OpenNest/docs/nest-storage.md

Nest storage: File mode vs. Database mode

The desktop app can save nests two ways:

• File mode (default, unchanged behavior): Save/Save As write a .nest ZIP archive to disk via the normal file dialog. See nest-file-format.md.
• Database mode: Open lists server records with filterable metadata and sortable columns; Save creates a record on first save and updates that same record afterward. Save As creates a new record (a copy). A failed save keeps the previous record association; switching server URLs creates a record on the new server rather than updating an id from the previous one. Delete in the saved-nest list permanently removes the selected server record after confirmation. A separate File > Export .nest... command is always available (in both modes) for producing a local file to share or back up. Export does not change the document's file save path or database record association.

The mode and server address are stored per-PC at %APPDATA%\OpenNest\storage.json (OpenNest.Data.NestStorageSettings), defaulting to File mode so existing installs are unaffected until an operator opts in via File > Storage Mode....

Wire contract

OpenNest.Data.NestRecord is the metadata DTO shared by the client (RemoteNestRepository) and the server (OpenNest.Server). JSON is camelCase with enums serialized as strings (JsonSerializerDefaults.Web + JsonStringEnumConverter(JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase)), matching the rest of OpenNest.Data's local JSON stores.

Field	Type	Notes
id	guid	Client-generated on first save; kept on updates.
name	string
customer	string
dateCreated / dateModified	datetime	Set by the client from the nest's own metadata.
material	string
thickness	number
status	"quote" | "toBeCut" | "hasBeenCut"	Default quote.
plateCount / partCount	integer	Computed client-side at save time (non-cutoff parts only).
comments	string
madeBy	string
fileSize	integer	Server-computed; ignored on upload.
savedAt	datetime	Server-computed; ignored on upload.

Endpoints

Method	Path	Body	Response
GET	/healthz	—	{ "status": "ok" }
GET	/api/nests	—	NestRecord[], newest savedAt first
GET	/api/nests/{id}	—	NestRecord or 404
GET	/api/nests/{id}/file	—	.nest archive bytes (application/zip) or 404
POST	/api/nests	multipart: metadata (JSON NestRecord) + file (.nest bytes)	NestRecord with server-assigned id when the client sends an empty guid
PUT	/api/nests/{id}/file	multipart: metadata + file	Updated NestRecord, or 404 if id is unknown
PUT	/api/nests/{id}/metadata	JSON NestRecord	Updated NestRecord (archive untouched), or 404
DELETE	/api/nests/{id}	—	204, or 404

There is no authentication; this is a LAN-only service. Do not expose it outside the shop network without adding one.

Storage

OpenNest.Server.NestDatabase uses SQLite (Microsoft.Data.Sqlite) with journal_mode=WAL. Each row holds the metadata columns plus the .nest archive as a BLOB. The database file path comes from --database=<path>, then OPENNEST_DB, defaulting to ./data/nests.db.

Running

Locally:

dotnet run --project OpenNest.Server/OpenNest.Server.csproj

Listens on ASPNETCORE_URLS (default Kestrel ports) unless overridden.

Docker (built from the repository root so it can see OpenNest.Data):

docker build -f OpenNest.Server/Dockerfile -t opennest-server .
docker run -d -p 8090:8090 -v opennest-data:/app/data opennest-server

The image listens on :8090 and stores nests.db under /app/data, which should be a named volume or bind mount so nests survive container recreation.

Point the desktop app's File > Storage Mode... server URL at http://<host>:8090 (no trailing slash required; RemoteNestRepository trims it).