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Architecture Overview

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System Design

VibeTunnel consists of three main components working together: 
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              macOS Menu Bar Application              │
│                   (Swift/SwiftUI)                    │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ ServerManager: Lifecycle & process control    │  │
│  │ SessionMonitor: Active session tracking       │  │
│  │ TTYForwardManager: Terminal forwarding        │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
                     │ Spawns & Manages
┌────────────────────▼────────────────────────────────┐
│             Node.js/Bun Server Process              │
│                  (TypeScript)                       │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ HTTP Server: REST API endpoints               │  │
│  │ WebSocket Server: Real-time terminal I/O      │  │
│  │ PTY Manager: Native terminal processes        │  │
│  │ Session Manager: Lifecycle & state            │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
                     │ HTTP/WebSocket
┌────────────────────▼────────────────────────────────┐
│                  Client Applications                 │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Web Browser         │        iOS App               │
│  (Lit/TypeScript)    │    (Swift/SwiftUI)          │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Component Responsibilities

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macOS Application

ComponentFilePurpose
ServerManagermac/VibeTunnel/ServerManager.swiftServer lifecycle, port management
SessionMonitormac/VibeTunnel/SessionMonitor.swiftTrack active sessions
TTYForwardManagermac/VibeTunnel/TTYForwardManager.swiftCLI integration
MenuBarUImac/VibeTunnel/MenuBarView.swiftUser interface

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Server Process

ComponentFilePurpose
HTTP Serverweb/src/server/server.tsREST API, WebSocket upgrade
PTY Managerweb/src/server/pty/pty-manager.tsTerminal process spawning
Session Managerweb/src/server/services/session-manager.tsSession state & cleanup
Buffer Aggregatorweb/src/server/services/buffer-aggregator.tsOutput optimization

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Web Frontend

ComponentFilePurpose
App Shellweb/src/client/app.tsMain application container
Terminal Viewweb/src/client/terminal-view.tsxterm.js integration
Session Listweb/src/client/session-list.tsActive sessions UI
WebSocket Clientweb/src/client/services/websocket.tsReal-time communication

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Data Flow

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Session Creation

User → vt command → TTYForwardManager → HTTP POST /api/sessions
→ Server creates PTY → Returns session ID → Opens browser
→ WebSocket connection established → Terminal ready

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Terminal I/O

User types → WebSocket message → Server PTY write
PTY output → Buffer aggregation → Binary protocol → WebSocket
→ Client decode → xterm.js render

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Session Cleanup

Terminal exit → PTY close → Session manager cleanup
→ WebSocket close → Client notification → UI update

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Communication Protocols

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HTTP REST API

  • Session CRUD operations
  • Authentication endpoints
  • Health checks
  • See API Reference

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WebSocket Protocol

  • Binary buffer format for efficiency
  • Magic byte 0xBF for packet identification
  • 4-byte length header (big-endian)
  • UTF-8 encoded terminal data
  • See Protocol Details

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Inter-Process Communication

  • Mac app spawns Bun server as child process
  • Environment variables for configuration
  • File-based PID tracking
  • Signal handling for graceful shutdown

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Security Architecture

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Authentication Flow

Client → Password (optional) → Server validates
→ JWT token generated → Token in Authorization header
→ Server validates on each request

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Network Security

  • Localhost-only by default
  • Optional LAN exposure with authentication
  • Tailscale/ngrok integration for remote access
  • WSS/HTTPS in production

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Process Isolation

  • Each session runs in separate PTY process
  • User permissions inherited from server
  • No privilege escalation
  • Resource limits per session

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Performance Optimizations

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Buffer Aggregation

  • Batch terminal output every 16ms
  • Reduce WebSocket message frequency
  • Binary protocol reduces payload size

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Connection Management

  • WebSocket connection pooling
  • Automatic reconnection with backoff
  • Ping/pong for keep-alive

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Resource Management

  • Lazy loading of terminal sessions
  • Automatic cleanup of idle sessions
  • Memory-mapped session recordings

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Platform Integration

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macOS Features

  • Menu bar application
  • Sparkle auto-updates
  • Code signing & notarization
  • Launch at login

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iOS Features

  • Native Swift UI
  • Background session support
  • Push notifications
  • Handoff support

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Web Standards

  • Progressive Web App capable
  • Service Worker for offline
  • WebAssembly for performance
  • Responsive design

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Build & Deployment

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Build Pipeline

1. TypeScript compilation → JavaScript bundle
2. Bun standalone executable generation
3. Swift compilation → macOS app
4. Embed server in app bundle
5. Code sign & notarize
6. DMG creation with Sparkle

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Configuration

  • Runtime: Environment variables
  • Build-time: xcconfig files
  • User preferences: macOS defaults system
  • Server config: JSON files

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Monitoring & Debugging

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Logging

  • Unified logging to macOS Console
  • Structured JSON logs from server
  • Session-specific log filtering
  • See ./scripts/vtlog.sh

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Metrics

  • Session count & duration
  • Message throughput
  • Error rates
  • Resource usage

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See Also

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