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feat(rest): REST API client with Python SDK and examples#262

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DorianZheng merged 10 commits intomainfrom
feat/rest-api-python-examples
Feb 14, 2026
Merged

feat(rest): REST API client with Python SDK and examples#262
DorianZheng merged 10 commits intomainfrom
feat/rest-api-python-examples

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@DorianZheng DorianZheng commented Feb 14, 2026

Overview

Complete REST API client implementation enabling remote BoxLite server connectivity. Includes Rust client library, Python SDK bindings, reference server, integration tests, and comprehensive examples.

Key deliverable: Production-ready REST client with feature parity to local runtime.


🎯 What's New

1. REST Client Implementation (boxlite/src/rest/)

8 new Rust modules (~2,000 lines):

  • client.rs - OAuth2 HTTP client with automatic token refresh
  • runtime.rs - REST backend implementing RuntimeBackend trait
  • litebox.rs - REST box handle with SSE streaming
  • exec.rs - Remote command execution with bidirectional streams
  • options.rs - Connection configuration with env var support
  • types.rs - Request/response types matching OpenAPI spec
  • error.rs - REST-specific error handling
  • mod.rs - Module exports

Runtime abstraction:

  • New RuntimeBackend trait for pluggable backends
  • Local and REST runtimes share identical API

Features:

  • ✅ OAuth2 client credentials with token refresh
  • ✅ SSE streaming for command output
  • ✅ Tar-based file upload/download
  • ✅ Full metrics (runtime + per-box)
  • ✅ Complete lifecycle: create, start, stop, remove

2. Python SDK (sdks/python/)

from boxlite import Boxlite, RestOptions

# Connect to remote server
opts = RestOptions(url="http://localhost:8080", 
                   client_id="...", client_secret="...")
rt = Boxlite.rest(opts)

# Or from environment (CI/CD friendly)
opts = RestOptions.from_env()
rt = Boxlite.rest(opts)

# Same API as local runtime
box = await rt.create(BoxOptions(image="alpine:latest"))
result = await box.exec("echo", args=["hello"])

Changes:

  • Added Boxlite.rest() static method
  • Added RestOptions with from_env()
  • Zero breaking changes to existing API

3. Reference Server (openapi/reference-server/)

FastAPI implementation of the OpenAPI spec:

  • OAuth2 token endpoint (test credentials: test-client/test-secret)
  • 22 of 24 endpoints implemented
  • SSE streaming for command output
  • Tar-based file transfer

Start server:

make dev:python
cd openapi/reference-server
uv run --active server.py --port 8080

⚠️ Not production-ready: No persistence, hardcoded auth, single-tenant. For client validation only.

4. Python Examples (examples/python/08_rest_api/)

7 comprehensive examples (612 lines):

Example What it demonstrates
connect_and_list.py Basic connection, OAuth2 auth, list boxes
manage_boxes.py CRUD: create, get, get_info, get_or_create, list, remove
run_commands.py Command execution, streaming, exit codes, env vars
copy_files.py File upload with copy_in()
monitor_metrics.py Runtime & per-box metrics
configure_boxes.py Custom CPU, memory, env vars, working_dir
use_env_config.py Environment-based configuration

All examples:

  • ✅ Tested and passing
  • ✅ Follow existing patterns (async-first, context managers)
  • ✅ Self-contained and runnable
  • ✅ Clear documentation

5. Integration Tests (boxlite/tests/rest_integration.rs)

9 test cases (all passing):

  • OAuth2 authentication
  • Box CRUD operations
  • Lifecycle management (start/stop)
  • Command execution with SSE
  • Metrics collection
  • Error handling (404, auth failures)

Gating: #[cfg(feature = "rest")] + #[ignore] (require server)


📊 Changes Summary

43 files changed:

  • 21 new files
  • 21 modified files
  • 1 renamed file (OpenAPI spec moved to openapi/)

Line changes:

