Command Center API

A powerful ASP.NET Core API service that executes shell commands remotely with elevated privileges. This service is designed to run commands on Linux servers, making it ideal for deployment automation, server management, and CI/CD workflows.

What It Does

Command Center provides a REST API endpoint that:

Executes multiple shell commands in a specified directory
Runs with elevated privileges (root) for system administration tasks
Returns both standard output and error streams
Perfect for automating deployments, running migrations, managing git repositories, and other server maintenance tasks

Features

🚀 Execute multiple commands in sequence
📁 Change working directory before execution
📝 Capture all output and errors
🔧 Built with ASP.NET Core 9.0
🐧 Linux-focused (uses /bin/bash)
🔄 Auto-restart on failure via systemd

API Usage

Endpoint

POST http://your-server:7262/commands/run

Request Body

{
  "path": "/var/www/your-app",
  "commands": [
    "git pull",
    "dotnet restore",
    "dotnet build",
    "systemctl restart your-app"
  ]
}

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "output": "$ git pull\nAlready up to date.\n$ dotnet restore\nRestore completed...",
  "error": ""
}

Deployment Guide

Prerequisites

Ubuntu/Debian Linux server
Root or sudo access
.NET 9.0 Runtime

Step 1: Install .NET 9.0

# Add Microsoft package repository
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:dotnet/backports
sudo apt-get update

# Install .NET SDK and Runtime
sudo apt-get install -y dotnet-sdk-9.0
sudo apt-get install -y aspnetcore-runtime-9.0

Step 2: Build and Deploy the Application

On your development machine:

# Build the project
dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish

# Copy to server
scp -r ./publish/* user@your-server:/var/command/

Step 3: Create systemd Service

Create the service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/command-center.service

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=API Command Center for running elevated commands in Webserver Applications
After=network.target

[Service]
WorkingDirectory=/var/command
ExecStart=dotnet /var/command/"Command Center.dll"

Restart=always
RestartSec=10
KillSignal=SIGINT
SyslogIdentifier=command-center
User=root
Environment=ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production
Environment=ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://localhost:7262
Environment=HOME=/root
Environment=USER=root
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Step 4: Enable and Start the Service

# Reload systemd configuration
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Enable service to start on boot
sudo systemctl enable command-center

# Start the service
sudo systemctl start command-center

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status command-center

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u command-center -f

Step 5: Configure Firewall (Optional)

If you need external access:

# Open port 7262
sudo ufw allow 7262/tcp

Security Considerations

⚠️ WARNING: This service runs as root and executes arbitrary commands.

Recommended Security Measures:

Network Security
- Only bind to localhost (default configuration)
- Use a reverse proxy (nginx) with authentication
- Implement IP whitelisting
API Security
- Add authentication middleware
- Implement API key validation
- Use HTTPS in production
Command Validation
- Whitelist allowed commands
- Validate paths
- Add command timeouts

Example: Nginx Reverse Proxy with Basic Auth

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    location /command-center/ {
        auth_basic "Command Center";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;
        
        proxy_pass http://localhost:7262/;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection keep-alive;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
}

Common Use Cases

1. Git Deployment

{
  "path": "/var/www/myapp",
  "commands": [
    "git config --global --add safe.directory /var/www/myapp",
    "git pull origin main",
    "npm install",
    "npm run build",
    "pm2 restart myapp"
  ]
}

2. Database Migrations

{
  "path": "/var/www/myapp",
  "commands": [
    "php spark migrate --force",
    "php spark cache:clear",
  ]
}

3. Docker Management

{
  "path": "/home/docker/myapp",
  "commands": [
    "docker-compose pull",
    "docker-compose up -d",
    "docker system prune -f"
  ]
}

Troubleshooting

Service won't start

# Check logs
sudo journalctl -u command-center -n 50

# Verify .NET installation
dotnet --info

# Check file permissions
ls -la /var/command/

Permission errors with git

# Add safe directory
git config --global --add safe.directory /path/to/repo

# Fix ownership
chown -R root:root /path/to/repo/.git

Port already in use

# Find process using port
sudo netstat -tlnp | grep 7262

# Change port in service file
Environment=ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://localhost:7263

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

We welcome contributions to Command Center! This project is open source and community-driven.

How to Contribute

Fork the Repository

git clone https://github.com/MEITWorld/Command-Center.git
cd command-center

Create a Feature Branch

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Make Your Changes
- Write clean, documented code
- Follow C# coding conventions
- Add unit tests for new features
- Update documentation as needed
Test Your Changes
```
dotnet test
dotnet run
```

Commit Your Changes

git add .
git commit -m "Add feature: description of your changes"

Push to Your Fork

git push origin feature/your-feature-name

Create a Pull Request
- Go to the original repository
- Click "New Pull Request"
- Select your feature branch
- Describe your changes in detail

Contribution Guidelines

Code Style

Use C# naming conventions
Keep methods small and focused
Add XML documentation comments for public APIs
Use meaningful variable and method names

Testing

Write unit tests for new features
Ensure all tests pass before submitting PR
Aim for good code coverage

Documentation

Update README.md for new features
Add inline comments for complex logic
Include examples for new functionality

Pull Request Process

Ensure your PR description clearly describes the problem and solution
Include the relevant issue number if applicable
Update the README.md with details of changes to the interface
Your PR will be reviewed by maintainers
Make requested changes if any
Once approved, your PR will be merged

Areas for Contribution

Security Enhancements: Authentication, authorization, rate limiting
Features: Command queuing, async execution, webhooks
Documentation: Tutorials, examples, translations
Testing: Unit tests, integration tests, performance tests
Bug Fixes: Check the issues page for reported bugs

Reporting Issues

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please create an issue:

Check if the issue already exists
Use a clear and descriptive title
Provide detailed steps to reproduce (for bugs)
Include system information (OS, .NET version)
Add relevant logs or error messages

Code of Conduct

Please note that this project follows a Code of Conduct. By participating, you are expected to:

Be respectful and inclusive
Welcome newcomers and help them get started
Focus on constructive criticism
Respect differing viewpoints and experiences

Getting Help

📧 Email: [software@nexgen.co.zm]

Thank you for contributing to Command Center! 🚀

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 4 Commits
Command Center		Command Center
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
Command Center.sln		Command Center.sln
README.md		README.md

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