SERVICES_DASH

Description

A Flask-based web dashboard for monitoring and managing systemd services. This application provides a simple web interface to view service statuses, read logs, and perform basic service operations (start, stop, restart).

Features

• Real-time service status monitoring
• Live log viewing with auto-refresh
• Service management (start, stop, restart)
• Add/remove services from monitoring
• Responsive web interface with collapsible log sections

Installation

1. Create a virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Initialize the database:

python init_db.py

Usage

Running the Application

1. Start as the services-dash user:

sudo su - services-dash
cd /opt/services-dash
source venv/bin/activate
python app.py

2. Or create a systemd service (recommended for production):

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/services-dash.service

Add this content:

[Unit]
Description=Services Dashboard Monitor
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=services-dash
Group=services-dash
WorkingDirectory=/opt/services-dash
Environment=PATH=/opt/services-dash/venv/bin
ExecStart=/opt/services-dash/venv/bin/python app.py
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable services-dash
sudo systemctl start services-dash

Using the Web Interface

1. Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:5000

2. Use the web interface to:

   • View service statuses on the main dashboard
   • Click service names to expand/collapse log views
   • Use the "Manage Services" link to add or remove services
   • Control services with start/stop/restart buttons

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Linux system with systemd

System Setup (Required)

1. Create Application User

Create a dedicated user for running the application:

# Create the services-dash user with home directory
sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash services-dash

# Add user to systemd-journal group for log access
sudo usermod -a -G systemd-journal services-dash

# Set up application directory
sudo mkdir -p /opt/services-dash
sudo chown services-dash:services-dash /opt/services-dash

2. Grant SystemD Permissions

Create a PolicyKit rule to allow the services-dash user to manage systemd services:

# Create PolicyKit rule file
sudo nano /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/50-services-dash.rules

Add the following content:

polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
    if (action.id.match("org.freedesktop.systemd1.manage-units") &&
        subject.user == "services-dash") {
        return polkit.Result.YES;
    }
});

Restart PolicyKit to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart polkit

3. Deploy Application

Switch to the application user and deploy:

# Switch to services-dash user
sudo su - services-dash

# Clone repository to application directory
cd /opt/services-dash
git clone <repository-url> .

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Initialize database
python init_db.py