304 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
304 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
# Feasibility Analysis: bDS Rewrite in Rust (Green-Field, No JavaScript)
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## Context
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Green-field rewrite of bDS blogging CMS in pure Rust. No migration — only the on-disc content format (Markdown + YAML frontmatter) must be preserved. Everything else is up for debate.
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**Constraints:**
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- No JavaScript at all (supply chain security concern — no npm/webview/JS runtime)
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- Python scripting replaced with Rust-native scripting language (Lua)
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- WYSIWYG Markdown editor not needed — syntax-highlighting source editor is sufficient
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- Mac is first-class, Windows slightly behind, Linux as compatibility option
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- Built by team of AI agents, no timeline pressure
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- Green-field: existing codebase is reference only, not migrated
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---
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## Current Scale
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| Layer | LOC | Key Tech |
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|-------|-----|----------|
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| Main process (engines, IPC, DB) | ~45,800 | Node.js, 43+ engine classes, 257 IPC methods |
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| Renderer (UI) | ~30,200 | React 19, Zustand, 80 components, Milkdown, Monaco |
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| Tests | ~69,500 | Vitest, 210 test files |
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| Dependencies | 54 runtime + 27 dev | AI SDK, Pyodide, sharp, git, MCP, etc. |
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---
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## Rust GUI Framework Comparison (Mac-First)
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The "Mac must be first-class" constraint is critical. It reshuffles the ranking.
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### Framework Assessment
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| Framework | Maturity | Mac Quality | Editor Story | Widget Set |
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|-----------|----------|-------------|-------------|------------|
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| **GTK4-rs + libadwaita** | 9/10 | 6/10 — functional but non-native feel (no system menu bar by default, non-native scrolling, GTK file dialogs) | GtkSourceView (excellent) | Rich |
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| **Iced** | 6/10 | 8/10 — GPU-rendered via Metal, consistent look, respects platform DPI. Not "native macOS" but consistent everywhere (like Electron was). | Custom needed (`syntect` + `ropey` + `cosmic-text`) | Growing, needs custom work |
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| **Floem** | 5/10 | 7/10 — used in Lapce which runs well on Mac | Lapce has one but not extracted | Sparse |
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| **Dioxus** | 4/10 | Variable | None | Tiny |
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| **Slint** | 7/10 | 7/10 — native rendering support | None | Limited |
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| **egui** | 8/10 | 7/10 — works well on Mac via wgpu | Wrong paradigm for editing | Immediate mode |
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### Mac-specific concerns
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**GTK4 on macOS:**
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- Requires GTK4 installed (Homebrew/MacPorts) or bundled (~50MB overhead)
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- Doesn't use native macOS menu bar by default (can be configured but finicky)
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- Non-native scrolling physics, selection behavior, keyboard shortcuts
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- File/print dialogs look GTK, not macOS
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- Apps like GIMP/Inkscape run on Mac via GTK — functional but feel "foreign"
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**Iced on macOS:**
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- Renders via wgpu/Metal — native GPU acceleration
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- Consistent cross-platform look (no "foreign toolkit" feel)
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- You control all UX conventions (can implement macOS cmd-shortcuts, native-feeling scrolling)
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- No external toolkit dependency — statically compiled
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- Binary stays small (~10-20MB)
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- The trade-off: you build more widgets yourself, but AI agents can handle this
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### The editor situation
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With WYSIWYG dropped, a syntax-highlighting text editor is achievable in pure Rust:
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| Approach | Effort | Quality |
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|----------|--------|---------|
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| **GtkSourceView** (GTK4 only) | 0 weeks (built-in) | Production-grade, 50+ languages |
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| **Custom iced widget** (`ropey` + `syntect` + `cosmic-text`) | 4-6 weeks | Good — proven building blocks, AI agents can build this |
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| **Extract cosmic-edit** from COSMIC | 3-4 weeks | Untested outside COSMIC |
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For an iced-based app, a custom editor widget built from `ropey` (rope buffer) + `syntect` (highlighting) + `cosmic-text` (text layout/shaping) is realistic. This is how Lapce and COSMIC's editors work internally.
