openITCOCKPIT version 5 preview

🚀 Today we like to share some insights of the development of openITCOCKPIT version 5. 🚀

Rewriting the codebase using TypeScript

Nothing is as old as technology from yesteryear and especially web development is moving rapidly fast. openITCOCKPIT 4 is powered by the AngularJS framework which has introduced revolutionary new concepts back in the days. Thanks to AngularJS it was possible, to build single page applications which feels more like native desktop apps than websites.

With openITCOCKPIT 5, we are replacing AngularJS with Angular. While the names are quite similar the two Frameworks have not much in common.

Angular is based on TypeScript, which implements a much more modern Version of the underlying JavaScript language. The strict type system helps the developers to avoid bugs by providing detailed information about variables.

A good example is an error in the list of disabled hosts, where the name of the host template is not shown since at least four years. The issue was caused by the fact, the developer tried to display the name of the host template using the hostname field instead of name

Thanks to TypeScript, the developer get’s a list of all available fields, and the compiler errors out as soon as an undefined field gets accessed.

Modern technologies not only benefit developers but also enhance your experience as a user. Fewer bugs contribute to an even higher quality of openITCOCKPIT, and the new interface will be significantly faster as well. :)

Frontend as standalone application using Angular 18

With the introduction of the Angular 18 frontend, we have made significant advancements:

The frontend is now a standalone application, completely independent of the backend. We are now using TypeScript instead of JavaScript, allowing us to take advantage of the latest developments. Currently, we are still working with the ECMAScript 5 standard (you can find more information here: W3Schools). New versions not only bring innovative features but also a higher level of security, as all components are kept up to date.

Backend upgrade

The backend will be updated from CakePHP 4 to CakePHP 5 and will function exclusively as an API server in the future. This clean separation between frontend and backend allows for improved flexibility and scalability. Currently, the backend also provides HTML templates, but this function is no longer required.

Preview of openITCOCKPIT version 5

Browser

Service overview

Service detail view

Refresh of monitoring configuration

Host group extended view

Current state report

Stay tuned & Be prepared

openITCOCKPIT 5 will require at least php 8.1, so it makes sense to update to a current Ubuntu/Debian version not only for security reasons, but also for technology reasons

We hope you enjoyed this first insight and are eagerly awaiting the new major release. - Your openITCOCKPIT Team 🚀🔍📊