NSCalc - Hydroponics Nutrient Solution Calculator

A comprehensive hydroponics nutrient solution calculator with an integrated SOCKS5 proxy over TLS WebSockets for secure remote access.

Overview

NSCalc is a dual-purpose application that serves as:

1. Hydroponics Calculator: A web-based tool for calculating nutrient solutions, EC/TDS values, and managing hydroponic growing parameters
2. Secure Proxy: A SOCKS5 proxy server tunneled over TLS WebSockets for secure remote access and traffic routing

Architecture

• Backend: C++ server using Boost.Beast for HTTP/WebSocket handling and NPRPC for RPC communication
• Frontend: Modern web client built with React and Svelte
• Proxy Client: Cross-platform Qt application for SOCKS5 proxy functionality
• Database: SQLite for data persistence
• Security: TLS encryption with self-signed certificate support for development

Features

Hydroponics Calculator

• ✅ Nutrient solution calculations
• ✅ EC/TDS value management
• ✅ Multi-user support with authentication
• ✅ Real-time chat functionality
• ✅ Solution history and data persistence
• ✅ Web-based responsive UI

SOCKS5 Proxy

• ✅ SOCKS5 proxy over TLS WebSockets
• ✅ Cross-platform Qt client (Windows/Linux/macOS)
• ✅ Secure tunnel establishment
• ✅ Session management and callbacks
• ✅ Bidirectional data forwarding

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• CMake 3.20+
• C++20 compatible compiler (GCC 11+, Clang 13+, MSVC 2022)
• Node.js 16+ (for client build)
• Qt 6+ (for proxy client)
• OpenSSL
• Boost 1.83+

Building the Project

# Clone and build
git clone <repository-url>
cd nscalc

# Configure and build
cmake -B .build_local -S . -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug
cmake --build .build_local

# Or use the convenience script
./01_build_app.sh

Running the Server

# Start the hydroponics calculator server
./run.sh

# For debugging
./run.sh debug

The server will start on https://archvm:8080 (or your configured hostname).

Building and Running Proxy Client

# Build proxy client
cmake --build .build_local --target=proxy_client

# Run proxy client (connects to server and starts SOCKS5 on port 1080)
./.build_local/debug/proxy_client

Project Structure

nscalc/
├── server/               # C++ backend server
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── main.cpp     # Main server entry point
│   │   ├── services/    # Business logic and services
│   │   └── util/        # Utilities and thread pool
├── client/              # React/Svelte frontend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── App.svelte   # Main application component
│   │   ├── calculation/ # Calculation logic
│   │   ├── gui/         # UI components
│   │   └── rpc/         # RPC client code
├── proxy_client/        # Qt SOCKS5 proxy client
│   └── src/
│       ├── main.cpp     # Proxy client entry
│       ├── socks5.cpp   # SOCKS5 implementation
│       └── MainWindow.* # Qt GUI (if applicable)
├── external/npsystem/   # NPRPC framework
├── idl/                 # Interface definitions
├── docs/                # Documentation
├── certs/               # SSL certificates
└── sample_data/         # Sample database

Configuration

Server Configuration

The server accepts several command-line options:

--hostname <host>        # Server hostname (default: localhost)
--port <port>           # Server port (default: 8080)
--http-dir <path>       # Static files directory
--data-dir <path>       # Database directory
--use-ssl <0|1>         # Enable SSL/TLS
--public-key <path>     # SSL certificate file
--private-key <path>    # SSL private key file
--dh-params <path>      # Diffie-Hellman parameters

SSL Certificate Setup

For development with self-signed certificates:

1. Linux/macOS: Certificates are in certs/ directory
2. Windows Testing: See Windows Certificate Setup Guide

Proxy Client Configuration

The proxy client connects to the NSCalc server and establishes a SOCKS5 proxy on local port 1080. Configure your applications to use:

• Proxy Type: SOCKS5
• Host: 127.0.0.1
• Port: 1080

API and RPC

The application uses NPRPC (Nikita's Protocol RPC) for communication between client and server. Interface definitions are in the idl/ directory:

• nscalc.npidl: Main calculator interfaces
• proxy.npidl: Proxy service interfaces

Development

Building for Development

# Configure with debug symbols
cmake -B .build_local -S . -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DOPT_NPRPC_SKIP_TESTS=ON

# Build specific targets
cmake --build .build_local --target=nscalc
cmake --build .build_local --target=proxy_client

Frontend Development

cd client
npm install
npm run dev    # Development server
npm run build  # Production build

Testing

# Test SOCKS5 functionality
python test_socks5.py

# HTTP stress testing
cd server
python http_stress_test.py

Docker Support

The project includes Docker support for containerized deployment:

# Build development image
./00_build_docker_dev.sh

# Build application
./01_build_app.sh

# Package runtime
./02_pack_runtime.sh

# Deploy
./03_deploy.sh

Security Features

• TLS Encryption: All communications encrypted with TLS 1.2+
• Authentication: User authentication for calculator access
• Proxy Security: SOCKS5 proxy tunneled over secure WebSockets
• Session Management: Secure session handling and timeouts

Browser Compatibility

• Chrome/Chromium 90+
• Firefox 88+
• Safari 14+
• Edge 90+

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Certificate Warnings: Install self-signed certificate in browser (see Windows setup guide)
2. Build Failures: Ensure all dependencies are installed and C++20 support is available
3. Proxy Connection Issues: Check firewall settings and ensure server is running with SSL enabled

Debug Mode

Run the server in debug mode for detailed logging:

./run.sh debug

Logs and Diagnostics

• Server logs are output to console
• Client logs available in browser developer tools
• Proxy client logs to console/system tray

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the terms specified in the LICENSE file.

Architecture Details

NPRPC Framework

The project uses a custom RPC framework (NPRPC) that provides:

• High-performance binary protocol
• WebSocket transport
• Automatic client/server stub generation
• Thread-safe operations

Networking Stack

• HTTP/HTTPS: Boost.Beast for web server functionality
• WebSockets: Secure WebSocket connections for RPC
• SOCKS5: RFC 1928 compliant SOCKS5 implementation
• SSL/TLS: OpenSSL for encryption

Database

• Engine: SQLite 3
• Schema: See database/create.sql
• Sample Data: Provided in sample_data/

Performance

• Concurrent Users: Supports multiple simultaneous users
• Memory Usage: Optimized for low memory footprint
• CPU Usage: Multi-threaded design for efficient CPU utilization
• Network: Optimized binary protocol reduces bandwidth usage

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Project Status: Active Development
Last Updated: June 2025
Author: Nikita (nikitapnn1@gmail.com)