DEV Community

Cover image for Managing Active Directory from Anything via Web: Why I Built an Open-Source Tool with Spring Boot and Vaadin
Igor Markin
Igor Markin

Posted on

Managing Active Directory from Anything via Web: Why I Built an Open-Source Tool with Spring Boot and Vaadin

#opensource #vaadin #java #springboot

Hi DEV community! 👋

I worked as system administrator and always faced a frustrating limitation: most standard tools for Active Directory management are either tied strictly to Windows (like RSAT) or hidden behind massive, incredibly expensive enterprise web consoles.

I wanted something modern, self-hosted, lightweight, and cross-platform. Since I couldn’t find a clean open-source web UI that checked all the boxes, I spent the last few months building Sysadmin Anywhere.

It is a fully open-source (MIT licensed) platform designed to simplify AD administration and remote server management right from your browser.

Here is how it looks and why I chose this specific tech stack.

🚀 What Sysadmin Anywhere Can Do

The platform bridges the gap between traditional directory management and modern web tools. Out of the box, it features:

  • Active Directory Management: Full user and group CRUD operations, secure password resets, and bulk imports via CSV.
  • Remote Server Monitoring: You can monitor Windows processes, services, and event logs directly from the web interface without RDP.
  • Workflow Automation: It features native integration with n8n to trigger complex workflows based on AD events.
  • Security First: Built-in integration with HashiCorp Vault for managing infrastructure secrets safely.
  • Dockerized Setup: Can be spun up in less than 2 minutes using standard docker-compose.

💻 The Architecture & Tech Stack

Choosing the right stack was crucial for building a secure and responsive enterprise-grade tool:

  • Backend: Java 21 & Spring Boot 4. Java is still a king when it comes to robust LDAP integrations and enterprise stability.
  • Frontend: Vaadin Flow. Instead of building a separate React/Vue frontend and dealing with complex REST APIs, Vaadin allowed me to write a secure, type-safe web UI entirely in Java. It keeps the UI state on the server, which is excellent for security.
  • Database: PostgreSQL for app-specific data and configuration tracking.

The project is heavily modularized using Maven, ensuring that adding new features (like upcoming asset tracking or cloud integrations) doesn't break existing core logic.

💬 I'd Love Your Feedback!

The project is growing, and I am looking for honest feedback from fellow sysadmins and Java developers.

  • What features do you feel are missing most in your daily AD management routine?
  • How do you feel about using Vaadin for infrastructure tools?

If you want to look at the source code, report a bug, or help with features, check out our repository:

👉 GitHub: https://github.com/sysadminanywhere/sysadminanywhere

If you find the project useful, dropping a ⭐️ on GitHub would mean the world to me and helps more people discover it!

Top comments (0)