CROW-Server

CROW (Cron Routine Orchestrator Webapp) is a comprehensive web-based application for managing and scheduling cron jobs. This repository contains the backend server component responsible for managing all cron jobs, maintaining the web interface, handling real-time communication with clients, and providing a REST API for job orchestration.

Overview

CROW-Server is built with Python using Django and Django Channels, providing:

• A full-featured web dashboard for job management
• WebSocket-based real-time communication with remote clients
• A robust backend system for cron job scheduling and execution
• Database persistence for jobs, tasks, and client information

Features

• 🎯 Intuitive Web Dashboard - Manage and monitor all your cron jobs from a centralized web interface
• ⚡ Real-time Updates - WebSocket communication for live job status updates
• 🔄 Client Management - Connect and manage multiple remote CROW clients
• 📅 Job Scheduling - Create and manage cron-based job schedules with flexible recurring options
• 🗂️ Task Organization - Organize jobs into logical tasks for better management
• 📊 Monitoring & Logging - Track job execution history and performance metrics
• 🔌 API-First Design - RESTful API endpoints for programmatic job management
• 📱 Responsive Design - Works seamlessly across desktop and mobile devices

Docker Installation

CROW Server is distributed as a Docker image via GitHub Container Registry (GHCR).

The image is available at:

ghcr.io/cron-routine-orchestrator-webapp/crow-server:latest

Requirements

Linux

• Docker Engine
• Docker Compose (recommended)

Windows

• Docker Desktop

macOS

• Docker Desktop

Verify your installation:

docker --version
docker compose version

---

Installation with Docker

Create a directory for persistent application data, the application will live there:

mkdir crow_sever

Start the container, by running this in the directory:

docker run -d \
  --name crow-server \
  -p 4040:4040 \
  -e USE_DOCKER=1 \
  -e DEBUG=0 \
  -e DB_PATH=/data/db.sqlite3 \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/data \
  ghcr.io/cron-routine-orchestrator-webapp/crow-server:latest

The web interface will be available at:

http://localhost:4040

View Logs

docker logs -f crow-server

Stop the Container

docker stop crow-server

Remove the Container

docker rm -f crow-server

---

Updating a Docker Installation

Pull the latest image:

docker pull ghcr.io/cron-routine-orchestrator-webapp/crow-server:latest

Recreate the container:

docker rm -f crow-server

docker run -d \
  --name crow-server \
  -p 4040:4040 \
  -e USE_DOCKER=1 \
  -e DEBUG=0 \
  -e DB_PATH=/data/db.sqlite3 \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/data \
  ghcr.io/cron-routine-orchestrator-webapp/crow-server:latest

All application data remains intact because it is stored in the mounted data directory.

---

Installation with Docker Compose (Recomended)

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

version: "3.9"

services:
  crow-server:
    image: ghcr.io/cron-routine-orchestrator-webapp/crow-server:latest

    container_name: crow-server

    restart: unless-stopped

    ports:
      - "4040:4040"

    environment:
      USE_DOCKER: "1"
      DB_PATH: /data/db.sqlite3
      SECRET_KEY: "django-insecure-8orjtc^_c$t03$m(8sry8(6#xny77ad^-%ur16gygdw!j#6=c("
      DEBUG: "0"
      ALLOWED_HOSTS: "*"

    volumes:
      - ./data:/data

Create the application directory:

mkdir crow-server

Start the application:

docker compose up -d

The web interface will be available at:

http://localhost:4040

View Logs

docker compose logs -f

Stop the Application

docker compose down

---

Updating a Docker Compose Installation

Pull the newest image:

docker compose pull

Recreate the container:

docker compose up -d

Verify the running version:

docker ps

All application data remains intact because it is stored in the mounted data directory.

---

Data Persistence

CROW Server stores its SQLite database in:

./data/db.sqlite3

This location is mapped to the host system through a Docker volume. Updating or recreating containers will not remove your data as long as the data directory is preserved.

Project Structure

src/server/
├── __init__.py
├── __main__.py              # Entry point for the server
├── base.html                # Base HTML template
└── webapp/
    ├── backend/             # Backend logic and cron scheduling
    │   ├── cron_backend/    # Cron job scheduling engine
    │   ├── helper/          # Utility functions and type definitions
    │   └── websocket_communication/  # WebSocket handlers for real-time communication
    └── frontend/            # Django web interface
        ├── database_backend.py       # Database configuration
        ├── manage.py         # Django management script
        ├── frontend/         # Main Django app configuration
        ├── ui/               # User interface application
        │   ├── models.py     # Database models (Jobs, Tasks, Clients)
        │   ├── views.py      # View controllers
        │   ├── urls.py       # URL routing
        │   ├── admin.py      # Django admin configuration
        │   ├── static/       # CSS and static files
        │   └── templates/    # HTML templates
        └── db.sqlite3        # SQLite database

Architecture

CROW-Server consists of three main components:

1. Frontend (Django Web Interface)

   • RESTful API endpoints
   • HTML/CSS web dashboard
   • Job and task management interfaces

2. Backend (Cron Engine)

   • Cron job scheduling and execution
   • Job state management
   • Task queuing and processing
   • Cron clock for time-based operations

3. WebSocket Communication Layer

   • Real-time client-server messaging
   • Job status updates
   • Command execution on remote clients
   • Bidirectional communication handler

API Documentation

The server provides a RESTful API for managing:

• Jobs - Create, read, update, delete jobs
• Tasks - Organize and manage task definitions
• Clients - Register and manage connected clients

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for information on how to get started.

Key areas for contribution:

• Bug fixes and improvements
• Documentation enhancements
• Feature implementations
• Performance optimizations
• Test coverage improvements

Code of Conduct

This project adheres to a Code of Conduct to ensure a welcoming and inclusive community.

Related Projects

• CROW-Client - Remote client for executing scheduled jobs
• CROW Organization - Main organization repository

Documentation

For comprehensive documentation, visit:

• Documentation (DeepWiki)
• CROW-Client Documentation

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

• 📧 Report issues on GitHub Issues
• 💬 Join discussions and ask questions
• 📚 Check the documentation
• 🐛 Help us improve by providing feedback