B{rew}log

B{rew}log is a self-hosted coffee logging platform for tracking your roasters, roasts, brews, cafes and brewing gear.

The application is distributed as a single Rust binary that powers both an HTTP server and a command-line client for the API. There is a web frontend built with Tailwind CSS that enables client-side reactivity with Datastar.

Note

This project was built with significant assistance from Github Copilot. I used it as a test-bed for trying out newer agentic coding workflows, and to get some basic experience with Datastar, which had attracted my attention.

Basic usage

B{rew}log ships as one executable. You decide whether it acts as a server or a client.

First-time setup

On first start, you must set an admin username and password via the BREWLOG_ADMIN_USERNAME and BREWLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD environment variables:

BREWLOG_ADMIN_USERNAME="admin" BREWLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD="your-secure-password" brewlog serve

This creates the admin user in the database. On subsequent starts, the environment variables are not required.

Authentication

Brewlog supports two authentication methods:

1. Web Frontend: Session-based authentication via login page
2. CLI/API: Token-based authentication via Bearer tokens

Web Authentication

1. Start the server and browse to the frontend
2. Click "Login" in the navigation bar
3. Sign in with username admin and your password
4. You're now authenticated and can create/update/delete records

CLI/API Authentication

First, create an API token:

brewlog token create --name "my-cli-token"
# You will be prompted for username and password.
# Alternatively, you can provide them via flags:
# brewlog token create --name "my-cli-token" --username admin --password secret

# Username: admin
# Password: ********
#
# Token created successfully!
# Token ID: nye9BDqnLL
# Token Name: my-cli-token
#
# ⚠  Save this token securely - it will not be shown again:
#
# dEadB3efDeadb33fdeadb33F...
#
# Export it in your environment:
#   export BREWLOG_TOKEN=dEadB3efDeadb33fdeadb33F...

Export the token and use it for all CLI commands:

export BREWLOG_TOKEN="dEadB3efDeadb33fdeadb33F..."
export BREWLOG_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Now all write operations work
brewlog roaster add \
  --name "Radical Roasters" \
  --country "United Kingdom" \
  --city "Bristol" \
  --homepage "https://radicalroasters.co.uk"

brewlog roast add \
  --roaster-id "deadbeef" \
  --name "Chelbesa Lot 2" \
  --origin "Ethiopia" \
  --region "Gedeo" \
  --producer "Chelbesa Cooperative" \
  --process "Washed" \
  --tasting-notes "Blueberry, Jasmine"

Token Management

# List your active tokens
brewlog token list

# Revoke a token
brewlog token revoke --id abc123

API Usage

For direct API access, include your token as a Bearer token:

curl http://localhost:3000/api/v1/roasters \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer dEadB3efDeadb33fdeadb33F..." \
  --json '{"name":"Radical Roasters","country":"United Kingdom"}'

Note: All read operations (GET requests) are public and don't require authentication. Only write operations (POST/PUT/DELETE) require authentication.

CLI Commands

The CLI uses a subcommand structure. Each entity command supports add, list, get, update, and delete subcommands (except where noted):

brewlog serve              Run the HTTP server
brewlog roaster <cmd>      Manage roasters
brewlog roast <cmd>        Manage roasts
brewlog bag <cmd>          Manage bags of coffee
brewlog gear <cmd>         Manage brewing gear (grinders, brewers, filter papers)
brewlog brew <cmd>         Manage brews (add, list, get, delete — no update)
brewlog cafe <cmd>         Manage cafes
brewlog cup <cmd>          Manage cups (tasting notes with ratings)
brewlog token <cmd>        Manage API tokens (create, list, revoke)
brewlog backup             Export all data to JSON on stdout
brewlog restore --file F   Restore data from a JSON backup into an empty database

Use brewlog <command> --help for detailed options on any command.

Environment Variables

All configuration is via environment variables or CLI flags. A .env file in the working directory is loaded automatically at startup (via dotenvy).

Server (brewlog serve)

Variable	Purpose	Default
BREWLOG_DATABASE_URL	Database connection string	sqlite://brewlog.db
BREWLOG_BIND_ADDRESS	Server bind address	127.0.0.1:3000
BREWLOG_ADMIN_USERNAME	Initial admin username	— (required on first run)
BREWLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD	Initial admin password	— (required on first run)
BREWLOG_SECURE_COOKIES	Set to true to enable the Secure cookie flag (for HTTPS)	false
RUST_LOG	Log level filter	info

CLI Client

Variable	Purpose	Default
BREWLOG_URL	Server URL for CLI commands	http://127.0.0.1:3000
BREWLOG_TOKEN	API token for authenticated CLI operations	—

Optional Integrations

Variable	Purpose	Default
BREWLOG_OPENROUTER_API_KEY	OpenRouter API key — enables AI extraction	—
BREWLOG_OPENROUTER_MODEL	LLM model for AI extraction	openrouter/free
BREWLOG_FOURSQUARE_API_KEY	Foursquare Places API key — enables nearby cafe search	—

Optional Features

AI Extraction

When BREWLOG_OPENROUTER_API_KEY is configured, the web UI gains the ability to extract roaster and roast details from photos or text descriptions using an LLM. This powers:

• Photo extraction buttons on the roaster and roast forms
• Text-based extraction from typed descriptions
• The /scan page, which extracts both roaster and roast data from a single coffee bag label photo

Nearby Cafe Search

When BREWLOG_FOURSQUARE_API_KEY is configured, the cafes page can search for nearby coffee shops via the Foursquare Places API. Searches can be made by GPS coordinates or city name.

Database

SQLite is the default database. PostgreSQL is supported via a compile-time feature flag:

# SQLite (default)
cargo build --release

# PostgreSQL
cargo build --release --features postgres --no-default-features

Migrations run automatically on server startup.

Backup & Restore

# Export all data to JSON
brewlog backup > backup.json

# Restore into an empty database
brewlog restore --file backup.json

Both commands accept --database-url (or BREWLOG_DATABASE_URL) to target a specific database.

Installation

At present, the only way to use brewlog is to build it from source:

git clone https://github.com/jnsgruk/brewlog.git
cd brewlog
cargo build --release

The resulting binary lives at target/release/brewlog.

During development you can run directly:

cargo run -- serve

Testing

The project includes unit and integration tests:

cargo test