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Help us shape Toolforge UI!
The Cloud Services team is looking to improve the experience of Toolforge users by providing a web platform that complements existing command-line tools. The initiative is motivated by community feedback pointing out the complexity of Toolforgeâs deployment workflows, and also seeks to elevate our hosting service to industry standards.
Our hope is that providing users with a UI platform that centralizes tool creation and management will streamline our communityâs day-to-day tasks and interaction with Toolforge. Weâd like to understand your expectations and feature requirements for such a solution.
Background
For the past few months, our team has been focusing on identifying the challenges faced by different user groups during the setup and maintenance of their tools. The insights we extracted helped us define two main hypotheses:
Providing a web-based platform will streamline tool deployment and management tasks for current Toolforge users, helping them streamline day-to-day maintenance tasks. A more guided, UI-based workflow will simplify the setup and deployment processes, lowering the barrier of entry for new users.
Feedback collection activities (such as this announcement) and prototype testing will be undertaken to gather information related to both hypotheses.
Design requirements
Weâre currently in the process of prototyping the new web platform, starting with the design of low-fidelity mockups to reflect fundamental user flows and features. We're in the process of validating and estimating the scope of an initial proof of concept of the solution. Our hope is to provide users with the ability to:
Sign in (existing users) and manage their account details Create and register tools using a simple form Access an overview of all user-managed tools Create and configure toolsâ components (web services, jobs) Connect to their GitLab account and link repositories Easily deploy changes (for build service components only) View deployment logs Define environment variables
Candidate features to be included in future iterations:
Sign up of new users (No Toolforge membership request required) Deploy individual components Set up and manage add-ons, like databases or storage Access a centralized logging dashboard Search, filter and download logs Set up health monitoring alerts Managing contributors Access basic health monitoring (e.g., CPU load, Memory usage)
User feedback and technical requirements will continue to shape the scope outlined above.
We need your feedback
Weâd like to understand your perspective, and discover the potential benefits you recognize in this solution in order to cater to your expectations and needs.
To help us prioritize features that matter most to you, please share your thoughts on:
How do you think a graphic interface could improve your experience with Toolforge? What tasks in your current workflow would be the most streamlined if performed in a centralized UI? Of the features mentioned (e.g., tool creation, deployment logs, health monitoring), which are most critical to your workflow? Are there additional features not listed that you believe would significantly enhance the usefulness of Toolforge's UI?