Tracker

Tracker is a tool designed to monitor device usage by logging time entries while the device is online. The application consists of a Web Server and RESTful API, both powered by Actix-Web and Shuttle technologies. The entries are stored in a MongoDB Cloud Cluster for reliability and scalability.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Getting Started
  • Windows
  • Linux
• Environment Configuration
  • Cloud
    • Configuration
    • Checking the Logs
  • Local
    • Prerequisites
    • Installation
    • Database Connection
    • Running the Application
    • Consulting the Logs
• Testing
• License

Overview

Shuttle API Tracker is a sample Rust project that demonstrates the development of a RESTful API using Actix-Web, backed by a MongoDB database. It includes basic endpoints for adding and retrieving entries. This project serves as a starting point for building more complex Rust-based APIs.

Features

• RESTful API endpoints for adding and retrieving entries.
• Integration with MongoDB for data storage.
• Actix-Web for HTTP server implementation.

Getting Started

Get started with Tracker by setting up a background script that logs your system's uptime by polling the Tracker API at regular intervals. Follow the instructions below to configure and run the Tracker script on your device.

Windows

To ensure that the Tracker script runs on Windows startup, you can use a combination of a batch file (tracker.bat) and a VBScript (launch_tracker.vbs). Follow these steps:

Step 1: Create the Batch File (tracker.bat)

1. Create a batch file named tracker.bat (you can use any text editor, e.g., Notepad).

2. Add the following content to tracker.bat:

   @echo off
   :loop
   curl <API_URL>
   timeout /t 60
   goto loop

   Replace <API_URL> with your local or cloud URL. This batch file contains a loop that makes a curl request to your desired URL and waits for 60 seconds between each request.

Step 2: Create the VBScript (launch_tracker.vbs)

1. Create a VBScript named launch_tracker.vbs (you can use any text editor, e.g., Notepad).

2. Add the following content to launch_tracker.vbs:

   Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
   WshShell.Run chr(34) & "C:\path\to\tracker.bat" & Chr(34), 0
   Set WshShell = Nothing

   Replace C:\path\to\tracker.bat with the actual path to your tracker.bat file.

Step 3: Configure Windows Startup

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.

2. Type shell:startup and press Enter. This will open the Startup folder.

3. Copy both the tracker.bat and launch_tracker.vbs files into the Startup folder.

Step 4: Verify Configuration

1. Restart your Windows computer.

2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or Ctrl + Alt + Delete, then select "Task Manager" from the menu that appears.

3. In the Task Manager window, navigate to the "Processes" or "Details" tab (depending on your Windows version).

4. Look for a process named tracker.bat or cmd.exe (if tracker.bat is running in a Command Prompt window).

5. That's it! Now you can customize the script and adjust the startup behavior as needed.

Linux

To configure the Tracker script on a Linux system to run at startup, you can use a combination of a shell script (tracker.sh) and a systemd service (launch_tracker.service). Follow these steps:

Step 1: Create the Shell Script (tracker.sh)

1. Create a shell script named tracker.sh (you can use any text editor, e.g., Nano or Vim).

2. Add the following content to tracker.sh:

   #!/bin/bash
   while true; do
     curl <API_URL>
     sleep 60
   done

   Replace <API_URL> with your local or cloud URL. This shell script contains a loop that makes a curl request to your desired URL and waits for 60 seconds between each request.

Step 2: Create the systemd Service (launch_tracker.service)

1. Create a systemd service unit file named launch_tracker.service, under /etc/systemd/system.

2. Add the following content to launch_tracker.service:

   [Unit]
   Description=Tracker Startup Script.
   
   [Service]
   Type=simple
   RemainAfterExit=yes
   Restart=always
   ExecStart=/bin/bash /path/to/tracker.sh
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target

   Replace /path/to/tracker.sh with the actual path to your tracker.sh script.

Step 3: Set file permission and enable service

1. On your terminal, set the file permissions to 644:

   chmod 644 /etc/systemd/system/launch_tracker.service

2. Enable the service to run at startup:

   systemctl enable launch_tracker.service

Step 4: Verify Configuration

1. Restart your Linux computer.

2. Check the status of the service using:

   sudo systemctl status launch_tracker.service

3. Customize the script and adjust the startup behavior as needed.

Environment Configuration

Cloud

Note: To use the Cloud configuration, a stable internet connection is a prerequisite. If you need to monitor system uptime offline, please refer to the Local section for the appropriate setup.

Configuration

1. Open your Tracker script and replace <API_URL> with the correct endpoint.

• Windows - tracker.bat:

  @echo off
  :loop
  curl https://example.com/api/endpoint
  timeout /t 60
  goto loop

• Linux - tracker.sh:

  #!binbash
  while true; do
    curl https://tracker.shuttleapp.rs/entries/add
    sleep 60
  done

2. Save the file and restart your computer.

Checking the Logs

To access the application logs and monitor system uptime, you can easily do so by accessing the <API_URL> in your internet browser. This will provide you with real-time access to the system's usage logs.

Local

Prerequisites

Before you start using Tracker locally, make sure you have the following prerequisites installed:

• Rust programming language
• Cargo package manager
• MongoDB (local, Docker, or cloud)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/fewrux/tracker.git
   cd tracker

2. Build the project:

   cargo build

Database Connection

The application requires a MongoDB URI for database connection. You can set the URI in a Secrets.toml file. Example:

MONGO_URI = "mongodb://localhost:27017/tracker"

Running the Application

To start the application, run the following command:

cargo shuttle run

The Tracker API should be available at http://localhost:8000.

Consulting the Logs

To access the application logs and monitor system uptime, follow these steps:

1. Open a terminal window.
2. Navigate to the project directory.
3. Run the following command to view the logs:

   cargo shuttle logs

Testing

You can run unit tests for the application using the following command:

cargo test

License

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

Dependencies

[dependencies]
actix-web = "4.4.0"
anyhow = "1.0.75"
chrono = "0.4.31"
dotenvy = "0.15.7"
env_logger = "0.10.0"
futures = "0.3.28"
log = "0.4.20"
serde = "1.0.188"
shuttle-actix-web = "0.27.0"
shuttle-runtime = "0.27.0"
shuttle-secrets = "0.27.0"
tokio = "1.32.0"

[dependencies.mongodb]
version = "2.6.1"
default-features = false
features = ["async-std-runtime"]