24 KiB
wttr.in Target Architecture (Zig)
Overview
Single Zig binary (wttr) with simplified architecture:
- One HTTP server (karlseguin/http.zig)
- One caching layer (LRU + file-backed)
- Pluggable weather provider interface
- Rate limiting as injectable middleware
- English-only (i18n can be added later)
- No cron-based prefetching (operational concern)
System Diagram
Client Request
↓
HTTP Server (http.zig)
↓
Rate Limiter (middleware)
↓
Router
↓
Request Handler
↓
Cache Check
↓ (miss)
Location Resolver
↓
Weather Provider (interface)
├─ MetNo (default)
└─ Mock (tests)
↓
Renderer
├─ ANSI
├─ JSON
├─ Line
└─ (PNG/HTML later)
↓
Cache Store
↓
Response
Module Structure
wttr/
├── build.zig
├── build.zig.zon
└── src/
├── main.zig # Entry point, server setup
├── config.zig # Configuration
├── http/
│ ├── server.zig # HTTP server wrapper
│ ├── router.zig # Route matching
│ ├── handler.zig # Request handlers
│ └── middleware.zig # Rate limiter (Token Bucket)
├── cache/
│ ├── cache.zig # Cache interface
│ ├── lru.zig # In-memory LRU
│ └── file.zig # File-backed storage
├── location/
│ ├── resolver.zig # Main location resolution
│ ├── geoip.zig # GeoIP wrapper (libmaxminddb)
│ ├── normalize.zig # Location normalization
│ └── geolocator.zig # HTTP client for geolocator service
├── weather/
│ ├── provider.zig # Weather provider interface
│ ├── metno.zig # met.no implementation
│ ├── mock.zig # Mock for tests
│ └── types.zig # Weather data structures
├── render/
│ ├── ansi.zig # ANSI terminal output
│ ├── json.zig # JSON output
│ └── line.zig # One-line format
└── util/
├── ip.zig # IP address utilities
└── hash.zig # Hashing utilities
Core Components
1. HTTP Server (main.zig, http/)
Responsibilities:
- Listen on configured port
- Parse HTTP requests
- Route to handlers
- Apply middleware (rate limiting)
- Return responses
Dependencies:
- karlseguin/http.zig
Configuration:
const Config = struct {
listen_host: []const u8 = "0.0.0.0",
listen_port: u16 = 8002,
cache_size: usize = 10_000,
cache_dir: []const u8 = "/tmp/wttr-cache",
geolite_path: []const u8 = "./GeoLite2-City.mmdb",
geolocator_url: []const u8 = "http://localhost:8004",
};
Routes:
GET / → weather for IP location
GET /{location} → weather for location
GET /:help → help page
GET /files/{path} → static files
2. Rate Limiter (http/middleware.zig)
Algorithm: Token Bucket
Responsibilities:
- Track token buckets per IP
- Refill tokens at configured rate
- Consume tokens on request
- Return 429 when bucket empty
- Injectable as middleware
Interface:
pub const RateLimiter = struct {
buckets: HashMap([]const u8, TokenBucket),
config: RateLimitConfig,
allocator: Allocator,
pub fn init(allocator: Allocator, config: RateLimitConfig) !RateLimiter;
pub fn check(self: *RateLimiter, ip: []const u8) !void;
pub fn middleware(self: *RateLimiter) Middleware;
pub fn deinit(self: *RateLimiter) void;
};
pub const RateLimitConfig = struct {
capacity: u32 = 300, // Max tokens in bucket
refill_rate: u32 = 5, // Tokens per second
refill_interval_ms: u64 = 200, // Refill every 200ms (5 tokens/sec)
};
const TokenBucket = struct {
tokens: f64,
capacity: u32,
last_refill: i64, // Unix timestamp (ms)
fn refill(self: *TokenBucket, now: i64, rate: u32, interval_ms: u64) void {
const elapsed = now - self.last_refill;
const intervals = @as(f64, @floatFromInt(elapsed)) / @as(f64, @floatFromInt(interval_ms));
const new_tokens = intervals * @as(f64, @floatFromInt(rate));
self.tokens = @min(
self.tokens + new_tokens,
@as(f64, @floatFromInt(self.capacity))
);
self.last_refill = now;
}
fn consume(self: *TokenBucket, count: f64) bool {
