wireguard-admin
This repository contains a root-only native terminal interface for one existing WireGuard interface and configurable systemd service. It connects the validated settings loader, byte-preserving server configuration editor, encrypted client vault, recoverable saved-file persistence, backups, Commit, previewed restore, explicit restart, read-only runtime statistics, and client file/QR delivery. The interface keeps draft, saved, and applied states distinct. Commit saves files; restore replaces saved state; only an explicit, verified restart applies saved changes to the running interface.
The package requires Rust 1.97.1 or newer and uses the Rust 2024 edition. From the repository root, run:
cargo run -- --help
cargo run -- --version
--help and --version work without root, settings, or a terminal. Starting with no arguments requires root and a suitable interactive terminal. Settings are read from wireguard-admin.toml beside the executable. If terminal checks or saved-state recovery fail, startup exits before entering raw mode or performing setup mutations.
Settings
Copy this example to wireguard-admin.toml beside the executable. Adapt every address, range, path, interface name, and service name to the existing server; 192.0.2.1 is a documentation address, not a usable public endpoint. This configuration manages an existing WireGuard interface and systemd service; it does not create either one.
# Copy this file to wireguard-admin.toml beside the wireguard-admin executable.
# Relative paths are resolved from that executable directory, never from the
# process working directory. This example uses documentation-only addresses.
interface_name = "wg0"
server_config_path = "/etc/wireguard/wg0.conf"
client_source_directory = "clients"
server_endpoint = "192.0.2.1:51820"
ipv4_allocation_range = "10.9.0.0/24"
ipv6_allocation_range = "2001:db8:1::/64"
dns_addresses = ["10.9.0.1", "192.168.0.200"]
systemd_unit = "wg-quick@wg0.service"
restart_timeout_seconds = 30
# Optional. Defaults to Backup beside the executable. The application stores
# current data in <data_root>/data and archives in <data_root>/archives.
# data_root = "Backup"
The parser requires every uncommented field above and rejects unknown fields.
The example values are not defaults. Only data_root has a default.
| Parameter | Required? | Purpose and validated constraints |
|---|---|---|
interface_name |
Yes | Name of the existing WireGuard interface. Must be 1–15 ASCII letters, digits, ., _, or -; . and .. are rejected. |
server_config_path |
Yes | Path to the existing, authoritative server configuration. Must be non-empty. The settings parser does not check that the file exists; startup validates the saved installation. |
client_source_directory |
Yes | Directory of original client configuration files used for initial vault import and explicit selected-file import. Must be non-empty. Scans consider immediate regular .conf files without following symlinks; originals are neither modified nor deleted. |
server_endpoint |
Yes | Address and port written to generated client configurations: a hostname or IPv4 address followed by :port, or an IPv6 address in brackets followed by :port. Port must be 1–65535. Hostnames are syntax-checked but not resolved during settings validation. |
ipv4_allocation_range |
Yes | IPv4 CIDR range from which new-client IPv4 addresses are allocated. Must parse as an IPv4 CIDR network. |
ipv6_allocation_range |
Yes | IPv6 CIDR range from which new-client IPv6 addresses are allocated. Must parse as an IPv6 CIDR network. |
dns_addresses |
Yes | Non-empty list of IPv4 and/or IPv6 literal DNS server addresses included in generated client configurations. This does not configure the host's DNS settings. Hostnames are rejected. |
systemd_unit |
Yes | Existing systemd service targeted by an explicitly requested restart. Must end in .service, be at most 255 ASCII bytes, and use only letters, digits, ., _, -, @, or :; paths and whitespace are rejected. |
restart_timeout_seconds |
Yes | Positive integer number of seconds for the shared restart deadline. After the mandatory backup, it covers systemd connection, subscription, unit resolution, request and job completion, then the runtime interface read and verification deadline check. It does not time the precautionary backup or durable verification-state write. |
data_root |
No | Non-empty root directory for application data. Defaults to Backup beside the executable. Current internal data and the encrypted vault are stored in <data_root>/data; archives are stored in <data_root>/archives. |
The settings file name and location are fixed: wireguard-admin.toml must sit beside the executable, regardless of the process working directory. Relative values for server_config_path, client_source_directory, and data_root resolve from that executable directory; absolute paths stay absolute. Settings validation checks syntax and values without checking referenced paths or the service for existence. Commit and Restore change saved state only. Restart is separate and explicit; only successful service completion followed by matching interface/client verification and durable bookkeeping marks the saved state applied. The separate config/wireguard-admin.example.toml is another example, with different illustrative values.
