pal

A simple API and UI for executing and scheduling system commands or scripts. Great for webhooks and automating Linux server operations over HTTPS contained in a small binary.

Table of Contents

• Use Cases
• Key Features
• Quick Start
  • Local Development
  • Docker
  • Vagrant
  • DEB & RPM Builds
• YAML Definitions Configuration
• API Endpoints
  • Command Execution
  • Key-Value Store
  • Health Check
  • File Management (Basic Auth)
  • Notifications
  • Crons
  • Action
• Configurations
• Built-In Variables
  • Env Variables
  • Notification Variables
• YAML Server Configurations
• Example Action Definition YML

Use Cases

• Homelab automation
• Simple job/CI server
• HTTP API for server management
• Sync small data in a simple secure Key/Value store

Key Features

• Hide command output
• Cache last response / command output
• Create basic notifications inside pal
• Dynamic routing with easy YAML configurations
• Secure HTTP endpoints with auth header restriction
• File upload/download via a basic UI with Basic Auth
• Optional easy to use HTML UI (Works Offline/Air-Gap)
• Single binary (20MB~) with no external dependencies
• Control command execution: concurrent or sequential, background processes
• Secure key-value storage with BadgerDB (encrypted local filesystem database)
• Pass data to commands or scripts via env variables (Built-In Env Variables)

Quick Start

Local Development

Prerequisites: Go 1.23 or higher

make
make certs
./pal -c ./pal.yml -d ./test

Docker

Run default insecure test configs

make linux
make certs
# Choose between make docker / alpine
# Default insecure test configurations on debian:stable-slim
make docker
# Default insecure test configurations on alpine:latest
make alpine

Generate random secrets for one-time use

docker run -d --name=pal -p 8443:8443 -v "$(pwd)"/pal.yml:/etc/pal/pal.yml:ro -v "$(pwd)"/actions:/etc/pal/actions:ro --health-cmd 'curl -sfk https://127.0.0.1:8443/v1/pal/health || exit 1' --init --restart=unless-stopped pal:latest

# See generated random secrets
docker logs pal

Run with your own configs and mount db

mkdir -p ./actions ./upload ./pal.db
# If UID of docker user isn't UID/GID 101010 same as pal user inside container
sudo chown -Rf 101010:101010 ./

docker run -d --name=pal -p 8443:8443 -v "$(pwd)"/actions:/etc/pal/actions:ro -v "$(pwd)"/pal.yml:/etc/pal/pal.yml:ro -v "$(pwd)"/pal.db:/etc/pal/pal.db:rw -v "$(pwd)"/upload:/pal/upload:rw --health-cmd 'curl -sfk https://127.0.0.1:8443/v1/pal/health || exit 1' --init --restart=unless-stopped pal:latest

Available Docker Run Env Variables:

# Default insecure test values
-e HTTP_LISTEN="127.0.0.1:8443"
-e HTTP_TIMEOUT_MIN="10"
-e HTTP_BODY_LIMIT="12M"
-e HTTP_CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS='["*"]'
-e HTTP_AUTH_HEADER='X-Pal-Auth PaLLy!@#890-'
-e HTTP_UI_BASIC_AUTH='admin p@LLy5'
-e HTTP_SESSION_SECRET='P@llY^S3$$h'
-e DB_ENCRYPT_KEY='8c755319-fd2a-4a89-b0d9-ae7b8d26'
-e GLOBAL_DEBUG='true'

Vagrant

# Need nfpm to build RPMs / Debs
make install-deps
make vagrant
# If you want to ignore debs/rpm builds and installs just run:
# vagrant up

DEB & RPM Builds

# Need nfpm to build RPM / DEB files
make install-deps
make pkg-all

Default Access: https://127.0.0.1:8443 (See Configurations to customize)

