WireMan

What is WireMan?

WireMan is a terminal-based gRPC client with a user-friendly interface. It reads .proto files from a config file and keeps a history of requests. WireMan is an ideal choice for developers testing gRPC endpoints directly from the terminal.

Table of Contents

• Demo
• Quick Start
• Usage
• Navigation & Controls
• Advanced Features
• Neovim Integration
• Troubleshooting
• Features

Demo

Quick Start

If you prefer a quick overview, you can check out the official website.

Or follow the guide below.

Prerequisites

• Rust: [Minimum required Rust version is 1.70] (Installation Guide)

Installation

Install with cargo

cargo install wireman

Install with brew

brew install preiter93/wireman/wireman

Install with X-CMD

x install wireman

Download Binary

You can download the latest wireman binary from the releases page.

Install manually

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/preiter93/wireman.git

2. Build in release mode:

   cd wireman
   cargo build --release

3. Copy the binary to your PATH, e.g.:

   cp target/release/wireman /usr/local/bin

   Alternatively, you can create an alias to the binary in your .bashrc or .zshrc file:

   echo "alias wireman='CURRENT_DIRECTORY/target/release/wireman'" >> ~/.zshrc

Setup & Configuration

1. Set the WIREMAN_CONFIG_DIR environment variable to specify the directory where your configuration file will be located:

   export WIREMAN_CONFIG_DIR=~/.config/wireman

   This step is optional. By default, wireman will be installed to ~/.config/wireman.

2. Follow the setup steps:

   wireman init

3. The previous step creates a wireman.toml file in your configuration directory. Here's an example configuration:

   includes = [
       '$HOME/my-project/services',
       '$HOME/my-project/protos'
   ]
   
   files = [
       'order/api.proto',
       'price/api.proto'
   ]
   
   [server]
   default_address = "http://localhost:50051"
   default_auth_header = "Bearer $(getToken.sh)"
   
   [history]
   directory = "$WIREMAN_CONFIG_DIR/history"  # Optional. Defaults to $WIREMAN_CONFIG_DIR/history.
   autosave = true                            # Optional. Autosaves history on request. Defaults to true.
   disabled = false                           # Optional. History is enabled by default.
   
   [logging]
   directory = "$WIREMAN_CONFIG_DIR"          # Optional. Defaults to $WIREMAN_CONFIG_DIR.
   level = "Debug"                            # Optional. Defaults to Debug.
   
   # [ui]
   # skin = "$WIREMAN_CONFIG_DIR/skins/dracula.toml"  # Optional. Set a UI theme.

   Replace with the appropriate values for your project.

4. At last, you can now verify the setup configuration:

   wireman check 

Usage

1. After adding the protos in the config, start wireman.

2. Basic key mappings are displayed in the footer of each page. For extended help, press ? and close with ? or Esc. If you want to close the app entirely, type Ctrl+c.

3. The first page of Wireman will list your grpc services and their methods. You can navigate with up/down or j/k, select with Enter or unselect with Esc, then click Tab.

4. The second page is the message screen. Edit your request message, you can format it with Ctrl+f. Then click tab. The navigation of the editor is vim-inspired: use h, j, k, l for motion, go into insert mode with i, and escape insert mode with Esc. For more details, refer to edtui.

5. The third page is the config screen where you can edit the address or metadata. Wireman allows for using bash scripts to get your tokens. Place the name of your script in the bearer token field, which must be in your PATH, between $(). For example, if you have a bash script named getToken.sh that prints the Bearer token ey..., you would use $(getToken.sh) (the script output should not include the word 'Bearer', as it is automatically added). Additional headers can be added with Ctrl+a and deleted with Ctrl+d. Go to the request page with Shift+Tab or click tab twice.

6. Now you can make the request by clicking Enter. You can save it with Ctrl+s. Saved requests are stored in spots 1 to 5. Switch to a spot by clicking the respective number. You can restore the default request with Ctrl+d, which deletes the history. You can also cancel a request with Esc. Switch between request and response with J/K.To copy the request or response click Y. Or follow step 6.

7. If you want to get the current request as a gRPCurl command, click Ctrl+y on the request tab, and it's copied to your clipboard.

Command Line Flags

Commands

• check
  Runs a health check and displays configuration details.

• init
  Sets up wireman by creating a default configuration file.

Options

• -c, --config <CONFIG>
  Specifies an optional path to a configuration file. If not provided, wireman uses the default configuration path.

• -l, --local-protos
  Uses local protobuf files instead of the files and includes from the configuration file.

Navigation & Controls

• Vim-style navigation: Navigate with vim-style keybindings. Hit ? to see what's available.
• Mouse & system editor: Wireman can also be operated with the mouse. And you can open your system editor with Ctrl+e.

Advanced Features

Server Reflection

Wireman also supports server reflection of gRPC servers. To activate reflection mode, press Ctrl+r on the selection tab, enter the host along with optional authentication headers, and then press Enter. To switch back from reflection mode to file mode press Ctrl+r again.

Streaming

Wireman supports all four gRPC method types and detects the type automatically from the .proto definition.

Server-side streaming

For an endpoint like:

rpc ListFeatures (ListFeaturesReq) returns (stream ListFeaturesResp) {}

Wireman detects that the endpoint is server-side streaming and renders each response message as it arrives.

Client-side and bidirectional streaming

For endpoints where the client sends a stream of messages:

rpc CollectFeatures (stream CollectFeaturesReq) returns (CollectFeaturesResp) {}
rpc EchoFeatures (stream EchoFeaturesReq) returns (stream EchoFeaturesResp) {}

Wireman streams messages interactively, one at a time:

• Edit the request message, then press Enter to send it and open the stream.
• Edit again and press Enter to send the next message. Repeat as often as you like.
• Press Ctrl+d to finish sending (half-close the stream). The server then sends its response(s).
• Press Esc to cancel the call at any point.

For bidirectional endpoints, response messages are rendered live as they arrive while you keep sending. For client-side endpoints, the single response appears once you finish with Ctrl+d.

External System Editor

Wireman allows you to open the current editor content in your system's default editor (e.g., export EDITOR=nvim). When you're in normal mode on any input field, press Ctrl+e to open the content in your external editor. After saving and closing the external editor, the content will be updated in Wireman.

This feature was introduced in v0.2.13.

Edit Configuration In-App

You can manage your configuration directly within the app:

• Navigate to the services page.
• Press Ctrl+e to edit the configuration.
• Save your changes with Ctrl+s.
• Exit with Esc.

Custom Skins

Wireman allows users to customize the appearance of the UI by adding custom skins. To do this, simply specify the desired skin file in the wireman.toml file config:

[ui]
skin = "path_to_file/custom_skin.toml"

For a collection of pre-made themes, check out the Wireman themes repository.

Neovim Integration

Use Wireman in nvim with a floating terminal via wireman.nvim.

Troubleshooting

Wireman logs important information and errors to assist in troubleshooting. By default, logs are stored in $WIREMAN_CONFIG_DIR/wireman.log.Make sure to check this log file if you encounter any unexpected behavior or errors while using the application.

If you are unable to resolve the issue on your own or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to open an issue.

Features

• Unary gRPC
• Set host address
• Set authentication headers
• Request History
• Defaults of repeated/nested fields
• Yank/Paste from clipboard
• Yank request as grpcurl command
• Vim like editor feeling
• Show loading indicator
• Metadata headers
• Provide installation help
• Custom themes
• Server reflection
• Edit config file in app
• Server side Streaming
• Client side Streaming
• Bidirectional Streaming
• Supports wayland
• Edit with system editor
• Mouse navigation