  • +4,509 insertions
  • -59 deletions

Breakdown:

  • Rust client: ~2,000 lines
  • Python bindings: ~200 lines
  • Reference server: ~900 lines
  • Examples: ~612 lines
  • Tests: ~200 lines

✅ Testing

Verified Scenarios

  1. ✅ OAuth2 authentication and token refresh
  2. ✅ Box CRUD (create, get, list, remove)
  3. ✅ Command execution with streaming
  4. ✅ File upload (directories and files)
  5. ✅ Metrics collection
  6. ✅ Custom configuration
  7. ✅ Environment-based config
  8. ✅ Error handling (404, 500, auth)
  9. ✅ Integration with local runtime

Compatibility

  • ✅ All existing local examples pass
  • ✅ No breaking changes
  • ✅ Feature-gated with rest flag
  • ✅ All SDKs updated (Python, C, Node.js)

🚀 Usage

Quick Start (Users)

pip install boxlite

from boxlite import Boxlite, RestOptions

opts = RestOptions(url="https://api.example.com",
                   client_id="my-client",
                   client_secret="my-secret")
rt = Boxlite.rest(opts)

# Same API as local runtime
async with rt.create(BoxOptions(image="python:alpine")) as box:
    result = await box.exec("python", args=["--version"])
    print(result.stdout)

Quick Start (Developers)

# 1. Start reference server
make dev:python
cd openapi/reference-server
uv run --active server.py --port 8080

# 2. Run examples
cd ../examples/python/08_rest_api
python connect_and_list.py
python manage_boxes.py

# 3. Run integration tests
cargo test --features rest --test rest_integration -- --ignored

📝 Documentation

  • Reference server: openapi/reference-server/README.md
  • Examples: examples/python/08_rest_api/README.md
  • OpenAPI spec: openapi/rest-sandbox-open-api.yaml
  • Integration tests: boxlite/tests/rest_integration.rs

🔍 Key Files to Review

Core implementation:

  • boxlite/src/rest/client.rs - HTTP client + OAuth2
  • boxlite/src/rest/runtime.rs - REST runtime backend
  • boxlite/src/rest/litebox.rs - REST box handle + SSE
  • boxlite/src/runtime/backend.rs - Runtime abstraction

Python SDK:

  • sdks/python/src/runtime.rs - Boxlite.rest() API
  • sdks/python/src/options.rs - RestOptions binding

Examples:

  • examples/python/08_rest_api/*.py - All 7 examples

Reference server:

  • openapi/reference-server/server.py - FastAPI implementation

Tests:

  • boxlite/tests/rest_integration.rs - Integration test suite

@DorianZheng DorianZheng force-pushed the feat/rest-api-python-examples branch from 7562a7f to fe3f8c7 Compare February 14, 2026 02:33
@DorianZheng DorianZheng changed the title feat(examples): add comprehensive REST API Python examples feat(rest): complete REST API client implementation with examples Feb 14, 2026
@DorianZheng DorianZheng changed the title feat(rest): complete REST API client implementation with examples feat(rest): REST API client with Python SDK and examples Feb 14, 2026
**New modules in `boxlite/src/rest/`:**
- `client.rs`: HTTP client with OAuth2 authentication, token refresh
- `runtime.rs`: RestRuntime implementing RuntimeBackend trait
- `litebox.rs`: RestBox implementing BoxBackend with SSE streaming
- `exec.rs`: REST-based execution with stdin/stdout/stderr streams
- `options.rs`: BoxliteRestOptions with environment variable support
- `types.rs`: Request/response types matching OpenAPI spec
- `error.rs`: REST-specific error handling

**Runtime abstraction:**
- `runtime/backend.rs`: RuntimeBackend trait for pluggable backends
- Updated `runtime/core.rs` to use backend trait
- Local and REST backends use same API surface