YAML Definitions Configuration

# Group name: e.g., /v1/pal/run/deploy
deploy:
  - # Action name: e.g., /v1/pal/run/deploy/app
    action: app
    # Description of action
    desc: Deploy app
    # Auth header: e.g., curl -H'X-Pal-Auth: secret_string_here'
    auth_header: X-Pal-Auth secret_string_here
    # Show command output (default: false)
    output: true
    # Run in background (default: false)
    background: false
    # Run concurrently (default: false)
    concurrent: true
    # Run in podman/docker container (default: null)
    container:
      # Run as sudo if not running pal with root or docker group perms
      sudo: false
      # Container image to use
      image: alpine:latest
      # Run options
      options: --security-opt=no-new-privileges:true --cap-drop=ALL --net=none
    # Set action to run multiple cron style schedules
    crons:
      - "*****"
    # Set command timeout in seconds (default: 600 seconds/10 mins)
    timeout: 600
    # Set custom HTTP Response Headers
    headers:
      - header:
        value:
    # Validate input provided to run, valid options can be found here https://github.com/go-playground/validator?tab=readme-ov-file#baked-in-validations
    input_validate: required
    on_error:
      # Send notification when an error occurs using built-in vars $PAL_GROUP $PAL_ACTION $PAL_INPUT $PAL_OUTPUT
      notification: "deploy failed group=$PAL_GROUP action=$PAL_ACTION input=$PAL_INPUT output=$PAL_OUTPUT"
      # Try cmd number of times
      retries: 1
      # Pause in seconds before running the next retry
      retry_interval: 10
    # Set list of string tags no format/convention required
    tags:
      - deploy
    # Command or script (use $PAL_INPUT for variables)
    cmd: echo "GROUP=$PAL_GROUP ACTION=$PAL_ACTION INPUT=$PAL_INPUT REQUEST=$PAL_REQUEST UPLOAD_DIR=$PAL_UPLOAD_DIR"

Example Request

curl -sk -H'X-Pal-Auth: secret_string_here' 'https://127.0.0.1:8443/v1/pal/run/deploy/app?input=helloworld2'

curl -sk -H'X-Pal-Auth: secret_string_here' -XPOST -d 'helloworld2' 'https://127.0.0.1:8443/v1/pal/run/deploy/app'

API Endpoints

Command Execution

Run command using either GET (query param) or POST (post body). Access last cached output of command run.

Query Parameters:

• input: input to the running script/cmd also known as parameter or argument
• last_output: return only the last ran output and do not trigger a run, basically a cache

GET                 /v1/pal/run/{{ group name }}/{{ action name }}?input={{ data }}
GET                 /v1/pal/run/{{ group name }}/{{ action name }}?last_output=true
POST {{ any data }} /v1/pal/run/{{ group name }}/{{ action name }}

• group name (Required): Key from your YAML config
• action name (Required): Action value associated with the group
• data (Optional): Data (text, JSON) passed to your command/script as $PAL_INPUT

Key-Value Store

Get, put or dump all contents of the database. Meant to store small data <1028 characters in length (no limit, just recommendation).

PUT {{ any data }} /v1/pal/db/put?key={{ key_name }}
GET                /v1/pal/db/get?key={{ key_name }}
GET                /v1/pal/db/dump
DELETE             /v1/pal/db/delete?key={{ key_name }}

• any data (Required): Any type of data to store
• key name (Required): Key to identify the stored data
• dump returns all key value pairs from DB in a JSON object

cURL Key-Value Example

curl -vsk -H'X-Pal-Auth: PaLLy!@#890-' -XPUT -d 'pal' 'https://127.0.0.1:8443/v1/pal/db/put?key=name'

Health Check

Basic healthcheck endpoint. Enable Prometheus configuration for metrics endpoint.

GET /v1/pal/health

• Returns "ok" response body

File Management (Basic Auth)

Upload and download files using a web request when enabled in the configuration.