For installation, backup custody, restart failure handling and manual recovery, see docs/OPERATIONS.md. The qualified evidence and the current host release-candidate assessment are in docs/RELEASE_READINESS.md; those records do not claim a completed systemd VM run or real IPv6 qualification.
Terminal workflows
The bordered Keys panel at the bottom of the screen shows shortcuts for the current screen and form. On narrow list and details screens it prioritizes navigation and Help, and indicates when additional actions are omitted; resize the terminal to see more. Forms, QR disclosure and progress show only their applicable controls. Press ? from the list or details screen to open Help, which contains the complete shortcut reference. The client list supports arrow-key selection, Enter for details, and q to exit. Exit warns when a draft would be discarded; it never commits implicitly. Uppercase shortcuts are distinct from lowercase shortcuts (R previews restart, while r renames; B creates a backup, while b lists backups):
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
n |
Create a client with automatic or manual dual-stack addresses |
r / d |
Rename or delete the selected supported peer by full public key |
p / x |
Review or discard the draft |
c |
Commit saved files after the mandatory backup |
R |
Preview explicit restart; confirm only after reviewing the choice |
o / O |
First file delivery / password-per-action reissue |
b / B |
List and preview backups / create a manual backup |
s / i |
Initial vault setup / import one selected client file |
! |
Inspect document and peer anomalies |
The list header labels Draft, Saved, and Applied separately. Draft reports pending changes even when only vault or managed metadata changed. Saved counts peer sections in the saved server file, including peers this manager cannot edit, and separately counts managed clients. Applied reports verification of the saved configuration; a draft is excluded. “Not verified” does not claim that a restart is pending when that divergence is unknown. A saved peer row does not prove active access, and handshake or traffic counters are observations, not proof that the saved configuration was applied. Details distinguish document or peer problems from valid configuration shapes that are currently outside the management model.
In Help, Up/Down scroll by one displayed row and PageUp/PageDown move by the visible page. The Help panel shows the current row range and clamps navigation when the terminal is resized. Press ? to return to the beginning or Esc to return to the client list without changing the selected peer or application state.
Forms use Enter to advance or submit, Tab to change fields/options, and Esc to cancel. Backup restore previews identify the selected archive and require an explicit confirmation. Restore does not prompt for the vault password and does not restart WireGuard. Client configuration output is a disclosure: first delivery requires a successful Commit in the same session; QR appears only after file publication. Esc closes and clears a QR disclosure. Help in the interface contains the full current shortcut list.
Library configuration API
The library exposes wireguard_admin::wireguard::ConfigDocument for UTF-8 configuration bytes supplied by the caller. It retains the source and renders unmodified input byte-for-byte, including line endings and a missing final newline. Peer inspection exposes public identities, parsed AllowedIPs, spans, and redacted issues; arbitrary directive values are not included in the view. The edit methods add_client, delete_client, rename_client, and insert_legacy_metadata return new in-memory documents. They do not read or write files, save changes, or alter the running VPN. See docs/CONFIG_FORMAT.md for the managed metadata block format.
Example:
use wireguard_admin::wireguard::ConfigDocument;
let document = ConfigDocument::parse(config_bytes)?;
let updated = document.rename_client(&public_key, "office laptop")?;
let bytes_to_review = updated.render(); // no persistence or VPN operation
Runtime and restart behavior has synthetic fixture and fake-adapter coverage; the accepted Alpine milestone also exercised real IPv4 WireGuard traffic and the Rustix reader. The Alpine fixture did not use systemd/D-Bus, and the retired systemd VM milestone did not establish real-system acceptance. Real IPv6 capability and traffic remain unverified.
