🎨 RustCanvas

Replacing expensive multiplayer canvas and design programs with a free and open source alternative

A high-performance, real-time collaborative canvas application built with Rust and modern web technologies

Features • Quick Start • Installation • Usage • Contributing

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✨ Features

• 🚀 Blazing Fast Performance - Built with Rust for maximum speed and efficiency
• 🌐 Real-time Collaboration - Multiple users can draw and design together simultaneously
• 💰 Completely Free - No subscriptions, no hidden costs, forever free and open source
• 🎯 Professional Tools - Advanced drawing tools and design capabilities
• 🔒 Secure - Built with security and privacy in mind
• 📱 Cross-Platform - Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• 🎨 Modern UI - Clean, intuitive interface designed for productivity
• ⚡ WebSocket Communication - Ultra-low latency real-time updates
• 🗃️ Persistent Storage - SQLite database for reliable data persistence

🚀 Quick Start

Get RustCanvas up and running in just a few commands:

Prerequisites

• Rust (latest stable version)
• Node.js (for protocol buffer generation)
• Protocol Buffers Compiler (protoc) - Must be accessible via protoc command in terminal
• Git

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/RustCanvas.git
   cd RustCanvas

2. Install Node.js dependencies

   npm install

   This installs protoc-gen-js which is required for generating JavaScript protocol buffer files.

   Note: Make sure protoc is installed and available in your PATH. You can verify this by running:

   protoc --version

   If this command fails, please install Protocol Buffers from the official downloads page.

3. Build the protocol crate

   cargo build -p protocol

   This runs the build script that generates both Rust and JavaScript code from the protocol buffer definitions.

4. Build the entire project

   cargo build --release

5. Locate and run the executable

   The compiled executable will be located at:

   # On Windows
   target/release/rustcanvas.exe
   
   # On Linux/macOS
   target/release/rustcanvas

   Run it directly:

   # Windows
   ./target/release/rustcanvas.exe
   
   # Linux/macOS
   ./target/release/rustcanvas

That's it! 🎉 RustCanvas should now be built and found in the target/release directory.

🏗️ Architecture

RustCanvas is built as a modular workspace with the following crates:

crates/
├── rustcanvas/      # Main application entry point
├── webserver/       # HTTP server and WebSocket handling
├── protocol/        # Protocol buffer definitions and networking
├── db/              # Database layer and persistence
├── appstate/        # Application state management
├── config/          # Configuration management
├── authentication/ # User authentication and authorization
├── utils/           # Shared utilities
├── macros/          # Custom derive macros
└── prettylogs/      # Enhanced logging functionality

🛠️ Development

Building from Source

Prerequisites for Development: Make sure you have protoc installed and accessible in your PATH:

    protoc --version

If protoc is not installed, follow these platform-specific instructions:

Windows:

1. Download the latest release from Protocol Buffers releases
2. Extract the protoc.exe to a directory (e.g., C:\protoc\bin\)
3. Add that directory to your PATH environment variable
4. Restart your terminal and verify with protoc --version

macOS:

    # Using Homebrew
    brew install protobuf

    # Using MacPorts
    sudo port install protobuf3-cpp

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

    # Using apt
    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install protobuf-compiler

    # Using snap
    sudo snap install protobuf --classic

Linux (CentOS/RHEL/Fedora):

    # Using dnf/yum
    sudo dnf install protobuf-compiler
    # or
    sudo yum install protobuf-compiler

Building the Project:

    # First, ensure npm dependencies are installed
    npm install

    # Build protocol crate (generates proto bindings)
    cargo build -p protocol

    # Development build (faster compilation)
    cargo build

    # Optimized release build (maximum performance)
    cargo build --release

Running the Application

    # Run development version
    ./target/debug/rustcanvas      # Linux/macOS
    ./target/debug/rustcanvas.exe  # Windows

    # Run optimized version
    ./target/release/rustcanvas      # Linux/macOS
    ./target/release/rustcanvas.exe  # Windows

Protocol Buffer Development

The protocol crate includes a build script that automatically generates both Rust and JavaScript code from protocol buffer definitions. If you modify the protocol buffer definitions in crates/protocol/proto/messages.proto, you'll need to rebuild:

    # Rebuild protocol crate (regenerates bindings)
    cargo build -p protocol

    # Then rebuild the entire project
    cargo build

The build script will:

• Generate Rust code using prost
• Generate JavaScript code using protoc-gen-js
• Copy generated files to appropriate locations

Performance Profiles

RustCanvas includes highly optimized build profiles:

• Development: Fast compilation with some optimizations for dependencies
• Release: Maximum performance with LTO, panic=abort, and aggressive optimizations

📊 Performance

RustCanvas is designed for maximum performance:

• Ultra-low latency WebSocket communication
• Memory efficient with Rust's zero-cost abstractions
• CPU optimized with advanced compiler optimizations
• Scalable architecture supporting thousands of concurrent users

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Here's how you can help:

1. 🍴 Fork the repository
2. 🔧 Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. 💡 Make your changes
4. ✅ Add tests if applicable
5. 📝 Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. 🚀 Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. 🎯 Open a Pull Request

Development Guidelines

• Follow Rust best practices and idioms
• Add tests for new functionality
• Update documentation as needed
• Ensure all tests pass before submitting PR

📝 License

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

🙏 Acknowledgments

• The Rust community for providing excellent tools and libraries
• Contributors who help make RustCanvas better
• Users who provide feedback and bug reports

🐛 Issues & Support

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue on our GitHub Issues page.

🌟 Star History

If you find RustCanvas useful, please consider giving it a star! ⭐

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Made with ❤️ and Rust

Empowering creativity through open source collaboration