!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!! NOT PRODUCTION READY !!
!! USE AT YOUR OWN RISK !!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

January 2011: Zeppelin is currently pre-alpha software.

We expect to move to a first production version within the next few weeks. Documentation and further updates to follow... @pelger

Zeppelin

Zeppelin is a cloud development framework that is oriented to run multiple applications on the same node stack. Zeppelin is based on two key principals:

• Keep everything as simple as possible

• Avoid doing work wherever possible

Zeppelin has a server and client side components. As much processing as possible is handled on the client side, for example view templates are processed on the client moving processing load from the server. Client side templating is handled through the excellent jquote library.

You can use Zeppelin to develop web applications if you like. We do :)

Key Features:

• Multiple applications per server stack instance

• Distributed MVC architecture - template processing and rendering is done on the client

• Built in WebDav support

• Simple application layout

• One language end to end (Javascript btw)

Getting up and running

• install dependencies (see below for list)

• install mongodb

• install the framework

  npm install zeppelin

Ensure that mongodb is started on its default port of 27017. To set up a sample installation do the following:

zeppelin install myapps

Zeppelin will have created a directory called myapps under the current working directory.

To create some test data for the installation

cd myapps/quoteorama/test/unit
node data.js

To start the installation run:

zeppelin run ./myapps/config.js

Zeppelin will start and serve up two applications which are accesible at:

• http://localhost:3500/quoteorama/index.html

• http://localhost:3500/blank/index.html

For a full tutorial please see this gist - (TODO - will be in place by end of Jan 2011).

Application layout and configuration

Applications built ontop of the Zeppelin framework should have the following structure.

hello
|
|-- app
|   |-- controllers
|   |   `-- my_mvc.js
|   |-- helpers
|   |   `-- my_mvc.js
|   `-- models
|       `-- my_mvc.js
|-- public
|   `-- hello
|       |-- css
|       |   |-- presentational.css
|       |   |-- reset.css
|       |   `-- structural.css
|       |-- index.html
|       |-- js
|       |   `-- app.js
|       `-- views
|           `-- my_mvc.ztp.html
|-- test
|   |-- acceptance
|   `-- unit
|       `-- my_mvc_test.js
`-- zconfig.js

Application configuration is through the file zconfig.js placed in the root of an application. Typically this looks like.

exports.config = 
{
  live: {enabled: "true", environment: "development"},

  environments: {test: {database: "quoteorama-test"},
                 development: {database: "quoteorama-development"},
                 production: {database: "quoteorama-production"}},

  webdav: true,
}

In order to create and deploy an application create a similar directory structure and point the zeppelin framework at it.

Framework configuration

The framework is configured through a single file config.js. This file should be passed to the framework on startup. The framework configuration file should look like the following:

exports.config = 
{
  live: {environment: "development"},

  "applications": [{name: "examples",
                    description: "example applications",
                    hostIp: "localhost",
                    portNumber: 3500,
                    roots: ["/home/me/work/Zeppelin/Zeppelin/examples"]}],

  environments: {test: {database: { driver: "mongo",
                                    host: "localhost",
                                    port: 27017}},

  development: {database: { driver: "mongo",
                            host: "localhost",
                            port: 27017}},

  production: {database: { driver: "mongo",
                           host: "localhost",
                           port: 27017}}},
}

Dependencies

Zeppelin requires the following modules:

• npm install connect
• npm install jsDAV
• npm install underscore
• npm install node-uuid
• npm install eyes
• npm install mongodb
• npm install aws-lib
• npm install expresso

You will need to install a suitable driver for your database: npm install mongodb npm install simpledb

Currently mongodb is the default data store. You can also use Amazon SimpleDB. There is an in-memory database for testing.

Getting involved

We activly welcome contributions to Zeppelin. Connect though:

email: elger dot peter at gmail follow zeppelin on twitter: @pelger

A Whole lotta love

Zeppelin is built on top of the great work of its dependant modules, jquery, jquote and of course node.js

Hey Hey beh beh when you shake that thing...