if (self.tokens >= count) {
self.tokens -= count;
return true;
}
return false;
}
};
Implementation:
- HashMap of IP → TokenBucket
- Each request consumes 1 token
- Tokens refill at configured rate (default: 5/second)
- Bucket capacity: 300 tokens (allows bursts)
- Periodic cleanup of old buckets (not accessed in 1 hour)
Example Configuration:
// Allow 300 requests burst, then 5 req/sec sustained
const config = RateLimitConfig{
.capacity = 300,
.refill_rate = 5,
.refill_interval_ms = 200,
};
3. Cache (cache/)
Single-layer cache with two storage backends:
Interface:
pub const Cache = struct {
lru: LRU,
file_store: FileStore,
pub fn init(allocator: Allocator, config: CacheConfig) !Cache;
pub fn get(self: *Cache, key: []const u8) ?[]const u8;
pub fn put(self: *Cache, key: []const u8, value: []const u8, ttl: u64) !void;
};
pub const CacheConfig = struct {
max_entries: usize = 10_000,
file_threshold: usize = 1024, // Store to file if > 1KB
cache_dir: []const u8,
};
Cache Key:
{user_agent}:{path}:{query}:{client_ip}
Storage Strategy:
- Small responses (<1KB): In-memory LRU only
- Large responses (≥1KB): LRU stores file path, data on disk
- TTL: 1000-2000s (randomized to prevent thundering herd)
LRU Implementation:
pub const LRU = struct {
map: HashMap([]const u8, Entry),
list: DoublyLinkedList([]const u8),
max_entries: usize,
const Entry = struct {
value: []const u8,
expires: i64,
node: *Node,
};
pub fn get(self: *LRU, key: []const u8) ?[]const u8;
pub fn put(self: *LRU, key: []const u8, value: []const u8, expires: i64) !void;
};
4. Location Resolver (location/)
Responsibilities:
- Parse location from URL
- Normalize location names
- Resolve IP to location (GeoIP)
- Resolve names to coordinates (geolocator)
- Handle special prefixes (~, @)
Interface:
pub const LocationResolver = struct {
geoip: GeoIP,
geolocator_url: []const u8,
allocator: Allocator,
pub fn init(allocator: Allocator, config: LocationConfig) !LocationResolver;
pub fn resolve(self: *LocationResolver, location: ?[]const u8, client_ip: []const u8) !Location;
};
pub const Location = struct {
name: []const u8, // "London" or "51.5074,-0.1278"
display_name: ?[]const u8, // Override for display
country: ?[]const u8, // "GB"
source_ip: []const u8, // Client IP
};
Resolution Logic:
fn resolve(location: ?[]const u8, client_ip: []const u8) !Location {
// 1. Empty/null → Use client IP
if (location == null) return resolveIP(client_ip);
// 2. IP address → Resolve to location
if (isIP(location)) return resolveIP(location);
// 3. @domain → Resolve domain to IP, then location
if (location[0] == '@') return resolveDomain(location[1..]);
// 4. ~search → Use geolocator
if (location[0] == '~') return geolocate(location[1..]);
// 5. Name → Normalize and use
return Location{
.name = normalize(location),
.display_name = null,
.country = null,
.source_ip = client_ip,
};
}
GeoIP:
- Wraps libmaxminddb C library via @cImport
- Built from source using Zig build system (not system library)
- Exposes clean Zig interface
- Hides C implementation details
Build Integration: The libmaxminddb library will be built as part of the Zig build process:
- Source code vendored in
vendor/libmaxminddb/ - Compiled using
b.addStaticLibrary()orb.addObject() - Linked into the main binary
- No system library dependency required
// location/geoip.zig
const c = @cImport({
@cInclude("maxminddb.h");
});
pub const GeoIP = struct {
mmdb: c.MMDB_s,
allocator: Allocator,
pub fn init(allocator: Allocator, db_path: []const u8) !GeoIP {
var self = GeoIP{
.mmdb = undefined,
.allocator = allocator,
};
