Roadmap & Future Improvements | Orbis Documentation

This page outlines the planned features, improvements, and development priorities for Orbis. Items are organized by priority and category.

Summary of Pending Features

The table below provides a comprehensive overview of all planned features across all priority levels. This table is automatically updated by GitHub Actions to sync with real issue and PR data.

Priority	Feature	Status	Issues / PRs
High	Publish `orbis-plugin-api` to crates.io	Done	Workflow
High	Deploy docs to GitHub Pages	Done	Issue
High	Build & Release Tauri Binaries with auto-updates	Planned	Search
High	Automated Testing CI/CD	Planned	Search
High	Plugin Packages System	Planned	Search
High	Pre-installed & Pre-enabled Plugins	Planned	Search
High	Plugin Permissions & Graphical Modal	Planned	Search
High	Plugin Lockdown Mode	Planned	Search
High	Non-removable & Non-disablable Plugins	Planned	Search
High	Plugin-to-Plugin IPC	Planned	Search
High	Shared State Between Plugins	Planned	Search
High	Plugin Filesystem API	Planned	Search
High	Full GUI Override Capability	Planned	Search
High	Pest-based DSL for Page Definitions	WIP	Search
High	Plugin Metadata DSL	WIP	Search
Medium	Remove Dead Plugin State Persistence Code	Planned	Search
Medium	Encrypted Data at Rest	Planned	Search
Medium	Encrypted Configuration Files	Planned	Search
Medium	Hardcoded Default CLI Variables	Planned	Search
Medium	Configuration Validation	Planned	Search
Medium	Wire Up All Features in Default GUI	Planned	Search
Medium	Fix Plugin Refresh Button	Planned	Search
Medium	Improved Plugin Loading Screen	Planned	Search
Medium	Audit All Documentation	Planned	Search
Medium	Complete Missing Documentation	Done	Search
Medium	Documentation for New Features	Planned	Search
Medium	Audit for Unused Code	Planned	Search
Medium	Consolidate Duplicate Code	Planned	Search
Medium	Implement Missing Runtime Functions	Planned	Search
Medium	Add Comprehensive Tests	Planned	Search
Medium	Error Handling Improvements	Planned	Search
Medium	Renderer Performance Optimization	Planned	Search
Medium	Database Performance	Planned	Search
Medium	Security Audit	Planned	Search
Medium	Dependency Security	Planned	Search
Medium	Secrets Management	Planned	Search
Low	Plugin Discovery & Marketplace	Planned	Search
Low	Plugin Auto-updates	Planned	Search
Low	Plugin Development Tools	Planned	Search
Low	Analytics & Telemetry	Planned	Search
Low	Internationalization (i18n)	Planned	Search

High Priority

CI/CD & Automation

GitHub Actions: Publish orbis-plugin-api to crates.io

Status: Done - Workflow implemented at .github/workflows/publish-plugin-api.yml

Features:

Triggers on tag creation (orbis-plugin-api-v*.*.*) or path changes
Automated version bump detection (checks crates.io API)
Validates tag version matches Cargo.toml
Runs tests before publishing
Manual workflow dispatch with dry-run option
Creates GitHub Release automatically
Updates README with crates.io badge

GitHub Actions: Deploy docs to GitHub Pages

Status: Done - Workflow implemented at .github/workflows/deploy-docs.yml
Trigger on changes to docs/**
Build Astro site
Deploy to gh-pages branch
Set up custom domain (optional)

GitHub Actions: Build & Release Tauri Binaries

Trigger on version tags or release branches
Multi-platform builds (Linux, macOS, Windows)
Sign binaries for macOS/Windows
Upload to GitHub Releases
Generate auto-update manifests (Tauri updater format)
Test auto-update flow in staging

GitHub Actions: Automated Testing

Run Rust tests on PR
Run TypeScript/Playwright tests
Code coverage reporting
Clippy lints
cargo deny for dependency audits

Plugin System Enhancements

Plugin Packages System

Define package manifest format (collection of plugins)
Implement package installation/removal
Support dependencies between plugins in packages
Package registry/marketplace structure

Pre-installed & Pre-enabled Plugins

Configuration mechanism for default plugins
Bundle specific plugins with distribution
Mark plugins as “system plugins” (non-removable)

Plugin Permissions & Security

Add graphical modal for permission requests
Permission types: filesystem, network, database, IPC, etc.
Skip permission prompts for pre-installed plugins
Store permission grants persistently
Revoke permissions UI in settings

Plugin Lockdown Mode

Configuration to block loading additional plugins
Configuration to block installing new plugins
Environment variable + CLI flag support
UI indication when locked down

Non-removable & Non-disablable Plugins

Add system: true flag to plugin metadata
Enforce restrictions in plugin manager
UI: hide remove/disable buttons for system plugins
Documentation for enterprise deployments

Inter-Plugin Communication

Plugin-to-Plugin IPC

Define message passing API
Event bus for plugin communication
Permission model for cross-plugin access
Examples in documentation

Shared State Between Plugins

Optional shared Zustand store mechanism
Namespace isolation
Conflict resolution strategies

Filesystem Access

Plugin Filesystem API

WASI filesystem access for plugins
Sandboxed directory access (scoped to plugin data)
Permission model for broader filesystem access
Read/write/list operations
File upload/download actions in UI schemas

