

app = FastAPI()

# Custom routes defined first take precedence
@app.get("/")
async def root():
    return {"message": "Welcome to my terminal app"}

# Define a function to serve in a terminal
def greeting():
    name = input("What's your name? ")
    print(f"Hello, {name}!")
    favorite = input("What's your favorite programming language? ")
    print(f"{favorite} is a great choice!")

serve_apps(
    app,
    terminal_routes={
        # Script-based terminals
        "/cli1": "script1.py",
        "/cli2": ["script2.py", "--arg1", "value"],
        "/cli3": {
            "client_script": "script3.py",
            "title": "Advanced CLI"
        },
        
        # Function-based terminals
        "/hello": greeting,
        "/admin": {
            "function": greeting,
            "title": "Admin Greeting Terminal",
            "preview_image": "admin_preview.png"
        }
    }
)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    uvicorn.run(app, host="0.0.0.0", port=8000)

Apps Mode Configuration

The Apps Server includes all the configuration options from Solo Mode (except desktop options), plus these additional options:

serve_apps(
    # Required parameters
    app,                      # FastAPI application
    terminal_routes={         # Dictionary mapping paths to scripts or functions
        # Script formats
        "/path1": "script1.py",
        "/path2": ["script2.py", "--arg1", "value"],
        "/path3": {
            "client_script": "script3.py",
            "args": ["--mode", "advanced"],
            "title": "Custom Title",
            "port": 7682,      # Specific port for this terminal
            "preview_image": "path3_preview.png"  # Per-route custom preview
        },
        
        # Function formats
        "/func1": my_function,
        "/func2": {
            "function": my_function,
            "title": "Function Terminal",
            "port": 7683,      # Specific port for this terminal
            "preview_image": "function_preview.png"  # Per-route custom preview
        }
    },
    
    # Additional Apps Mode specific options
    mount_path="/",           # Base path for terminal mounting
    ttyd_port=7681,           # Base port for ttyd processes
    preview_image="default_preview.png",  # Default preview image for all routes
    
    # Plus all options from Solo Mode (except desktop options)
    port=8000,
    title=None,
    debug=True,
    # etc.
)

Termin-Arcade Demo

The demo/ directory contains a client and server that demonstrate several ready-to-use configurations:

make serve              # Default mode with instructions
make serve function     # Function mode - demo of serve_function()
make serve script       # Script mode - demo of serve_script()
make serve apps         # Apps mode - HTML page at root with multiple terminals
make serve container    # Run in Docker container, requires Docker Desktop

Pre-Requisites

• Python 3.12+
• Linux or macOS
• macOS users need Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install)

Limitations

Terminaide is designed to support rapid prototype deployments for small user bases. As a result:

• Not intended for high-traffic production environments
• Basic security features (though ttyd authentication is supported)
• Windows installation not yet supported
• Terminal capabilities limited to what ttyd provides

Function Reloading Considerations

When using functions with serve_apps(), note the following:

• Functions defined in your main application file will work seamlessly
• Functions imported from separate modules work best when using reload=False (default)
• When using reload=True, imported functions might not reload properly due to Uvicorn's reloading mechanism
• For best development experience with imported functions, consider using script mode instead