Skip to content

CONTRIBUTING.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
84 lines (63 loc) · 2.42 KB

CONTRIBUTING.md

File metadata and controls

84 lines (63 loc) · 2.42 KB

Contributing to AetherLens

First off, thanks for taking the time to contribute! 🎉

AetherLens is a high-performance network analysis tool built with Rust, .NET 8, and Next.js. We welcome contributions from the community to make it even better.

Project Structure

  • core-engine/: Rust-based packet sniffer and analysis engine.
  • api-server/: .NET 8 Web API for data aggregation and SignalR broadcasting.
  • web-dashboard/: Next.js 14 frontend for real-time visualization.
  • shared/proto/: Protocol Buffers definitions shared between services.

Prerequisites

Before you start, ensure you have the following installed:

  1. Rust Toolchain: rustup update stable
  2. .NET 8 SDK: Download here
  3. Node.js 18+: Download here
  4. Npcap SDK (Windows): Required for building the core engine. Extract to npcap-sdk/ in the root.

Development Workflow

  1. Fork the repository and clone it locally.
  2. Create a branch for your feature or fix: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature.
  3. Run the lab in demo mode to verify your setup: 
    start_lab.bat
    (Select option 2 for Demo Mode if you don't want to install Npcap drivers yet).

Working on Core Engine (Rust)

  • Follow standard Rust formatting: 
    cd core-engine
cargo fmt
cargo clippy
  • Run tests: 
    cargo test --features packet-capture

Working on Backend (.NET)

  • Ensure code style compliance: 
    cd api-server
dotnet format
  • Run unit tests: 
    cd AetherLens.Tests
dotnet test

Working on Dashboard (Next.js)

  • We use Tailwind CSS and TypeScript.
  • Lint your code: 
    cd web-dashboard
npm run lint

Protocol Changes

If you modify shared/proto/aether.proto:

  1. Rebuild the Rust core (cargo build).
  2. Rebuild the .NET backend (it will auto-generate C# classes).
  3. You may need to update the frontend types manually or via a generator if added.

Pull Request Process

  1. Update the README.md with details of changes to the interface, if applicable.
  2. Update the ARCHITECTURE.md if you change the data flow or system design.
  3. Ensure your code passes all tests and linters.
  4. Open a PR with a clear description of the problem and solution.

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under its MIT License.