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

The server requires BREWLOG_RP_ID and BREWLOG_RP_ORIGIN for passkey authentication:

BREWLOG_RP_ID="localhost" \
BREWLOG_RP_ORIGIN="http://localhost:3000" \
BREWLOG_OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-..." \
BREWLOG_FOURSQUARE_API_KEY="fsq3..." \
brewlog serve

On first start with an empty database, the server prints a one-time registration URL:

No users found. Register the first user at:
  http://localhost:3000/register/abc123...
This link expires in 1 hour.

Open that URL in your browser, enter a display name, and register a passkey. This creates the first user account and signs you in.

Important: The BREWLOG_RP_ID is baked into registered passkeys. If you change the domain, all existing passkeys become invalid and you'll need to re-register.

Authentication

Brewlog uses passkey (WebAuthn) authentication. There are no passwords.

1. Web Frontend: Sign in with your passkey to get a session cookie
2. CLI/API: Bearer tokens created via browser handoff

Web Authentication

1. Start the server and browse to the frontend
2. Click "Login" in the navigation bar
3. Authenticate with your passkey (fingerprint, face, security key, etc.)
4. You're now authenticated and can create/update/delete records

CLI/API Authentication

Token creation uses a browser handoff flow (similar to gh auth login):

brewlog token create --name "my-cli-token"
# Opening browser for authentication...
# If the browser doesn't open, visit this URL:
#
#   http://localhost:3000/login?cli_callback=...
#
# (authenticate with your passkey in the browser)
#
# Token created successfully!
# 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 (cafe visits)
brewlog token <cmd>        Manage API tokens (create, list, revoke)
brewlog backup             Export all data to JSON on stdout (requires BREWLOG_TOKEN)
brewlog restore --file F   Restore data from a JSON backup into an empty database (requires BREWLOG_TOKEN)

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_RP_ID	WebAuthn Relying Party ID (your domain, e.g. localhost or brewlog.example.com)	— (required)
BREWLOG_RP_ORIGIN	WebAuthn Relying Party origin (full URL, e.g. http://localhost:3000)	— (required)
BREWLOG_SECURE_COOKIES	Set to true to enable the Secure cookie flag (for HTTPS)	false
RUST_LOG	Log level filter	info
RUST_LOG_FORMAT	Log output format: omit for compact human-readable, set to json for structured JSON	—

CLI Client

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

Integrations

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

Integrations

AI Extraction

The web UI uses an LLM via OpenRouter to extract roaster and roast details from photos or text descriptions. BREWLOG_OPENROUTER_API_KEY is required. It powers:

• Photo extraction buttons on the roaster and roast forms
• Text-based extraction from typed descriptions
• The Scan Bag feature on the home page, which extracts both roaster and roast data from a single coffee bag label photo
• The Scan Bag feature on the check-in page, which identifies a roast from a bag photo

Nearby Cafe Search

The check-in and cafes pages search for nearby coffee shops via the Foursquare Places API. BREWLOG_FOURSQUARE_API_KEY is required. 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

Backup and restore go through the API and require authentication (BREWLOG_TOKEN).

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

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

The API endpoints are also available directly:

• GET /api/v1/backup — export all data as JSON (requires auth)
• POST /api/v1/backup/restore — restore from a JSON backup (requires auth, database must be empty)

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