const path_z = try allocator.dupeZ(u8, db_path);
defer allocator.free(path_z);
const status = c.MMDB_open(path_z.ptr, c.MMDB_MODE_MMAP, &self.mmdb);
if (status != c.MMDB_SUCCESS) {
return error.GeoIPOpenFailed;
}
return self;
}
pub fn lookup(self: *GeoIP, ip: []const u8) !?GeoIPResult {
const ip_z = try self.allocator.dupeZ(u8, ip);
defer self.allocator.free(ip_z);
var gai_error: c_int = 0;
var mmdb_error: c_int = 0;
const result = c.MMDB_lookup_string(
&self.mmdb,
ip_z.ptr,
&gai_error,
&mmdb_error
);
if (gai_error != 0 or mmdb_error != c.MMDB_SUCCESS) {
return null;
}
if (!result.found_entry) {
return null;
}
// Extract city and country
var entry_data: c.MMDB_entry_data_s = undefined;
const city = blk: {
const status = c.MMDB_get_value(
&result.entry,
&entry_data,
"city", "names", "en", null
);
if (status == c.MMDB_SUCCESS and entry_data.has_data) {
const str = entry_data.utf8_string[0..entry_data.data_size];
break :blk try self.allocator.dupe(u8, str);
}
break :blk null;
};
const country = blk: {
const status = c.MMDB_get_value(
&result.entry,
&entry_data,
"country", "names", "en", null
);
if (status == c.MMDB_SUCCESS and entry_data.has_data) {
const str = entry_data.utf8_string[0..entry_data.data_size];
break :blk try self.allocator.dupe(u8, str);
}
break :blk null;
};
return GeoIPResult{
.city = city,
.country = country,
};
}
pub fn deinit(self: *GeoIP) void {
c.MMDB_close(&self.mmdb);
}
};
pub const GeoIPResult = struct {
city: ?[]const u8,
country: ?[]const u8,
pub fn deinit(self: GeoIPResult, allocator: Allocator) void {
if (self.city) |city| allocator.free(city);
if (self.country) |country| allocator.free(country);
}
};
5. Weather Provider (weather/)
Interface (pluggable):
pub const WeatherProvider = struct {
ptr: *anyopaque,
vtable: *const VTable,
pub const VTable = struct {
fetch: *const fn (ptr: *anyopaque, location: []const u8) anyerror!WeatherData,
deinit: *const fn (ptr: *anyopaque) void,
};
pub fn fetch(self: WeatherProvider, location: []const u8) !WeatherData {
return self.vtable.fetch(self.ptr, location);
}
};
pub const WeatherData = struct {
location: []const u8,
current: CurrentCondition,
forecast: []ForecastDay,
pub const CurrentCondition = struct {
temp_c: f32,
temp_f: f32,
condition: []const u8,
weather_code: u16,
humidity: u8,
wind_kph: f32,
wind_dir: []const u8,
pressure_mb: f32,
precip_mm: f32,
};
pub const ForecastDay = struct {
date: []const u8,
max_temp_c: f32,
min_temp_c: f32,
condition: []const u8,
weather_code: u16,
hourly: []HourlyForecast,
};
pub const HourlyForecast = struct {
time: []const u8,
temp_c: f32,
condition: []const u8,
weather_code: u16,
wind_kph: f32,
precip_mm: f32,
};
};
MetNo Implementation:
pub const MetNo = struct {
allocator: Allocator,
http_client: HttpClient,
pub fn init(allocator: Allocator) !MetNo;
pub fn provider(self: *MetNo) WeatherProvider;
pub fn fetch(self: *MetNo, location: []const u8) !WeatherData;
};
Mock Implementation (for tests):
pub const MockWeather = struct {
allocator: Allocator,
responses: HashMap([]const u8, WeatherData),
pub fn init(allocator: Allocator) !MockWeather;
pub fn provider(self: *MockWeather) WeatherProvider;
pub fn addResponse(self: *MockWeather, location: []const u8, data: WeatherData) !void;
pub fn fetch(self: *MockWeather, location: []const u8) !WeatherData;
};
6. Renderers (render/)
ANSI Renderer:
pub const AnsiRenderer = struct {
pub fn render(allocator: Allocator, data: WeatherData, options: RenderOptions) ![]const u8;
};
pub const RenderOptions = struct {
narrow: bool = false,
days: u8 = 3,
use_imperial: bool = false,
