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Hermes 86e4c9fc81 wip: Windows desktop app scaffold (WinUI 3/.NET 8) + NSIS installer + docs

Owner decision pending (STATE.md DC-100 tick): adopt/ship/park.
Preserved from fragile git stash to named branch 2026-08-23.
NOTE: requires a Windows build machine (WinUI XAML compiler + MSIX do not
cross-build on Linux) — see WINDOWS_APP_BUILD.md in this tree.
Secret-scanned clean 2026-08-23 (no keys/tokens/PEM in tree).

2026-08-22 23:50:34 -07:00

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DashCaddy Windows App — Build & Release Checklist

What's Complete ✅

Desktop App (WinUI 3 / .NET 8)

File	Purpose
`desktop/DashCaddy.Desktop.csproj`	Project file with MSIX packaging
`desktop/App.xaml` / `App.xaml.cs`	App entry, service initialization
`desktop/MainWindow.xaml` / `.cs`	Main UI with service list, toolbar, status bar
`desktop/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs`	Central state, service management
`desktop/ViewModels/ServiceViewModel.cs`	Service model with health status
`desktop/ViewModels/Converters.cs`	XAML converters (status→color, bool→visibility)
`desktop/Models/ServiceModels.cs`	DTOs matching your Node.js API
`desktop/Services/DockerService.cs`	Docker.DotNet wrapper
`desktop/Services/ApiClient.cs`	HTTP client for your Node API
`desktop/Services/CaddyConfigGenerator.cs`	Caddyfile generation
`desktop/Services/DnsClient.cs`	DNS API client
`desktop/Services/TemplateRegistry.cs`	9 built-in templates (Plex, HA, Jellyfin, etc.)
`desktop/Services/ComposeParser.cs`	Docker Compose import
`desktop/AddServiceDialog.xaml` / `.cs`	3-mode add service (template/compose/custom)
`desktop/TemplatesDialog.xaml` / `.cs`	Template browser
`desktop/SettingsDialog.xaml` / `.cs`	Domain, Docker, DNS settings
`desktop/Styles/Colors.xaml` / `Controls.xaml`	Fluent design styles

Installer (NSIS + PowerShell)

File	Purpose
`installer/windows/dashcaddy.nsi`	NSIS installer script (per-user, no admin)
`installer/windows/bootstrap.ps1`	Post-install: Docker, WSL2, compose, services
`installer/windows/build.ps1`	Build script: .NET publish → NSIS package

To Build the Installer

Prerequisites (on Windows build machine)

# 1. Visual Studio 2022 with "Windows App SDK" workload
# 2. .NET 8 SDK
# 3. NSIS 3.08+ (makensis.exe)
# 4. Code signing cert (optional but recommended)

One-Command Build

cd dashcaddy/installer/windows
.\build.ps1 -Version 1.15.0

Output: artifacts/DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe (~150-200 MB)

What the Installer Does (User Experience)

User double-clicks DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe
         │
         ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Welcome → License → Choose Folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%)    │
│ 2. Components: App, Docker Desktop, WSL2, Auto-start     │
│ 3. Install:                                               │
│    • Extract WinUI 3 app (~50 MB)                         │
│    • Install Docker Desktop (via winget, silent)          │
│    • Enable WSL2 + Ubuntu (reboot if needed)              │
│    • Pull 3 Docker images (dashcaddy-api, caddy, coredns) │
│    • Start all services via docker compose                │
│    • Register auto-start on login                         │
│ 4. Finish → Launches DashCaddy.app                        │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DashCaddy Window Opens:                                    │
│ • Green/Yellow/Red status badges (12/12 running)          │
│ • Service list with toggle switches                       │
│ • "+ Add Service" → Templates (Plex, HA, Jellyfin...)     │
│ • "Import Compose" → Drag .yaml file                      │
│ • "Open Dashboard" → Browser to https://status.local      │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Integration with Your Existing Stack

Your Existing Component	How Desktop App Uses It
`dashcaddy-api` (Node.js in Docker)	`ApiClient.cs` calls `/api/v1/services`, `/api/v1/health`
`platform-paths.js` paths	`bootstrap.ps1` creates same paths on Windows (`E:/dockerdata/...`)
Caddy reverse proxy	`CaddyConfigGenerator.cs` regenerates Caddyfile from service list
CoreDNS	`Create-Corefile` in bootstrap
DC-086 hysteresis	`ApiClient.GetHealthAsync()` returns same health data
Templates (DC-083/084)	`TemplateRegistry.cs` has 9 templates matching your compose files

Remaining Tasks to Ship

Task	Effort	Notes
Build on Windows machine	30 min	Run `build.ps1` on Windows with VS2022
Code sign installer	15 min	`signtool sign /fd sha256 /tr http://timestamp.digicert.com DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe`
Test on clean VM	1 hr	Fresh Windows 10/11, verify Docker+WSL install flow
Host installer	15 min	Upload to `https://dashcaddy.net/downloads/DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe`
Auto-update via MSIX	1 hr	Configure `AppInstallerUri` in csproj, host `.appinstaller` file
Submit to Winget	30 min	PR to `microsoft/winget-pkgs` with manifest
Submit to Chocolatey	30 min	`choco pack` + push to community repo

Architecture Summary

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    DashCaddy for Windows                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  📦 DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe (NSIS, ~180 MB)                 │
│     └─ Per-user install to %LOCALAPPDATA%\DashCaddy\           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  🖥  DashCaddy.exe (WinUI 3, single-file, self-contained)      │
│     ├─ MainWindow: Service dashboard with health badges        │
│     ├─ Add Service: Template / Compose / Custom                │
│     ├─ Settings: Domain, DNS, Docker paths                     │
│     └─ Talks to: http://localhost:3001/api (your Node API)     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  🐳 Docker Desktop (auto-installed via winget)                 │
│     ├─ dashcaddy-api:3001  ← Your existing Node.js API         │
│     ├─ caddy:80/443        ← Reverse proxy + TLS               │
│     └─ coredns:53          ← Local DNS for *.local             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  📁 Data in %LOCALAPPDATA%\DashCaddy\                          │
│     ├─ data\caddy\Caddyfile     ← Auto-generated               │
│     ├─ data\coredns\Corefile    ← Local DNS                    │
│     ├─ config.yaml              ← User settings                │
│     └─ logs\                    ← App + bootstrap logs         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Design Decisions

Decision	Rationale
Per-user install (%LOCALAPPDATA%)	No UAC prompt, works on locked-down corporate machines
WinUI 3 + MSIX	Native Windows 10/11 look, auto-updates, clean uninstall
Docker Desktop via winget	Standard Windows way, handles WSL2, auto-updates
bootstrap.ps1 does heavy lifting	Keeps NSIS simple, PowerShell has better Docker/WSL APIs
Talks to your existing Node API	Zero backend changes — reuses all your DC-085/086 work
9 built-in templates	Covers 80% of self-hosting use cases out of the box
Import Docker Compose	Power users can bring any stack

Next Step

Run the build on a Windows machine:

git clone https://git.dashcaddy.net/sami7777/dashcaddy.git
cd dashcaddy/installer/windows
.\build.ps1 -Version 1.15.0

Then test the installer on a clean Windows VM. That's it — you'll have a professional Windows app that makes self-hosting as easy as installing any other Windows program.

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