Saved state, Commit, and backups
wireguard_admin::app::Application opens saved files through wireguard_admin::persistence::SavedStore, stages client and vault changes, creates manual and mandatory operation backups, and previews/confirms a full restore. Commit writes saved files only. Restore also changes saved files only; neither operation reloads or restarts WireGuard. The server file is kept at its trusted configured path, while internal state and the encrypted vault are kept under Backup/data by default. Archives are stored under Backup/archives and contain fixed logical members, not source client files or prior archives.
The persistence journal recovers interrupted file replacement on reopen and returns a recovery error while earlier work remains unresolved. A confirmed restart marks the saved generation applied only after a successful service job, a matching complete runtime observation, and journaled verification-state write. Restoring a backup does not restore runtime state: the running interface is unknown until a later explicit restart and verification. Pending deleted-client addresses remain reserved through Commit, reopen, and restore. See docs/BACKUP_FORMAT.md and docs/PERSISTENCE.md for archive and recovery details, and docs/RUNTIME.md for observation and restart boundaries.
Vault and existing-client import library
wireguard_admin::vault provides WireGuard key handling, an encrypted versioned vault bundle, caller-buffer client configuration parsing, and reconciliation against a supplied server document. The source adapter can prepare an initial encrypted bundle or explicitly import candidates into an existing prepared bundle. These operations return in-memory data only: they do not install or save a vault, edit source files or server configuration, Commit, or touch the VPN.
Directory scans use the resolved client_source_directory only. A candidate is an immediate regular file whose name ends in .conf (case-insensitive); the adapter does not recurse, follow symlinks, or read files larger than 1 MiB. A scan is limited to 4,096 directory entries, 1,024 candidates, and 32 MiB total input. Per-file failures are redacted and do not prevent other files from being examined. Enumeration, read, or limit failures mark the scan incomplete. The original files remain untouched. Adapter examples and behavior are covered with synthetic temporary directories in tests/vault_import.rs.
Client delivery and reissue
Application::prepare_new_client stages a dual-stack peer and encrypted key. After a successful commit, deliver_first_issue_file can publish its first configuration without a vault password during that same session; a failed file publication can be retried to a newly selected destination. The first file is mandatory. deliver_first_issue_file_and_qr optionally returns a QR matrix from the same authorized bytes after file publication. Both success results carry an activation warning unless this session has verified the exact installed saved generation and its matching applied peer snapshot; historical verification and unknown runtime state do not suppress it.
Later delivery uses Application::reissue_client_file, which takes the client public key, a password for that action, a prepared destination, and an optional QR choice. It freshly unlocks the installed saved vault each time, reads saved server/settings bytes rather than draft state, preserves validated imported parameters, and rejects blocked or stale records. It never reads original plaintext client files as a fallback. The result reports a secret-free failure stage and warns when the current saved peer set has not been verified as applied in this live session. Historical verification timestamps do not suppress that warning after reopen. File output uses mode 0600, explicit overwrite confirmation, and separate QR failure reporting. These APIs and the TUI password prompt/terminal QR display have synthetic fixture coverage. No production configuration or key is included in the repository.
Test commands and integration limits
Run the default synthetic workflow and UI checks as an unprivileged user:
cargo test --locked --test tui_workflow
cargo test --locked tui::
The first exercises setup, client staging, Commit, delivery, backup listing, and restore through the serialized worker with temporary files and a fake statistics reader. The second covers navigation/forms/rendering, delayed worker behavior, terminal lifecycle seams, and QR sizing. Neither command starts the management UI or uses host service/runtime mutation. See docs/TESTING.md for full gates and the isolated Alpine (M8) and disposable systemd VM (M9) boundaries. An actual PTY smoke run using synthetic application/runtime adapters is included in tui_workflow; it uses script and a fake unavailable-statistics reader, without root or host settings. It checks an 80×24 to 40×8 to 80×24 resize sequence and terminal cleanup after q. The workflow also checks that Esc clears a returned QR disclosure; the
focused renderer test checks complete quiet-zone fit. Do not use the development host's settings or VPN as a substitute. M1–M8 qualification evidence and the remaining M9 limitations are summarized in docs/RELEASE_READINESS.md.