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### Recommendation: **Iced**
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Given Mac-first + no JS + green-field + AI agents building it:
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1. **Iced** gives the best Mac experience without GTK's foreign feel
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2. Custom editor is feasible (4-6 weeks for AI agents using proven crates)
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3. GPU rendering (wgpu/Metal) = smooth, modern feel on all platforms
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4. Elm architecture = predictable state management, good for AI-generated code
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5. No external toolkit dependency = simpler distribution
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6. System76 backing ensures continued development
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---
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## Scripting Language Replacement (Python → ?)
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| Language | Crate | Maturity | Speed | Ecosystem | Best For |
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|----------|-------|----------|-------|-----------|----------|
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| **Lua** | `mlua` | 10/10 | Very fast (LuaJIT) | Huge (30+ years, games, tools) | Battle-tested embedding, rich stdlib |
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| **Rhai** | `rhai` | 8/10 | Moderate | Small but growing | Rust-native, safe sandbox, no FFI |
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| **Starlark** | `starlark-rust` | 7/10 | Fast | Niche (Bazel/Buck) | Python-like syntax, deterministic |
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**Recommendation: Lua via `mlua`.**
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- Most mature embedding story. Used by Neovim, Redis, nginx, game engines.
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- `mlua` supports Lua 5.4 and LuaJIT. Sandboxing built in.
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- Exposing engine methods to Lua is trivial (`mlua::UserData` trait).
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- Distribution: Lua runtime is ~300KB, compiled into the binary. No external install needed.
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- Existing Python macros would need rewriting, but Lua syntax is simple for end users.
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---
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## Two Viable Paths
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### Path A: Iced (Recommended — Mac-first, fully native, zero JS)
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| Aspect | Assessment |
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|--------|-----------|
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| **JS purity** | 100%. No webview, no JS runtime, no npm. |
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| **Rendering** | wgpu (Metal on Mac, Vulkan/DX12 elsewhere). Smooth, consistent everywhere. |
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| **Markdown editor** | Custom widget: `ropey` + `syntect` + `cosmic-text`. Live preview pane via `pulldown-cmark` rendering. |
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| **Code editor** | Same custom widget with Lua/Liquid/CSS language definitions via `syntect`. |
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| **Widgets needed** | Tree view, resizable panes, tabs, modals, toasts, forms — all buildable in iced, some exist in `iced_aw`. |
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| **Mac experience** | Native GPU, respects DPI, no foreign toolkit feel. cmd-key shortcuts, native-feeling scroll. |
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| **Distribution** | Single static binary. No external deps. ~15-25MB. |
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| **Risk** | Medium. Custom editor is the biggest piece. Iced ecosystem is growing but you build more yourself. |
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### Path B: GTK4-rs + GtkSourceView (Fastest, Linux-best)
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| Aspect | Assessment |
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|--------|-----------|
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| **JS purity** | 100%. |
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| **Rendering** | Native GTK (Cairo/Vulkan). |
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| **Editors** | GtkSourceView — zero work, production-grade. |
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| **Widgets** | All built-in (TreeView, Paned, Notebook, etc.). |
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| **Mac experience** | 6/10. Functional but feels non-native. Requires GTK4 installed via Homebrew. |
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| **Distribution** | Requires GTK4 runtime on user machine (Mac/Windows). |
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| **Risk** | Low for functionality, medium-high for Mac UX polish. |
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---
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## Backend Subsystem Assessment (Green-Field)
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Since this is a rewrite, effort is for building clean, not porting messy. AI agents can generate verbose Rust boilerplate efficiently.
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### 1. Database — Easy
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- **`rusqlite`** with `refinery` for migrations. Design schema fresh.
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- On-disc format preserved: Markdown + YAML frontmatter files. DB is for indexing/metadata only.
