1e42356aca
Someone writing a script against ShopDB had two options: read a 705 KB spec, or
guess. The spec is the reference, not an index, and handing an agent the whole
thing means either truncating it or spending a context window on 479 operations
nobody asked about.
Three additions, each feeding the next.
/api/docs/operations.txt is the index: every operation on one line with its
method, path, tag, auth and summary, at around 70 KB for all 486. A caller can
hold the entire API at once, find the four operations it needs, and only then
fetch their schemas.
/api/docs/openapi.json?tag=... narrows the spec to one of the 41 tag groups.
Components are kept intact deliberately: pruning the schema graph to match would
leave references resolving to nothing, and a generator that fails confusingly is
worse than a file that is larger than strictly necessary.
tools/mcp/ is an MCP server built on both. Five tools rather than 483, because a
tool per operation is unusable - clients degrade past a few dozen and models
start picking the wrong one. It reads everything from the live instance at call
time, so enabling a plugin adds operations it can already reach with no change
here. The token is the security boundary and the README says so plainly: every
operation the credential permits is reachable, so exploratory work wants a
read-scoped token.
The rest of this is about the contract not drifting, which is what makes any of
the above trustworthy.
Two CI jobs:
- api-contract runs the parity gates and then regenerates the spec and fails if
anything changed. Those gates already existed and already worked - they caught
both routes added here, unprompted - but nothing ran them except by hand, and
the committed spec had silently drifted by three operations, including two
setup endpoints added the day before.
- migrations-mysql is the job the header comment has been claiming for some
time while not existing. It described "the REAL multi-site deploy path" and
"what catches an Alembic regression on MySQL before it ships", and there was
no such job. That is worse than no comment: it is the false confidence that
let a migration ship which could not build a schema on a fresh MySQL database.
The suite runs on SQLite, and SQLite accepts a foreign key onto a table that
does not exist.
CONTRIBUTING.md now says to run gen_openapi.py --refresh after changing a route,
and that a route the sweep cannot classify belongs in PUBLIC_ENDPOINTS with a
reason rather than hand-edited into the inventory, which the next refresh would
overwrite. The new index route is declared there alongside the spec it indexes.
(cherry picked from commit 762d1b7210)
ShopDB Flask
A modern rewrite of the classic ASP/VBScript ShopDB application using Flask (Python) and Vue 3. This application manages shop floor machines, PCs, printers, applications, and related infrastructure for manufacturing environments.
A site runs ShopDB as containers. docker compose up -d --build, then the
first-run wizard at /setup. The Windows/IIS installer is the legacy route,
supported for the sites already on it and not the path for a new one.
Overview
ShopDB tracks and manages:
- Machines - CNC equipment, CMMs, inspection systems, etc.
- PCs - Shopfloor computers, engineering workstations
- Printers - Network printers with Zabbix supply integration
- Network devices - Switches, routers, and the subnet browser
- Measuring tools - Gage-lab instruments with calibration tracking
- Applications - Software deployed across the shop floor, with per-PC install tracking
- Employees - Directory, recognition and training notifications
- Warranties - Coverage records with Dell warranty lookups
- USB devices - CMMC check-in/out tracking
- Knowledge Base - Documentation and troubleshooting guides
- GE-Enforce manifests - Imaging/software manifest editing and fleet compliance
Tech Stack
Backend:
- Python 3.14 with Flask
- SQLAlchemy ORM
- MySQL 5.7+ database (5.6 works with extra utf8mb4 config; see the DEPLOY wiki page)
- JWT authentication
- Plugin architecture for extensibility
Frontend:
- Vue 3 with Composition API
- Vue Router for navigation
- Pinia for state management
- Vite build system
Project Structure
shopdb-flask/
+-- shopdb/ # Flask application
| +-- core/
| | +-- api/ # REST API endpoints
| | +-- models/ # SQLAlchemy models
| | +-- schemas/ # Validation schemas
| | `-- services/ # Business logic
| +-- plugins/ # Plugin system
| `-- utils/ # Shared utilities
+-- frontend/ # Vue 3 application
| +-- src/
| | +-- api/ # API client
| | +-- components/ # Reusable components
| | +-- views/ # Page components
| | +-- router/ # Route definitions
| | `-- stores/ # Pinia stores
| `-- public/ # Static assets
+-- plugins/ # Bundled and external plugins
+-- migrations/ # Alembic migration chain (flask db upgrade)
+-- scripts/ # Import and utility scripts
