webtask 2.0.1

A modern, web-based system monitor inspired by htop with file browser and process transparency

webtask 🖥️

webtask python package to start web top version in browser, [kill] like a pro!

A modern, web-based system monitor inspired by htop with advanced file browsing, process transparency layers, and miniature file previews. Monitor your system processes through a sleek terminal-style web interface with real-time updates and comprehensive process management capabilities.

✨ Features

🔄 Real-time Process Monitoring

• Live CPU and memory usage tracking with color-coded indicators
• Process hierarchy visualization with parent-child relationships
• Advanced transparency layers showing process importance levels
• Interactive process selection and detailed information modals

🗂️ Integrated File Browser

• Complete virtual file system navigation (/bin, /etc, /var, /usr)
• Real file content preview with syntax highlighting
• Directory breadcrumb navigation
• File type recognition with appropriate icons

🔍 Miniature Process Previews

• Bash Scripts: Terminal-style preview with actual script content
• HTML Web Pages: Rendered at 10% scale showing live webpage content
• Service Files: Status indicators with configuration previews
• Port Services: Connection information and service details

🎯 Advanced Process Management

• Kill by PID, service name, port number, or username
• Multiple signal types (SIGTERM, SIGKILL, SIGINT, SIGHUP, SIGUSR1, SIGUSR2)
• Bulk operations on filtered processes
• Process dependency tracking

👁️ Transparency System

• Kernel Processes: 20% opacity (most background)
• System Processes: 30% opacity
• Background Services: 50% opacity
• User Services: 70% opacity
• User Applications: 90% opacity (most visible)

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
F1	Toggle advanced controls
F2	Open file browser
F5	Toggle tree view
F6	Change sort order
F9	Kill selected process
F10 or q	Quit webtask
ESC	Close modals/dropdowns

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

pip install webtask

Usage

Simply run the command to start webtask:

webtask

This will:

1. Start a local web server on http://localhost:8000
2. Automatically open webtask in your default browser
3. Begin real-time system monitoring with file browser capabilities

Advanced Usage

# Custom host and port
webtask --host 0.0.0.0 --port 9000

# Disable auto-browser opening
webtask --no-browser

# Check version
webtask --version

Alternative Installation

Using Poetry (for development):

git clone https://github.com/devopsterminal/webtask.git
cd webtask
poetry install
poetry run webtask

🎨 Interface Overview

System Stats Header

• Real-time CPU and memory usage bars with gradient indicators
• System load average and uptime counter
• Color-coded resource utilization

Advanced Controls Panel (F1)

• Kill by PID, service name, port, or user
• Signal type selection for graceful or forced termination
• Bulk operations on filtered processes

Process List with Previews

• PID: Process identifier with hierarchy indicators
• USER: Process owner with permission levels
• CPU%/MEM%: Resource usage with visual highlighting
• PORT: Network port information with service detection
• COMMAND: Full command line with truncation
• PREVIEW: Miniature file/service preview thumbnail
• ACTION: Advanced kill options with signal selection

File Browser (F2)

• Navigate through system directories
• View actual file content with syntax highlighting
• File type recognition and appropriate previews
• Breadcrumb navigation for easy directory traversal

🛠️ Architecture

Modular Design

webtask/static/
├── index.html          # Main HTML structure
├── styles.css          # Core styling and responsive design
├── webtask.js          # Main application logic
├── process-data.js    # Process simulation and data engine
├── file-system.js     # Virtual file system implementation
├── file-icons.css     # File type styling and icons
├── config.json        # Application configuration
└── manifest.json      # Progressive Web App manifest

Process Transparency Logic

The transparency system helps identify process importance:

• System/Kernel: Highly transparent (20-30%) - critical but background
• Services: Moderately transparent (50-70%) - important but service-level
• Applications: Least transparent (90%) - direct user interaction

File Preview System

• HTML Files: Rendered using iframe with 10% CSS transform scale
• Script Files: Syntax-highlighted code preview with line numbers
• Config Files: Structured display with key-value highlighting
• Log Files: Real-time log tail with color coding

🔧 Configuration

WebTop can be configured through config.json:

{
  "webtop": {
    "transparency": {
      "system_processes": 0.3,
      "user_processes": 0.9
    },
    "preview": {
      "html_scale": 0.1,
      "thumbnail_size": {"width": 60, "height": 40}
    },
    "process_monitor": {
      "update_interval": 2000,
      "max_processes": 100
    }
  }
}

🧪 Development

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Poetry (for dependency management)
• Modern web browser with ES6+ support

Setup

git clone https://github.com/devopsterminal/webtop.git
cd webtop
poetry install
poetry run webtop

Running Tests

poetry run pytest --cov=webtop

Code Quality

poetry run black webtop tests     # Format code
poetry run flake8 webtop tests    # Lint code
poetry run mypy webtop             # Type checking

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Development Workflow

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Make changes and add tests
4. Run the test suite (poetry run pytest)
5. Format code (poetry run black .)
6. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
7. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
8. Open a Pull Request

Feature Ideas

• Real system integration (replace simulation)
• Docker container monitoring
• Network connection visualization
• Custom process grouping
• Export capabilities for system snapshots
• Plugin system for custom metrics

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by the excellent htop system monitor
• Built with modern web technologies for cross-platform compatibility
• File system design inspired by Unix/Linux directory structures

📊 Technical Specifications

Browser Compatibility

• Chrome/Chromium 80+
• Firefox 75+
• Safari 13+
• Edge 80+

Performance

• Handles 100+ processes efficiently
• 2-second update intervals
• Responsive design for 800px+ screens
• Progressive Web App capabilities

Security

• No external dependencies for frontend
• Local-only operation (no data transmission)
• Read-only file system simulation
• Process operations are simulated (safe for demonstration)

---

Made with ❤️ for system administrators and developers who love comprehensive, visual tools.

Version 2.0.0 - Now with file browsing and transparency layers!