FreeSynergy · Node

Modular, decentralized self-hosting stack
Rootless · Podman Quadlets · Rust CLI + TUI · Free cooperation between sovereign nodes

FreeSynergy.Node is a self-sovereign deployment system for self-hosted services. It runs fully rootless on any Linux server, uses Podman Quadlets instead of Docker, and operates without any central control plane.

Core tools: native Rust CLI (fsn), interactive setup wizard, and an evolving TUI dashboard (built with ratatui + rat-salsa for clean event-loop, focus handling, and composable widgets).

Vision: Nodes that voluntarily federate — with OIDC-based identity sharing in progress.

Current Status (March 2026)

• CLI (fsn): Fully usable (deploy, status, edit, wizard, i18n support)
• TUI Dashboard: Under heavy active development — Sidebar, project list, edit/delete actions, toast notifications, sidebar filters, improved keyboard navigation, better errors & tests
• Setup Wizard: Complete (module-driven, interactive)
• Modules: 14+ services ready (Proxy, IAM, Mail, Git, Nextcloud, Matrix, …)
• Federation: OIDC concept & skeleton in place — implementation ongoing
• Version: v0.1.0-dev (no stable releases yet)

Key Features

• Rootless & secure by default
  Podman + Quadlets → no root privileges required
  Secrets managed via age-encrypted vault
  Internal networks, git-ignored host files

• Modular & extensible
  Services defined via TOML + Jinja2 templates in modules/
  Process-based module plugins (new!)
  Automatic Quadlet generation + Zentinel reverse-proxy config

• CLI & TUI
  fsn — Rust-native command-line tool with subcommands
  Interactive wizard for first-time setup
  TUI dashboard powered by ratatui + rat-salsa (sidebar navigation, project lists, forms, toasts, filters)

• Automation
  Let's Encrypt TLS certificates
  Hetzner DNS reconciliation
  Planned: automatic container updates & rollbacks

• Decentralized & federated (long-term goal)
  No central server
  Voluntary node cooperation
  Shared identities via OIDC federation (WIP)

Quick Start

# 1. Run the installer (sets up Podman + builds fsn)
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FreeSynergy/Node/master/fsn-install.sh | bash

# 2. Initialize your first node
fsn wizard

# 3. Launch the TUI dashboard (once built)
fsn tui

Project Structure (High-Level)

.
├── cli/               # Rust CLI + TUI (fsn binary + fsn-tui logic)
├── hosts/             # Per-server configs (gitignore'd)
├── locales/           # i18n files (de + en via Fluent)
├── modules/           # Service definitions (TOML + Jinja templates)
├── projects/          # Your deployed project instances
├── store/             # Bundled store integration
├── tools/             # Build & setup scripts
├── fsn-install.sh     # One-shot bootstrap installer
└── ...                # CHANGELOG.md · TODO.md · RULES.md · LICENSE

Tech Stack (OOP-oriented Rust code)

• Rust (90%+) — strong OOP patterns: traits for widgets/screens, state encapsulation, delegation to components, builder patterns for complex init
• ratatui + rat-salsa — modern TUI rendering, fair event polling, focus management, background tasks, composable widgets
• Podman Quadlets — declarative container units
• Jinja2 — templating for units & configs
• age — secret encryption
• i18n — Fluent-based (German + English)

Contributing

Project is early-stage → contributions very welcome!

• Open issues & PRs for anything
• Discussions around federation, new modules, TUI polish
• Coding style: Prefer OOP (encapsulation, traits for extensibility, clear delegation)

See RULES.md and CLAUDE.md for workflow & guidelines.

License

MIT License — with note for future federation-adjusted terms.

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FreeSynergy.Node — because every node should be free.