**Features:**
- OAuth2 client credentials flow with automatic token refresh
- Server-Sent Events (SSE) for streaming command output
- Tar-based file upload/download (copy_in/copy_out)
- Full metrics support (runtime and per-box)
- Box lifecycle: create, start, stop, remove
- Command execution with exit codes and streams

**Updated `sdks/python/src/`:**
- `runtime.rs`: Added `Boxlite.rest()` static method
- `options.rs`: Added `PyRestOptions` with `from_env()`
- `lib.rs`: Exported RestOptions to Python

**Python API:**
```python
from boxlite import Boxlite, RestOptions

opts = RestOptions(url="http://localhost:8080",
                   client_id="...", client_secret="...")
rt = Boxlite.rest(opts)

opts = RestOptions.from_env()
rt = Boxlite.rest(opts)
```

**`openapi/reference-server/server.py`:**
- FastAPI implementation of OpenAPI spec
- OAuth2 token endpoint (test credentials)
- 22 of 24 endpoints implemented
- SSE streaming for command output
- Tar-based file transfer

**Prerequisites:**
```bash
make dev:python
cd openapi/reference-server
uv run --active server.py --port 8080
```

**New `examples/python/08_rest_api/`:**
- `connect_and_list.py`: Basic connection, auth, list boxes
- `manage_boxes.py`: CRUD operations
- `run_commands.py`: Command execution, streaming
- `copy_files.py`: File upload with copy_in()
- `monitor_metrics.py`: Runtime and box metrics
- `configure_boxes.py`: Custom CPU, memory, env vars
- `use_env_config.py`: Environment-based config

All examples tested and passing.

**`boxlite/tests/rest_integration.rs`:**
- 9 test cases covering all REST operations
- Gated with `#[cfg(feature = "rest")]`
- All tests `#[ignore]` (require running server)
- Verified against reference server

- Moved from `boxlite/openapi/` to `openapi/rest-sandbox-open-api.yaml`
- Centralized location for spec and reference server

- Updated C and Node.js SDKs to use new RuntimeBackend
- Added ImageInfo fields for REST compatibility
- Updated CLI pull command to use new ImageInfo API
BREAKING CHANGE: Python's RestOptions is now BoxliteRestOptions to
match the Rust implementation and follow consistent naming conventions.

Why:
- Rust uses BoxliteRestOptions, Python exposed RestOptions (inconsistent)
- RestOptions is too generic and may cause namespace collisions
- Follows project pattern: runtime-level configs use Boxlite*Options prefix
- Exception: Options (primary config) remains as-is (justified singleton)

Impact:
- Affects all REST API examples (7 files)
- Clean failure mode: ImportError for old name (type-safe)
- Low risk: REST API just landed, no production users yet

Migration:
```python
# Before (v0.4.4)
from boxlite import RestOptions
opts = RestOptions(url="http://localhost:8080")

# After (v0.5.0)
from boxlite import BoxliteRestOptions
opts = BoxliteRestOptions(url="http://localhost:8080")
```

Changed:
- Core SDK (3 files):
  - sdks/python/src/options.rs - pyclass name, docstrings, __repr__
  - sdks/python/boxlite/__init__.py - import and export names
  - sdks/python/src/runtime.rs - docstring examples
- Examples (7 files):
  - All files in examples/python/08_rest_api/ - imports and constructors
- Documentation (1 file):
  - examples/python/08_rest_api/README.md - description

Verification:
✓ make dev:python builds successfully
✓ from boxlite import BoxliteRestOptions works
✓ from boxlite import RestOptions raises ImportError
✓ All examples tested and passing
✓ Docstrings show BoxliteRestOptions
- Fix collapsible_if in rest/runtime.rs (use && for nested if-let)
- Fix redundant_closure in rest/types.rs (use BoxID::new directly)
- Apply cargo fmt to all REST API code

These fixes resolve CI failures caused by clippy warnings.

Files changed: 10 files (REST API and Python SDK)
Replace .unwrap_or_else(BoxID::new) with .unwrap_or_default() in
boxlite/src/rest/types.rs:140.