GET  [BASIC AUTH] /v1/pal/ui/files (Browser HTML View)
GET  [BASIC AUTH] /v1/pal/ui/files/download/{{ filename }} (Download File)
POST [BASIC AUTH] /v1/pal/ui/files/upload (Multiform Upload)

• filename (Required): For downloading a specific file

cURL Upload Example

# Get Cookie
curl -sSk -XPOST -d 'username=admin' -d 'password=p@LLy5' --cookie-jar ./pal.cookie 'https://127.0.0.1:8443/v1/pal/ui/login'

# Use Cookie to Upload File
curl -sSk -XPOST -F files='@{{ filename }}' -b ./pal.cookie 'https://127.0.0.1:8443/v1/pal/ui/files/upload'

Notifications

Create or get notifications and filter by group name.

GET /v1/pal/notifications
GET /v1/pal/notifications?group={{ group_name }}
PUT {{ json_data }} /v1/pal/notifications

• group_name (Optional): Only show notifications for group provided

cURL Notification Example

curl -vks -H'X-Pal-Auth: PaLLy!@#890-' \
  -d '{"notification":"THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOGS BACK 1234567890","group":"json"}' \
  -H "content-type: application/json" -XPUT \
  'https://127.0.0.1:8443/v1/pal/notifications'

Crons

Get configured cron actions or run cron action now.

GET /v1/pal/crons
GET /v1/pal/crons?group={{ group }}&action={{ action }}&run={{ run }}

• group (Optional): group name
• action (Optional): action name
• run (Optional): keyword "now" is only supported at this time. Runs action now.

Action

Get action configuration including last_output and other run stats.

GET /v1/pal/action?group={{ group }}&action={{ action }}
GET /v1/pal/action?group={{ group }}&action={{ action }}&disabled={{ boolean }}

• group (Required): group name
• action (Required): action name
• disabled (Optional): disabled boolean

Configurations

Usage: pal [options] <args>
  -c,	Set configuration file path location, default is ./pal.yml
  -d,	Set action definitions file directory location, default is ./actions

Example: pal -c ./pal.yml -d ./actions

Built-In Variables

Env Variables

Every cmd run includes the below built-in env variables.

PAL_UPLOAD_DIR - Full directory path to upload directory

PAL_GROUP - Group name

PAL_ACTION - Action Name

PAL_INPUT - Input provided

PAL_REQUEST - HTTP Request Context In JSON

{
  "method": "",
  "url": "",
  "headers": { "": "" },
  "query_params": { "": "" },
  "body": ""
}

Notification Variables

When OnError.Notification is configured for the action, you can use available substitution variables in the notification message:

$PAL_GROUP - Group name

$PAL_ACTION - Action name

$PAL_INPUT - Input provided

$PAL_OUTPUT - Command error output

YAML Server Configurations

See latest example reference, here: https://github.com/marshyski/pal/blob/main/pal.yml

Example Action Definition YML

monitor:
  - action: system
    desc: Get primary system stats for monitoring
    auth_header: X-Monitor-System q1w2e3r4t5
    concurrent: false
    background: false
    output: true
    cmd: |
      echo '|===/ DOCKER STATS \===|'
      command -v docker 1>/dev/null && sudo docker stats --no-stream; echo

      echo '|===/ FREE MEMORY \===|'
      free -g; echo

      echo '|===/ DISK SPACE \===|'
      df -hT; echo

      echo '|===/ TOP CPU \===|'
      ps -eo pid,ppid,cmd,%mem,%cpu --sort=-%cpu | head; echo

      echo '|===/ TOP MEMORY \===|'
      ps -eo pid,ppid,cmd,%mem,%cpu --sort=-%mem | head; echo

      echo '|===/ TOP OPEN FILES \===|'
      lsof 2>/dev/null | cut -d" " -f1 | sort | uniq -c | sort -r -n | head; echo

      echo '|===/ UPTIME AND LOAD \===|'
      uptime

Example Request

curl -sk -H'X-Monitor-System: q1w2e3r4t5' 'https://127.0.0.1:8443/v1/pal/run/monitor/system'

All actions can be defined in one file, or split into multiple .yml files. The -d CLI argument tells the program what directory to verify action yml files.

For more complete examples, see: https://github.com/marshyski/pal/tree/main/test