NEwhere

NEwhere is a high-performance, strictly Object-Oriented remote desktop application built entirely on modern web technologies. It achieves ultra-low latency desktop streaming over direct Peer-to-Peer (P2P) connections via WebRTC data channels — completely avoiding heavy video encoding pipelines in favor of high-throughput JPEG frame streams.

Coupled with an ultra-minimal Notion-inspired UI, NEwhere delivers a simple, elegant desktop management experience natively across macOS, Windows, and Linux.

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🏗 System Architecture

The project is structured as a robust pnpm monorepo containing three major applications:

1. Host Agent (apps/host)
   • A completely headless, lightweight Node.js daemon.
   • Constantly captures OS-level screenshots and pipes them into a WebRTC datachannel.
   • Listens for remote Keyboard/Mouse coordinate signals to simulate hardware input locally.
   • Designed using a strict Factory/Dependency Injection Pattern to abstract OS-specific screen capturers (macOS, Windows, Linux).
2. Client App (apps/client)
   • A native Electron application built using React and Vite.
   • Connects to the signaling server, performs P2P NAT-traversal handshakes, and establishes a direct Datachannel bound to a native Canvas rendering context.
   • Orchestrates DOM-level synthetic events (MouseMove, KeyPress) converting them into scaled coordinate systems.
3. Signaling & API Server (apps/server)
   • Express/WebSocket-based central server for coordinating WebRTC NAT handshakes (ICE Candidates/SDP offers).
   • Manages state via an in-memory repository bridging into a persistent PostgreSQL/SQLite backend (Prisma).
   • Includes robust session management and JWT authentication.

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🚀 Features

• Blazing Fast Networking: Utilizes purely raw RTCDataChannel streams (Node-Datachannel & WebRTC) for frame delivery avoiding VP8/H.264 encoder lag.
• Cross-Platform: Native support via NutJS and OS-specific binary screen abstractions.
• Notion Aesthetic: Ultra-minimalist UX design paradigm utilizing pure greyscale bounds natively responding to frameless window dragging.
• Secure by Default: AES-256 WebRTC encryption over P2P, Bcrypt-hashed password session protection, and optional cloud JWT accounts for transparent device linking.
• File Transfer & Clipboard Sync: Integrated file chunking mechanics through parallel WebRTC channels alongside native text-clipboard synchronization pipelines.

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💻 OS Requirements & Prerequisites

Because NEwhere interacts directly with low-level OS hardware interfaces for input and screen capture, certain dependencies are required depending on your host machine.

Node & Package Variables (All OS)

• Node.js: v20 or higher (v24 recommended).
• Package Manager: pnpm (npm install -g pnpm)
• Python/C++ Toolchain: For compiling native Node addons (like node-datachannel).

🍏 macOS

• Permissions: The Host agent requires explicit Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions (to simulate mouse/keyboard).
• Capture Native: Relies safely on macOS native screencapture.

🪟 Windows

• Dependencies: None.
• Capture Native: Works directly utilizing native PowerShell/GDI screen hooks.
• Note: If running the Host terminal as non-admin, UAC prompts on the host cannot be interacted with remotely. Run the host terminal as Administrator for full control.

🐧 Linux (Ubuntu / Debian)

NEwhere runs elegantly on X11 desktop environments.

• Dependencies: NutJS (for input simulation) and screenshot-desktop require libxtst-dev, xdotool, and scrot.

  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get install -y libxtst-dev build-essential xdotool scrot gnome-screenshot

• Note on Wayland: Native Wayland environments heavily restrict generic screen capture protocols and simulated inputs. It is heavily recommended to use an X11 session when running the NEwhere Host agent.

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🛠 Installation & Usage

1. Clone and Install everything:

   git clone https://github.com/RoniMaity/NEwhere.git newhere
   cd newhere
   pnpm install

2. Start the Signaling & API Server:

   cd apps/server
   pnpm dev
   # Runs locally on ports 8080. Update `VITE_SERVER_URL` in the client if hosting remotely.

3. Start the Host Agent (The Machine you want to control):

   cd apps/host
   pnpm build
   
   # Set a password for incoming guest connections
   NEWHERE_PASSWORD=secret123 node dist/index.js

4. Launch the Client App (The Machine you are controlling from):

   cd apps/client
   
   # Launches the Vite dev server inside a native Electron frame
   pnpm dev:all

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🔐 Deployment Phase 7 (Database)

NEwhere operates fully in-memory out-of-the-box (Phase 1-6). If you wish to enable Phase 7 (Accounts, Device saving, and persistent Dashboards):

1. Switch into packages/db.
2. Configure your .env connection string.
3. Run npx prisma db push to synchronize the schema (generates the USER, DEVICE, and SESSION relations).

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📜 Development Notes & Architecture Standards

NEwhere strictly abides by an Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) architecture as detailed in classDiagram.md. When contributing:

• Always utilize constructor Dependency Injection.
• Handlers in the API must be heavily abstracted over isolated *Controller.ts and *Service.ts boundaries.
• Never place UI rendering logic adjacent to Synthetic InputCapture dispatchers. Use the ClientApp orchestrator logic classes.

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Built as a concept of High-Performance Agentic WebRTC Architectures natively deployed over Electron.