GSoC’23: Implementation of Web Interface of Retroshare – Final Report

This is a mirror of the final report which I wrote recently on Freifunk.

Hello again folks 👋,
My journey in Google Summer of Code has come to an end, and I am excited to share all the things I have accomplished during this program and the progress done in the Implementation of Web Interface of Retroshare.

Project Description #  

About Retroshare #  

Retroshare provides a decentralized, encrypted connection with maximum security between nodes where they can chat, share files, mail, etc. It uses GXS (Generic eXchange System) that provides asynchronous distribution, authentication, privacy, security of generic data. It is designed to provide maximum security and anonymity to its users beyond direct friends. Likewise, it is entirely free and open-source software.

It is a C++ software program that comprises a headless lib called libretroshare. And, this lib helps in making a headless server (retroshare-service), a standalone app with a user interface built using Qt, an android client and more.

Project Goal #  

The main goal of my project was Implementation of Web Interface of Retroshare in which I had to improve the Web UI and add missing features from the Qt counterpart of Retroshare. The milestones which I had to achieve during GSoC are described below.

Milestones Achieved #  

You can view all of my contributions at once – GitHub Link.

File Section #  

• Implemented File Search feature using JavaScript Proxy which was pending from a long time.

  

• Implemented feature to view which chunks are getting downloaded in the progress bar and the state of the chunks getting downloaded. Also, fixed the Download action buttons and implemented the feature to manage the chunk strategy for a file getting downloaded.

  

• Implemented the Share Manager feature, which lets you add and manage the shared directories and manage different level of access and permissions for each directory. It is in progress and will be complete soon.

  

Config Section #  

• Implemented the mail config panel to create and manage all the mail tags.

  

• Implemented features to set Dynamic DNS and configure Tor/I2P Socks Proxy from Web UI and fixed NAT and some other existing options in the network config section.

  

• Added more missing options in files config section from Qt app.

Mail Section #  

• Improved and made the mail composer reusable to help user to search and select the nodes (contacts) and improved the UI of composer.

  

• Implemented feature to reply to any mail from Web UI by reusing the mail composer.

• Implemented feature to view all the Attachments in one place and also to view the attachments sent in a mail.

  

• Fixed mail view and the order of mail in all mail sections.

Forums Section #  

• Implemented Caching in Forums section to reduce repeated numerous API calls and reuse the already fetched data and invalidate the cache and refetch the data again. It is also a WIP.
• Fixed the bug which was causing infinite calls to the same endpoint and freezing or crashing the Web UI.

I also improved the whole User Interface of the Web UI and made it more user-friendly. Furthermore, I refactored the directory structure, tidied up the repository and optimized the build.

Other Contributions #  

Apart from the contributions in the Web UI, I also contributed to the libretroshare where I

• Added code to generate the jsonapi endpoints for the file section and other sections in Web UI.
• Implemented getChunkStrategy() endpoint in the libretroshare in C++ and also added more code to generate other API endpoints.
• Fixed MIME type for content-type in HTTP header and added routes for new directory structure.

What’s Next? #  

The Web Interface of Retroshare has improved so much since I have undertaken this project, and It’s almost ready for release in the next release cycle of Retroshare. Still, there is a lot of room for improvement on the Web UI and I will keep adding more features in it. I will complete all the features which are currently in progress and even after GSoC I would love to keep contributing and improving this truly wonderful open sourced project created solely for the welfare of society.

Wrapping Up #  

My journey in GSoC with Retroshare has been an incredible learning experience for me. I got to learn so much all thanks to my mentor Cyril Soler, M. Saud and fellow community members. GSoC has bridged the gap between aspiring open source contributors and industry level experts and has enabled folks like me to gain experience by working on enterprise level projects under the guidance of wonderful people.

This summer has turned out to be a pivotal point in my career and has boosted my confidence and helped me to strengthen my arsenal by learning new skills, gaining hands-on experience and improving my programming skills.

As I keep moving forward in my coding journey after this project, I’m excited to utilize the knowledge and experience I’ve gained here in future projects. I plan to stay engaged in this community after GSoC and My aim is to continue contributing actively to the project’s growth and achievements.

And, I will see you now in the next blog. Until then, Good Bye : )