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Tarek Tarabichi
Tarek Tarabichi

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Introducing Nucleus: A Linux-Native Dashboard for LAMP Stack Management

#backend #linux #opensource #php

The Problem

I'm the developer behind Laragon Dashboard (53 stars on GitHub) — a control panel for the Laragon local dev stack on Windows. It served me well, but I made the decision to wave Microsoft goodbye and go full Linux (ZorinOS).

That meant losing my own tool. Laragon is Windows-only. The dashboard was tied to its ecosystem. I needed something Linux-native.

I searched for alternatives:

  • Webmin — powerful, but heavy and feels like it's from 2005
  • Ajenti — nice UI, but requires Python and additional dependencies
  • Cockpit — great for system admin, but not tailored for dev stacks
  • Docker-based panels — I don't want Docker for a simple LAMP stack

Nothing fit. I wanted something lightweight that:

  1. Integrates with systemd (the Linux standard for service management)
  2. Runs on PHP (already on my LAMP stack)
  3. Has zero additional dependencies (no Node.js build step, no Python runtime)
  4. Auto-discovers my projects and vhosts

So I rebuilt it from scratch.

Introducing Nucleus

Nucleus is a lightweight dashboard for Linux development environments. It scans your web root, detects your projects, manages your services via systemd, and gives you a modern web interface to orchestrate your entire local dev stack.

GitHub: https://github.com/LebToki/Nucleus

Version: v1.0.1

License: MIT

Stack: PHP 8.1+, Bootstrap 5.3, systemd

What It Does

Auto-Discovery

Nucleus scans /var/www/html and /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/ to automatically detect your projects and virtual hosts. No manual configuration.

Service Management

Start, stop, restart, and check the status of Apache, MariaDB, PHP-FPM, and Postfix — all from the UI. Integrates with systemd, so it works with your existing service configuration.

One-Click Project Creation

Create a new project with:

  • Directory structure
  • Apache virtual host
  • MySQL database
  • DNS entry (optional)

All from a single form.

Database Administration

Nucleus includes Adminer (a lightweight, single-file database manager) out of the box. You can also install phpMyAdmin as a plugin from the Plugins page.

Log Viewer

Tail Apache error/access logs, PHP-FPM logs, and MariaDB logs in real-time from the browser.

System Vitals

Monitor CPU, RAM, and disk usage with real-time charts.

Plugin System

Nucleus has an extensible plugin architecture. Currently available:

  • Mailpit — Email testing tool (catches all outgoing mail with a web UI)
  • phpMyAdmin — Web-based database administration (downloadable on demand)

More plugins coming soon.

Why PHP?

This is the question I get most often. "Why not Python? Go? Rust?"

Answer: PHP is already on your LAMP stack. If you're running Apache + MySQL + PHP, you already have everything you need to run Nucleus. Zero additional runtime dependencies.

No npm install. No pip install. No go build. Just clone the repo and open it in your browser.

v1.0.1 — What's New

The initial v1.0.0 release was in early August. v1.0.1 (released today) focuses on security and infrastructure:

Security Hardening

  • Removed hardcoded fallback password — admin password now resolved via environment variable, auto-generated file, or random fallback
  • Namespace migration — all core classes moved from LaragonDashboard\* to Nucleus\Core\*
  • HTTPS-aware auth model — localhost auto-auth on HTTP; password always enforced over HTTPS

Plugin System

  • phpMyAdmin as downloadable plugin — no longer bundled in the repo (saved 2,274 files)
  • Webapp plugin type — PluginManager now supports both binary (systemd services) and webapp (download-and-extract) plugin types

Infrastructure

  • Cleaned .gitignore (fixed case-sensitive symlink handling)
  • Added standalone login.php with proper auth flow

Getting Started

Installation 

cd /var/www/html
git clone https://github.com/LebToki/Nucleus.git
cd Nucleus
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data .
sudo chmod -R 755 .
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Access the Dashboard

Open your browser to http://localhost/Nucleus (or your configured domain).

Default credentials:

  • Username: admin
  • Password: (auto-generated on first run, stored in data/admin_password.txt)

Or set via environment variable:

export NUCLEUS_PASSWORD="your-secure-password"
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The Roadmap

Nucleus is part of a broader vision — the 2TI Platform — a self-evolving development infrastructure. The roadmap includes:

  • 2TI Newscenter — Automated content aggregation and analysis
  • 2TI Tech-Pulse — Real-time monitoring of tech trends and security advisories
  • Transformative Channel — AI-powered video production pipeline
  • Phoenix Protocol — Autonomous, self-healing swarm architecture

Nucleus is the control plane. The intelligence layer is coming.

Contributing

Nucleus is MIT licensed and open for contributions. If you're using a LAMP stack on Linux and want a better management experience, give it a try.

GitHub: https://github.com/LebToki/Nucleus

Issues: https://github.com/LebToki/Nucleus/issues

Discussions: https://github.com/LebToki/Nucleus/discussions

Feedback, feature requests, and PRs welcome.

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