`-- tests/ # Test suite
Naming Conventions
To maintain consistency with the legacy ShopDB database and codebase, the following naming standards apply:
Database
- Table names: Lowercase, single word, no underscores or dashes
- Examples:
assets,computers,printers,businessunits
- Examples:
- Column names: Lowercase, single word, no underscores or dashes
- Examples:
assetid,assetnumber,hostname,isactive,createddate
- Examples:
- Foreign keys: Referenced table name +
id- Examples:
locationid,vendorid,modelnumberid,computertypeid
- Examples:
- Boolean columns: Prefixed with
isorhas- Examples:
isactive,isshopfloor,iscolor,isdhcp,islicenced
- Examples:
Code
- Python variables: Follow database naming where applicable (lowercase, no underscores for model fields)
- JavaScript variables: camelCase for local variables, but match API field names from backend
- Vue components: PascalCase for component names
- CSS classes: Lowercase with dashes for multi-word classes
API
- Endpoints: Lowercase, plural nouns
- Examples:
/api/machines,/api/computers,/api/locations
- Examples:
- Query parameters: Lowercase, single word
- Examples:
?locationid=5,?isactive=true,?assettype=computer
- Examples:
Style Guidelines
- No emojis in code, comments, documentation, or UI
- Keep UI functional and professional
- Dark theme is the default
- Consistent table layouts across all list views
Setup
Prerequisites
- Python 3.14
- Node.js 18+
- MySQL 5.7+ (5.6 works with extra utf8mb4 config; see the DEPLOY wiki page)
ShopDB Flask uses MySQL as the canonical database. SQLite is used only for the
test suite (TestingConfig in shopdb/config.py points at an in-memory
SQLite). Do not run dev or production against SQLite.
Distribution
Source lives here, and a site runs it as containers. The Windows installer is the LEGACY route: it ships as a release asset rather than a file in the repository (around 240 MB), and it exists for the sites already running that way. New sites do not use it.
Standing up a site (Docker)
The Docker image builds the Vue frontend and serves it from the API container, so a container deploy needs no separate Node build step.
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env: set SECRET_KEY, JWT_SECRET_KEY, DATABASE_URL, CORS_ORIGINS,
# and the MYSQL_* passwords (see the CONFIG wiki page for every variable).
docker compose up -d --build
# Create the schema and seed the platform data (idempotent, safe to re-run):
docker compose exec api flask db upgrade
docker compose exec api flask seed permissions
docker compose exec api flask seed settings
docker compose exec api flask seed reference-data
Then browse to the site and complete the first-run setup wizard at /setup
(it creates the first admin account and captures site identity). To create the
admin headlessly instead of using the wizard:
docker compose exec api flask seed admin --username admin --email admin@facility.example.com
Manual path (venv + Node) - development only
For working on ShopDB itself. A site runs the containers above.
# Backend
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your database credentials and secrets.
export FLASK_APP=shopdb
flask db upgrade
flask plugin upgrade-all # per-plugin schema (ADR-008)
flask seed permissions
flask seed settings
flask seed reference-data
flask run --port 5001 # MUST be 5001 - the frontend dev server proxies here
# Frontend (separate terminal)
cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev # dev server on :5173
npm run build # production build into frontend/dist (served by Flask)
Complete first-run setup at /setup, or run flask seed admin for a headless
admin account. The repo ships VS Code config in .vscode/ (F5 debugs the
backend; a "Dev site" task runs both servers). A fuller day-one walkthrough,
including VS Code and troubleshooting, is the DEVELOPMENT-SETUP page in the
project wiki.
To import a site's legacy data, use the HTTP import surface: an admin API
token plus the IMPORT-API page in the project wiki drive the whole migration
through documented endpoints (X-Import-Mode preserves original timestamps).
scripts/site_imports/wjf/ is the reference site's loader, kept as a worked
example of the whole sequence.
Which deployment route
Docker is the supported route for a new site. Windows/IIS is legacy: it is what several sites run today, it stays supported, and it will be deprecated. Nothing new is built for it.
| Target | Use |
|---|---|
| Docker, connected | the DEPLOY page in the project wiki |
| Docker, air-gapped | the DEPLOY-AIRGAP page in the project wiki |
| Windows Server + IIS (existing sites) | the INSTALL-WINDOWS page in the project wiki - one installer .exe, offline. Day 2: OPERATE-WINDOWS |
| Moving off IIS onto Docker | the MIGRATE-TOPOLOGY page in the project wiki |
For every environment variable and Setting key see the CONFIG page in the project wiki.
