A modern, lightweight TUI (Terminal User Interface) application for managing network interfaces on Linux systems. Lantern provides an intuitive interface for configuring network settings through systemd-networkd, offering a clean alternative to traditional network management tools.

• Real-time interface monitoring - Live statistics for RX/TX bytes, packets, and errors
• Static and DHCP configuration - Easy switching between automatic and manual network setup
• IPv4 and IPv6 support - Full dual-stack networking with modern protocols
• systemd-networkd integration - Native support for systemd-based network management

• WiFi management - Network scanning, WPA/WPA2/WPA3 authentication, and connection management
• VPN support - WireGuard configuration and management
• Interface control - Bring interfaces up/down with real-time status updates
• Configuration persistence - All settings persist across reboots via systemd-networkd

• Intuitive TUI - Clean, responsive terminal interface built with Ratatui
• Keyboard navigation - Vim-like keybindings for efficient operation
• Real-time updates - Live network statistics and status monitoring
• Error handling - Comprehensive error messages and recovery suggestions

Lantern requires a Linux system with:

• systemd-networkd enabled
• Root privileges for network configuration
• System tools: ip, iw, wg (for wireless and VPN features)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/lantern.git
cd lantern

# Build the release version
cargo build --release

# Install (optional)
sudo cp target/release/lantern /usr/local/bin/

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S iproute2 wireless-tools wireguard-tools

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install iproute2 wireless-tools wireguard-tools

# Fedora
sudo dnf install iproute wireless-tools wireguard-tools

# Enable and start systemd-networkd
sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-networkd
sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-resolved

# Run with root privileges (required for network configuration)
sudo lantern

If you encounter terminal issues: Some terminal emulators or SSH sessions may have compatibility issues with TUI applications under sudo. If you see terminal setup errors, try:

# Switch to root user first, then run
su - root
lantern

# Or for SSH sessions
ssh -t user@host sudo lantern

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Lantern - Network Interface Manager          │
├─────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Interfaces [↑/↓ to nav] │ Statistics [Enter for details]        │
│                         │                                       │
│ eth0      UP    192.168.│ Network Statistics                    │
│ wlan0     DOWN  No IP   │                                       │
│ lo        UP    127.0.0.│ ↓ RX: 45.2 MB                         │
│                         │   Packets: 1,234                      │
│                         │   Errors: 0                           │
│                         │                                       │
│                         │ ↑ TX: 12.8 MB                         │
│                         │   Packets: 892                        │
│                         │   Errors: 0                           │
└─────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘
│ ^Q: Quit | ^R: Refresh | e: Edit | u: Up/Down | Enter: Details  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

When editing an interface (e key):

┌──────────────── Edit eth0 ────────────────┐
│                                           │
│ DHCP: [✓] Enabled (press 'd' to toggle)   │
│                                           │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│ │ IP Address                          │   │
│ │ 192.168.1.100/24                    │   │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                           │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│ │ Gateway                             │   │
│ │ 192.168.1.1                         │   │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                           │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│ │ DNS Servers (comma separated)       │   │
│ │ 8.8.8.8, 1.1.1.1                    │   │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                           │
│ Tab: Next field | s: Save | Esc: Cancel   │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘

Lantern creates systemd-networkd configuration files in /etc/systemd/network/:

• Ethernet: 10-<interface>.network
• WiFi: 25-<interface>.network + wpa_supplicant config
• VPN: 50-<interface>.netdev and 50-<interface>.network

Static IP configuration for eth0:

[Match]
Name=eth0

[Network]
Address=192.168.1.100/24
Gateway=192.168.1.1
DNS=8.8.8.8
DNS=1.1.1.1

[Link]
RequiredForOnline=yes

• Network Scanning: Discover available WiFi networks
• Security Support: WPA/WPA2/WPA3, WEP, and open networks
• Connection Management: Save and manage WiFi profiles

• Dual-stack networking: Simultaneous IPv4 and IPv6
• SLAAC and DHCPv6: Automatic IPv6 configuration
• Privacy extensions: Enhanced privacy for IPv6 addresses

• Native WireGuard support: Create and manage VPN connections
• Key generation: Automatic cryptographic key creation
• Configuration import: Support for standard WireGuard config files

"Permission denied" errors

# Ensure you're running as root
sudo lantern

"systemd-networkd not running"

# Enable and start systemd-networkd
sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-networkd
sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-resolved

"Command not found: ip/iw/wg"

# Install required system tools (see Installation section)

Interface changes not applying

# Restart systemd-networkd
sudo systemctl restart systemd-networkd

# Or reload configuration
sudo networkctl reload
sudo networkctl reconfigure <interface>

# Check systemd-networkd status
sudo systemctl status systemd-networkd

# View network logs
sudo journalctl -u systemd-networkd -f

# Check interface status
networkctl status

# Verify configuration files
ls -la /etc/systemd/network/

Lantern follows these core principles:

1. Simplicity: Clean, intuitive interface focused on essential networking tasks
2. Integration: Native systemd-networkd support for modern Linux systems
3. Performance: Optimized for low resource usage and responsive operation
4. Reliability: Comprehensive error handling and graceful failure recovery

• OS: Linux with systemd
• Memory: < 10MB RAM usage
• CPU: Minimal CPU usage (< 1% during normal operation)
• Storage: 1.9MB binary size
• Network: systemd-networkd and systemd-resolved

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests.

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/lantern.git
cd lantern
cargo build
cargo test

• src/main.rs - Application entry point and event loop
• src/app.rs - Application state management
• src/network.rs - Network interface operations
• src/systemd.rs - systemd-networkd configuration
• src/ui.rs - Terminal user interface
• src/config.rs - Configuration management
• src/utils.rs - Utility functions

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the LICENCE file for details.

• Built with Ratatui for the excellent TUI framework
• Inspired by nmtui and other network management tools
• Thanks to the Rust community for the amazing ecosystem

Note: Lantern is designed as an alternative to NetworkManager for users who prefer systemd-networkd. It provides a modern, efficient approach to network management on systemd-based Linux distributions.