Goction Concepts

This page explains the fundamental concepts of Goction to help you understand how it works and how to use it effectively.

What is Goction?

Goction is a lightweight and extensible platform designed for creating, managing, and executing custom actions (called "goctions") via a command-line interface (CLI), an HTTP API, and a web-based dashboard. It provides a flexible framework for automation, integration, and workflow management.

Key Components

1. Goctions

A "goction" is the core unit of functionality in the Goction framework. It's a piece of Go code that can be executed via the Goction CLI or HTTP API. Goctions are designed to be modular, reusable, and easy to manage.

Goction Structure

Each goction consists of at least two files:

  • main.go: Contains the main logic of the goction.
  • go.mod: Declares the module and its dependencies.

Goction Function Signature

func MyGoction(args ...string) (string, error)

2. Goction Registry

The Goction Registry is a central repository where all your goctions are stored and managed. When you create or update a goction, it's registered here.

3. CLI (Command Line Interface)

The Goction CLI provides commands for creating, updating, listing, and executing goctions. It's the primary way to manage your goctions during development.

Key CLI commands:

  • goction new: Create a new goction
  • goction list: List all goctions
  • goction update: Update an existing goction
  • goction run: Execute a goction

4. HTTP API

The HTTP API allows you to execute goctions remotely. This is useful for integrating Goction with other services or applications.

5. Dashboard

The web-based dashboard provides a user-friendly interface for managing and monitoring your goctions. It offers features like execution history, performance statistics, and real-time logs.

6. Configuration

Goction uses a JSON configuration file (/etc/goction/config.json) to manage settings such as:

  • The location of the goctions directory
  • The API port
  • Logging options
  • Dashboard credentials

7. Service Management

Goction can be run as a system service, allowing it to continuously listen for API requests to execute goctions.

How Goctions Work

  1. Creation: A goction is created using the CLI command goction new.
  2. Implementation: You write the Go code for your goction, defining what it does and what arguments it accepts.
  3. Registration: The goction is registered in the Goction Registry using goction update.
  4. Execution: The goction can be executed via the CLI (goction run) or the HTTP API.
  5. Response: Goctions return a JSON response with a standard format, including a result and action field.

Security

Goction implements security measures to protect your goctions and their executions:

  • API token authentication for HTTP requests
  • Username/password authentication for the dashboard
  • Option to run the service on localhost only

Extensibility

Goction's architecture allows for easy extension:

  • Create custom goctions for any task
  • Use Go's powerful standard library and third-party packages in your goctions
  • Integrate with external services and APIs

Use Cases

Goction can be used for a wide range of tasks, including:

  • Automation of repetitive tasks
  • Integration between different systems or services
  • Building custom APIs
  • Creating simple microservices
  • Centralized management of scripts and utilities

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basic concepts of Goction, you're ready to:

  1. Install Goction
  2. Create your first goction
  3. Explore advanced usage