What the Windows installer requires (legacy route)
For sites already on Windows/IIS. A new site should be reading the DEPLOY page instead. The installer checks all of this before it changes anything and refuses rather than half-installing.
| Minimum | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Server | 2019 (build 10.0.17763) | Ships IIS 10.0, which is therefore the earliest IIS supported. Server 2016 is also IIS 10.0 but falls below the build floor and is refused. |
| Windows client (test boxes) | 10 22H2 (build 10.0.19045) or 11 | Pro or higher - Home has no IIS at all. |
| Architecture | 64-bit | The payload is cp314 win_amd64. |
| IIS Web Server role | installed beforehand | Install-WindowsFeature -Name Web-Server -IncludeManagementTools. Needs no internet. |
| Free disk | 5 GB | Refused below this. 40 GB is comfortable once uploads and config backups accumulate. |
| Database | bundled MySQL 8.4 LTS, or your own | Bring credentials if you use an existing server. |
The binding constraint is the operating system rather than IIS: the payload is Python 3.14 plus HttpPlatformHandler and URL Rewrite, and the handler itself runs on older IIS. An older host is untested rather than known-broken.
If you must deploy onto something older, the INSTALL-WINDOWS-IIS page in the project wiki is the manual procedure and has no OS gate - it even documents MySQL 5.6, which is that era of machine. The trade is stated there: it produces a server the installer will not subsequently upgrade.
Configuration
Environment variables (.env):
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
DATABASE_URL |
MySQL connection string |
SECRET_KEY |
Flask secret key |
JWT_SECRET_KEY |
JWT signing key |
JWT_ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRES |
Access token TTL (seconds) |
LOG_LEVEL |
Logging verbosity |
API Documentation
The REST API follows standard conventions:
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
| GET | /api/machines |
List machines (filterable by type) |
| GET | /api/machines/:id |
Get machine details |
| POST | /api/machines |
Create machine |
| PUT | /api/machines/:id |
Update machine |
| DELETE | /api/machines/:id |
Soft delete machine |
Each asset plugin exposes the same CRUD pattern on its own prefix
(/api/computers, /api/printers, /api/network, /api/measuringtools),
and cross-cutting asset endpoints live under /api/assets.
Query parameters for list endpoints:
page- Page number (default: 1)perpage- Items per pagesort- Sort fielddir- Sort direction (asc/desc)search- Search termassettype- Filter by asset type (computer, printer, machine, networkdevice, measuringtool)
Where to start
the START-HERE page in the project wiki routes by what you are here to do - standing up a site, deploying the shop-floor tools, writing a plugin, integrating with the API, or diagnosing something. On the published mirror the same page is the wiki's front door.
Plugin System
ShopDB supports plugins for extending functionality. See CONTRIBUTING.md for plugin development guidelines.
The image bundles these plugins; only the ones a site installs are loaded. The current count and each plugin's version and migration head are in the PROJECT-MAP page in the project wiki, which is generated:
- backups - Machine configuration backups (NTLARS/DNC, CMM, part marker, UDC) with revision history and diffs
- computers - Shopfloor PCs and workstations, collector fleet ingest
- employees - Employee directory
- geenforce - GE-Enforce imaging/software manifests and fleet compliance
- machines - CNC, CMM, and other shop-floor machines
- measuringtools - Gage-lab instruments with calibration tracking
- knowledgebase - Documentation and troubleshooting guides
- network - Network devices and subnets
- notifications - Shopfloor notifications and recognition feed
- printedparts - 3D-printed part catalogue, kiosk issue tracking and stock alerts
- printers - Extended printer management with Zabbix integration
- slides - TV/kiosk slideshows
- tools - Tech Tools: barcode and QR generation laid out for real label stock
- usb - CMMC USB check-in/out tracking
- warranty - Warranty records with Dell lookups
Legacy Migration
This project replicates functionality from the classic ASP/VBScript ShopDB site. Key mappings:
| Legacy | Modern |
|---|---|
| ASP/VBScript | Flask/Python |
| Classic ADO | SQLAlchemy |
| Server-side HTML | Vue 3 SPA |
| Session auth | JWT tokens |
License
Internal use only.