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- **Key crates:** `rusqlite`, `serde`, `serde_yaml`, `gray_matter` or manual YAML parsing
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- **Cost:** 2-3 weeks
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### 2. Core Engine Layer — Medium
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- Fresh design with Rust idioms (traits, enums, Result). No need to mirror 43 TS classes.
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- **No WXR import** — dropped entirely.
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- **Key crates:** `pulldown-cmark` (Markdown), `liquid` (templates), `image` (thumbnails/WEBP), `git2` (Git, no LFS — shell out for LFS ops), `notify` (file watching), `uuid`, `serde_json`
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- **Cost:** 8-12 weeks
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### 3. AI/LLM Integration — Easy ✅ (simplified)
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- **OpenAI-compatible endpoint only.** Single wire format (Chat Completions API).
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- Single-shot calls only (no streaming, no chat, no tool call loops). Used for: translation, image description, title generation.
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- **`reqwest`** + `serde_json` + OpenAI request/response structs. ~500 LOC.
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- Works with OpenCode Zen, local Ollama, any OpenAI-compatible proxy.
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- **Cost:** 1-2 weeks
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### 4. Lua Scripting — Easy
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- **`mlua`** crate: embed Lua 5.4. Sandboxed, ~300KB. Expose engine APIs via `UserData` trait.
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- **Cost:** 2-3 weeks
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### 5. Static Site Generation — Medium
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- `pulldown-cmark` → HTML, `liquid` templates, `rayon` for parallel generation
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- Pagefind CLI for search index (unchanged, it's a binary)
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- RSS/Atom/sitemap generation via `quick-xml`
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- **Cost:** 4-6 weeks
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### 6. Publishing — Easy
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- SSH: `ssh2` crate. rsync: shell out to `rsync`. Git: `git2`.
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- **Cost:** 1-2 weeks
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### 7. Embeddings & Similarity — Medium
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- `ort` (ONNX Runtime) for local embeddings. `usearch` Rust bindings for HNSW index.
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- **Cost:** 2-3 weeks
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### 8. MCP Server — Optional (v2)
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- Deferred. Not needed for v1.
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- **Cost:** 0 weeks (v1)
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### 9. Preview Server — Easy
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- `axum` HTTP server serving generated HTML + media.
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- **Cost:** 1-2 weeks
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### 10. UI (Iced) — Hard (largest piece)
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- Custom editor widget: `ropey` + `syntect` + `cosmic-text` (4-6 weeks)
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- Application chrome: tree sidebar, tab bar, resizable panes, settings, modals (6-8 weeks)
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- Chat panel, AI integration UI (2-3 weeks)
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- Git diff view, validation views, import wizard (3-4 weeks)
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- **Cost:** 15-21 weeks
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### 11. Tests — Medium
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- Rust `#[test]` + `mockall` for traits. AI agents generate test boilerplate well.
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- Test as you build (TDD per CLAUDE.md rules)
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- **Cost:** Folded into each subsystem (add ~40% to each estimate)
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---
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## What Gets Better (All Paths)
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1. **Binary size:** 5-15MB vs 150-200MB
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2. **Memory:** ~50-80% less RAM (no Chromium main process)
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3. **Startup:** Significantly faster
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4. **Generation perf:** `rayon` + `pulldown-cmark` + `liquid` = faster site generation
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5. **Type safety:** Compile-time guarantees on everything
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6. **Security:** Memory-safe, smaller supply-chain surface
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## What Gets Worse (All Paths)
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1. **Dev velocity:** Rust is slower to iterate than TypeScript
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2. **AI SDK:** Maintain your own streaming multi-provider SDK
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3. **Macro migration:** Existing user Python macros must be rewritten in Lua
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4. **Talent pool:** Smaller contributor base
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---
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## Effort Summary (Green-Field with AI Agents)
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| Subsystem | Weeks (with tests) |
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| Database + on-disc format | 3-4 |
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| Core engines (posts, media, tags, projects) | 11-17 |
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| AI/LLM (single-shot, OpenAI-compat) | 1-2 |
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| Lua scripting | 3-4 |
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| Static site generation | 6-8 |
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| Publishing + Git | 2-3 |
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| Embeddings + search | 3-4 |
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| Preview server | 1-2 |
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| **UI (Iced)** | **21-29** |
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| Integration + polish | 4-6 |
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| **Total** | **55-79 person-weeks** |
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Compared to original estimate (76-103 weeks): **dropping WXR import, streaming chat, multi-provider AI, and MCP server saves ~20 weeks.**
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With AI agents running 2-3 parallel workstreams: **4-8 months** of active sessions.
