AirLink
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Contributing

How to set up the project, make changes, and get them merged.

Thavanish · Tue Jun 16 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Prerequisites

  • Node.js v18+
  • Docker
  • Git
  • A running database (SQLite for local dev is fine)

Setting up the panel

git clone https://github.com/AirlinkLabs/panel.git
cd panel
cp example.env .env
npm install
npm run build
npm run migrate:deploy
npm run start

The panel starts on port 3000 by default. Edit .env to change it.

Setting up the daemon

git clone https://github.com/AirlinkLabs/daemon.git
cd daemon
cp example.env .env
npm install
cd libs && npm install && cd ..
npm run build
npm run start

The daemon starts on port 3002. Connect it to your panel instance through Admin > Nodes.

Project structure

panel/
├── src/
│   ├── app.ts              ← entry point
│   ├── routes/             ← Express route handlers
│   ├── middleware/          ← auth, session, etc.
│   ├── lib/                ← utilities, helpers
│   └── views/              ← EJS templates
├── prisma/
│   └── schema.prisma       ← database schema
├── storage/
│   └── addons/             ← addon install directory
└── public/
    ├── css/
    ├── js/
    └── img/

daemon/
├── src/
│   ├── app.ts              ← entry point
│   ├── routes/             ← HTTP route handlers
│   └── lib/                ← Docker, filesystem, etc.
└── libs/
    └── shared/             ← shared types and utilities

Branching

  • main — stable, deployable at any time
  • feature/* — new features
  • fix/* — bug fixes
  • refactor/* — code structure changes

Branch off from main. Keep branches focused — one feature or fix per branch.

Commits

Write commits that explain what changed and why. Not "fixed stuff" or "update". Examples:

  • add SFTP credential rotation
  • fix console disconnect on tab switch
  • remove unused migration helper

Pull requests

  1. Fork the repo or create a branch
  2. Make your changes
  3. Run npm run build to verify it compiles
  4. Test the feature manually
  5. Open a PR against main
  6. Describe what the PR does and why

Keep PRs small. Large PRs take longer to review and are more likely to have conflicts.

Code style

  • TypeScript for the panel, TypeScript or Bun for the daemon
  • Express.js patterns — routes, middleware, controllers
  • EJS templates for server-rendered pages
  • Tailwind CSS for styling
  • No new frontend dependencies unless necessary

Testing

The project doesn't have a formal test suite yet. Test manually:

  1. Create a server
  2. Start/stop/restart it
  3. Open the console
  4. Upload and edit a file
  5. Create and restore a backup
  6. Test SFTP access

If you're fixing a bug, reproduce it first, then verify the fix.

Reporting issues

Open an issue on GitHub with:

  • What you expected to happen
  • What actually happened
  • Steps to reproduce
  • Your environment (OS, Node version, Docker version)

Addon contributions

See Addon Development for how to build addons. Community addons go in the airlinklabs/addons registry.

Questions?

Open a GitHub discussion or join the Discord.

Architecture