GUI Override System

Full GUI Override Capability

Allow plugins to replace entire layout
Override navigation/sidebar
Custom authentication screens
Hook into app lifecycle (startup, shutdown)
Example “kiosk mode” plugin

Meta-Language for Schemas

Pest-based DSL for Page Definitions

Design cleaner syntax than JSON
Parser implementation with pest
Transpiler to JSON schema
VSCode extension for syntax highlighting
Migration guide from JSON

Plugin Metadata DSL

Cleaner format for manifest.json
Support comments and documentation inline
Validation at compile time

Core Improvements

Data Persistence & Security

Remove Dead Plugin State Persistence Code

Audit orbis/src/lib/state.ts for unused disk persistence
Remove non-functional localStorage/file writes
Clean up stale imports and utilities

Encrypted Data at Rest

Default encryption for SQLite database
Default encryption for plugin data directories
Configurable via ORBIS_ENCRYPTION_KEY env var
CLI flag: --encryption-key or --encryption-key-file
Key derivation from user password (optional)
Documentation for key management

Encrypted Configuration Files

Encrypt sensitive config values
Support for encrypted env files
Secure credential storage

Configuration & Defaults

Hardcoded Default CLI Variables

Config file format (TOML/JSON) for defaults
Precedence: CLI args > env vars > config file > hardcoded
Location: ~/.config/orbis/defaults.toml or in-app config
Include in distribution for enterprise deployments

Configuration Validation

Schema validation for config files
Clear error messages for invalid configs
Config validation CLI command

UI/UX Improvements

Wire Up All Features in Default GUI

Plugin permissions management screen
Package installation UI
Filesystem access controls
Plugin lockdown toggle
Encryption settings

Fix Plugin Refresh Button

Re-scan plugins directory
Reload plugin manifests
Update plugin list UI
Handle new/removed/updated plugins
Show diff of changes

Improved Plugin Loading Screen

Better error messages
Plugin load progress indicators
Retry failed plugins
Logs viewer for debugging

Documentation

Correctness & Completeness

Audit All Documentation

Verify code examples compile and run
Check all API signatures match current implementation
Update screenshots/demos
Fix broken internal links

Missing Documentation

Complete plugin API reference
Action system comprehensive guide
State management deep dive
Security & permissions guide
Deployment guide (Docker, systemd, etc.)
Troubleshooting section

Documentation for New Features

Plugin packages guide
Inter-plugin communication examples
Filesystem access tutorial
GUI override examples
Encryption setup guide

Code Quality & Maintenance

Dead Code Removal

Audit for Unused Code

Run cargo-udeps for unused dependencies
Remove commented-out code blocks
Remove unused imports (cargo clippy)
Remove stale TODO comments that are done or obsolete

Consolidate Duplicate Code

Refactor duplicate error handling
Extract common patterns to utilities
Reduce renderer.tsx complexity (2100+ lines)

Technical Debt

Implement Missing Runtime Functions

db::query in runtime.rs:932
db::execute in runtime.rs:970
http::request in runtime.rs:1026
events::emit in runtime.rs:1077

Add Comprehensive Tests

Unit tests for all Rust crates
Integration tests for plugin loading
E2E tests with Playwright
Security tests (fuzzing, permission bypass attempts)
Auth flow tests
Database migration tests

Error Handling Improvements

Consistent error types across crates
Better error messages for users
Error recovery strategies
Logging improvements (structured logging)

Performance

Renderer Performance Optimization

Memoize SchemaRenderer for static schemas
Optimize expression evaluation (cache results)
Virtual scrolling for large tables/lists
Lazy load plugin pages

Database Performance

Add indexes for common queries
Query optimization audit
Connection pooling tuning
Caching layer for plugin data

Security

Security Audit

Formal review of WASM sandbox configuration
Review JWT implementation
SQL injection prevention audit
XSS prevention in schema renderer
CSRF protection

Dependency Security

Set up Dependabot
Regular cargo audit runs
Pin dependency versions in production

Secrets Management

Never log sensitive data
Secure plugin credential storage
API key rotation mechanism

Future Enhancements

Plugin Marketplace

Plugin Discovery

Centralized plugin registry
Search and browse plugins
Ratings and reviews
Verified publisher badges

Plugin Updates

Auto-update mechanism for plugins
Version compatibility checking
Rollback capability

Advanced Features

Plugin Development Tools

VSCode extension for plugin development
Plugin scaffolding CLI
Live reload during development
Debug mode with better error messages

Analytics & Telemetry

Optional usage analytics
Plugin performance metrics
Crash reporting
Privacy-respecting implementation

Internationalization

i18n Support

Plugin UI localization
Core UI translations
RTL layout support
Locale detection

Known Issues

Plugin state persistence to disk is not wired up
Search modal in docs is not implemented
Core-to-plugin calling not implemented (action executor)
Some stub implementations in plugin runtime
TanStack Form integration pending
Expression syntax inconsistency ({{}} vs ${})

Backlog

Plugin versioning strategy
Plugin migration system (schema changes)
Backup and restore functionality
Export/import plugin data
Theming system for plugins
Web version (without Tauri)
Plugin templates/examples repository
Community plugins showcase
Performance benchmarking suite

Contributing

We welcome contributions! If you’d like to work on any of these items:

Check if an issue already exists on GitHub
Comment on the issue to claim it
Fork the repository and create a feature branch
Submit a pull request when ready

For questions or discussions about the roadmap, please open a GitHub Discussion.