Reth Desktop

A fast + lightweight desktop GUI application for managing Reth Ethereum node installations and operations.

Value Proposition

• Simplified Node Management: Install, configure, and monitor Reth nodes without command-line complexity
• Real-time Monitoring: Live log streaming and process status tracking
• Configuration Management: Visual interface for editing Reth's TOML configuration
• Cross-platform Support: Native desktop app for macOS, Linux, and Windows
• Process Detection: Automatically detects and connects to existing Reth instances

Key Features

• Automated Installation: Downloads and installs Reth binaries from GitHub releases
• Live Terminal: Real-time log streaming with color-coded log levels
• External Process Support: Connects to Reth instances started outside the GUI
• Settings Management: Visual editors for node configuration and desktop preferences
• System Requirements: Automatic validation of system capabilities
• Performance Metrics: Real-time monitoring of node metrics with historical graphs
• Start Configuration: Customizable node startup parameters through UI

Architecture

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Rust + egui/eframe for native cross-platform GUI
• Backend: Tokio async runtime for process management and file I/O
• Configuration: TOML parsing with serde for Reth config management

Key Design Decisions

1. Native Performance: Built with Rust and egui for minimal resource usage and fast startup
2. Async Architecture: Tokio runtime enables non-blocking UI while managing system processes
3. Modular Design: Separate modules for installation, configuration, UI components, and node management
4. Platform Abstraction: Uses dirs crate for cross-platform file system paths
5. Process Detection: Port-based detection (8545, 8546, 8551) rather than process name matching for reliability
6. Log File Integration: Automatic discovery and tailing of Reth log files across different network configurations

File Structure

src/
├── main.rs              # Application entry point and main UI loop
├── installer.rs         # Reth binary installation and updates
├── reth_node.rs         # Process management and log streaming
├── config.rs            # TOML configuration parsing and management
├── ui/
│   ├── node_settings.rs # Configuration UI components
│   └── desktop_settings.rs # Application preferences
├── system_check.rs      # System requirements validation
└── theme.rs             # UI styling and colors

Getting Started

1. Build: cargo build --release
2. Run: cargo run or execute the binary
3. Install Reth: Use the GUI to download and install Reth
4. Configure: Edit node settings through the visual interface
5. Monitor: Start your node and watch real-time logs

Configuration

The app manages Reth's configuration files automatically:

• Config Location: ~/.local/share/reth/mainnet/reth.toml (Linux) or platform equivalent
• Log Files: ~/.cache/reth/logs/mainnet/reth.log (auto-detected)
• Settings: Application preferences stored in platform-specific directories

Requirements

• Rust 1.70+ for building
• 4GB+ RAM for running Reth
• 2TB+ disk space for full node sync
• Stable internet connection