It makes it possible to configure your entire system (well, parts which are implemented) via a REST API. The main advantage is that you don't have to parse all kind of configuration files, it is a community effort, all kind of parsers are implemented.
It's the modern version of Webmin.
Examples:
- Add a
pg_hba.confentry and reload PostgreSQL configuration. - Enable/disable a website for nginx and reload.
- Get system state like uptime, free memory or disk space. (Make it easier to monitor.)
- Upgrade your system in an automated way (e.g. apt-get upgrade)
- Stop/start systemd services
- Get status about services
- You can use it as a building block for your appliance.
- Upload a file anywhere on the filesystem
- Download any file from the system
- Get information about the System (os-release, uptime, kernel version, etc.)
The process should be run as root, and it should not be exposed to the internet directly, because it would open a huge security risk on your box. It's best to use on a closed, trusted internal network, and it still should be protected by strong authentication over HTTPS. (e.g. with client certificates AND token)
- Any kind of Linux system
- Python 3.6+
- gcc (for installing psutil) or the psutil package pre-installed