This is more idiomatic Rust since BoxID implements Default trait.
The behavior is functionally equivalent as Default::default() delegates
to Self::new().

Resolves clippy::unwrap_or_default warning.
Separates image operations from RuntimeBackend into a dedicated ImageHandle
abstraction, following the same pattern as LiteBox for box operations.

Changes:
- Created ImageManager trait and ImageHandle struct for image operations
- LocalRuntime implements ImageManager (pull_image, list_images)
- REST runtime returns None for image_manager (unsupported)
- BoxliteRuntime.images() returns ImageHandle or error
- Removed image methods from RuntimeBackend trait
- Updated CLI commands to use runtime.images().pull() pattern
- Removed REST image types and endpoints from reference server
- Exported ImageHandle in lib.rs

Benefits:
- Consistent API pattern (runtime → handle → operations)
- Type-safe: REST runtime can't expose unsupported operations
- Clean separation: images are separate domain from runtime management
- Extensible: easy to add more image operations to handle

Refs: Plan at ~/.claude/plans/immutable-napping-blum.md
During the ImageHandle refactoring, we incorrectly changed the return
type from ImageObject to ImageInfo, breaking the CLI's method-based API.

Changes:
- ImageHandle::pull() now returns ImageObject (handle with methods)
- ImageHandle::list() still returns Vec<ImageInfo> (display metadata)
- CLI pull command restored to use methods: config_digest(), reference(), layer_count()
- Removed unnecessary to_info() conversion in LocalRuntime

This restores the correct abstraction:
- Pull → ImageObject (working handle)
- List → Vec<ImageInfo> (display data)
Removed two unused methods from ImageObject:
- manifest_digest(): Never used, already marked #[allow(dead_code)]
- to_info(): Added during REST API implementation when RuntimeBackend
  returned ImageInfo, but no longer needed after separating image
  operations into ImageManager trait

These methods were leftovers from the REST API refactoring and serve
no current purpose. Removing them follows YAGNI principle and keeps
the codebase clean.

Verified with:
- git grep '\.to_info\(\)|\.manifest_digest\(\)' → no results
- cargo build && cargo clippy → no errors
@DorianZheng DorianZheng force-pushed the feat/rest-api-python-examples branch from de50a5c to 6e388a1 Compare February 14, 2026 06:26
During rebase, ffi.rs was incorrectly resolved to keep the old full
implementation (1560 lines) instead of the new thin wrapper (504 lines)
that imports from boxlite-ffi crate.

This commit corrects the resolution by adopting main's refactored
structure:
- ffi.rs is now a thin wrapper (504 lines)
- Imports types from boxlite-ffi (error, runtime, runner modules)
- Creates C-compatible type aliases
- Delegates all operations to boxlite_ffi::ops::*

Additionally fixes boxlite-ffi/src/ops.rs to handle Result return type
from runtime.metrics() method.

No functionality is lost - all code is in boxlite-ffi crate.
Aligns Rust internal type name with the exported Python class name
(BoxliteRestOptions) for better consistency and maintainability.

This follows the established naming convention where Rust types reflect
their Python exports:
- PyBoxOptions → BoxOptions
- PyCopyOptions → CopyOptions
- PyBoxlite → Boxlite
- PyBoxliteRestOptions → BoxliteRestOptions (now consistent)

Changes:
- sdks/python/src/options.rs: Renamed struct and implementations
- sdks/python/src/runtime.rs: Updated import and method parameter
- sdks/python/src/lib.rs: Updated import and module export

No changes to Python API - BoxliteRestOptions remains the same for users.
Reorder imports alphabetically per Rust style guidelines.
@DorianZheng DorianZheng merged commit b6fb94f into main Feb 14, 2026
26 checks passed
@DorianZheng DorianZheng deleted the feat/rest-api-python-examples branch February 14, 2026 08:20
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