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---
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## Recommended Architecture: Iced + Rust
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```
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bds-rust/
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├── crates/
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│ ├── bds-core/ # Domain types, traits, on-disc format (Markdown+YAML)
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│ ├── bds-db/ # SQLite layer (rusqlite + refinery migrations)
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│ ├── bds-engine/ # Business logic (posts, media, tags, projects, generation)
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│ ├── bds-ai/ # Multi-provider LLM client (streaming, tool calls)
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│ ├── bds-lua/ # Lua scripting runtime (mlua)
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│ ├── bds-git/ # Git operations (git2 + LFS shell-out)
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│ ├── bds-publish/ # SSH/rsync deployment
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│ ├── bds-search/ # Embeddings (ort) + similarity (usearch) + pagefind
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│ ├── bds-mcp/ # MCP server
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│ ├── bds-preview/ # HTTP preview server (axum)
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│ └── bds-editor/ # Syntax-highlighting editor widget (ropey+syntect+cosmic-text)
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├── src/ # Iced application (UI, state, views)
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├── assets/ # Icons, themes
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└── Cargo.toml # Workspace
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```
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**Key Rust crates:**
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| Purpose | Crate |
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| GUI framework | `iced` |
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| Text buffer | `ropey` |
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| Syntax highlighting | `syntect` |
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| Text layout | `cosmic-text` |
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| Database | `rusqlite` |
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| Migrations | `refinery` |
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| Markdown → HTML | `pulldown-cmark` |
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| Templates | `liquid` |
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| YAML frontmatter | `serde_yaml` |
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| Image processing | `image` |
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| HTTP server (preview) | `axum` |
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| HTTP client (AI) | `reqwest` |
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| Git | `git2` |
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| SSH | `ssh2` |
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| File watching | `notify` |
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| Lua scripting | `mlua` |
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| ONNX inference | `ort` |
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| Vector search | `usearch` |
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| Async runtime | `tokio` |
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| Parallelism | `rayon` |
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| Serialization | `serde` + `serde_json` |
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| UUID | `uuid` |
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| Error handling | `thiserror` + `anyhow` |
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---
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## Verdict
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**Feasible: Yes.** With the constraints resolved (no WYSIWYG, Lua instead of Python, green-field, AI agents, no timeline):
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- Every subsystem has proven Rust crate equivalents
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- The hardest piece is the custom editor widget (~4-6 weeks) and AI streaming client (~5-7 weeks)
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- Iced gives Mac-first cross-platform GUI without GTK's foreign feel or any JS runtime
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- Single static binary, ~15-25MB, zero external dependencies
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- AI agents are well-suited to Rust's verbose but structured patterns
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**The main risk** is Iced's maturity (6/10). It's real software backing a real desktop environment (COSMIC), but the widget ecosystem is young. You will build things that React gave you for free. With AI agents and no deadline, this is acceptable.
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---
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## Remaining Questions
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1. Confirm Iced vs GTK4-rs preference? (Iced = better Mac, more custom work. GTK = more widgets, worse Mac feel.)
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2. Which AI providers are must-have? (Anthropic + OpenAI + Ollama? Or all 5?)
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3. Should the MCP server remain, or is it optional for v1?
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4. Is WordPress WXR import a v1 requirement?
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