no_caption: bool = false,
};
Output Format:
Weather for: London, GB
\ / Clear
.-. 10 – 11 °C
― ( ) ― ↑ 11 km/h
`-' 10 km
/ \ 0.0 mm
JSON Renderer:
pub const JsonRenderer = struct {
pub fn render(allocator: Allocator, data: WeatherData) ![]const u8;
};
One-Line Renderer:
pub const LineRenderer = struct {
pub fn render(allocator: Allocator, data: WeatherData, format: []const u8) ![]const u8;
};
// Formats:
// 1: "London: ⛅️ +7°C"
// 2: "London: ⛅️ +7°C 🌬️↗11km/h"
// 3: "London: ⛅️ +7°C 🌬️↗11km/h 💧65%"
// Custom: "%l: %c %t" → "London: ⛅️ +7°C"
7. Request Handler (http/handler.zig)
Main handler flow:
pub const HandleWeatherOptions = struct {
cache: *Cache,
resolver: *LocationResolver,
provider: WeatherProvider,
};
pub fn handleWeather(
req: *http.Request,
res: *http.Response,
options: HandleWeatherOptions,
) !void {
// 1. Parse request
const location = parseLocation(req.url.path);
const render_opts = parseOptions(req.url.query);
const client_ip = getClientIP(req);
// 2. Generate cache key
const cache_key = try generateCacheKey(req, client_ip);
// 3. Check cache
if (options.cache.get(cache_key)) |cached| {
return res.write(cached);
}
// 4. Resolve location
const resolved = try options.resolver.resolve(location, client_ip);
// 5. Fetch weather
const weather = try options.provider.fetch(resolved.name);
// 6. Render
const output = try renderWeather(weather, render_opts);
// 7. Cache
const ttl = 1000 + std.crypto.random.intRangeAtMost(u64, 0, 1000);
try options.cache.put(cache_key, output, ttl);
// 8. Return
return res.write(output);
}
Configuration
Environment Variables:
WTTR_LISTEN_HOST=0.0.0.0
WTTR_LISTEN_PORT=8002
WTTR_CACHE_SIZE=10000
WTTR_CACHE_DIR=/tmp/wttr-cache
WTTR_GEOLITE_PATH=./GeoLite2-City.mmdb
WTTR_GEOLOCATOR_URL=http://localhost:8004
Config File (optional):
// config.zig
pub const Config = struct {
listen_host: []const u8,
listen_port: u16,
cache_size: usize,
cache_dir: []const u8,
geolite_path: []const u8,
geolocator_url: []const u8,
pub fn load(allocator: Allocator) !Config {
return Config{
.listen_host = std.os.getenv("WTTR_LISTEN_HOST") orelse "0.0.0.0",
.listen_port = parsePort(std.os.getenv("WTTR_LISTEN_PORT")) orelse 8002,
.cache_size = parseSize(std.os.getenv("WTTR_CACHE_SIZE")) orelse 10_000,
.cache_dir = std.os.getenv("WTTR_CACHE_DIR") orelse "/tmp/wttr-cache",
.geolite_path = std.os.getenv("WTTR_GEOLITE_PATH") orelse "./GeoLite2-City.mmdb",
.geolocator_url = std.os.getenv("WTTR_GEOLOCATOR_URL") orelse "http://localhost:8004",
};
}
};
Dependencies
External (Zig packages):
- karlseguin/http.zig - HTTP server
- rockorager/zeit - Time utilities
Vendored (built from source):
- libmaxminddb - GeoIP lookups (C library, built with Zig build system)
Standard Library:
- std.http.Client - HTTP client for weather APIs
- std.json - JSON parsing/serialization
- std.HashMap - Cache and rate limiter storage
- std.crypto.random - Random TTL generation
Build Configuration
build.zig:
const std = @import("std");
pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
const target = b.standardTargetOptions(.{});
const optimize = b.standardOptimizeOption(.{});
// Build libmaxminddb from source
const maxminddb = b.addStaticLibrary(.{
.name = "maxminddb",
.target = target,
.optimize = optimize,
});
maxminddb.linkLibC();
maxminddb.addIncludePath(.{ .path = "vendor/libmaxminddb/include" });
maxminddb.addCSourceFiles(.{
.files = &.{
"vendor/libmaxminddb/src/maxminddb.c",
"vendor/libmaxminddb/src/data-pool.c",
},
.flags = &.{"-std=c99"},
});
const exe = b.addExecutable(.{
.name = "wttr",
.root_source_file = .{ .path = "src/main.zig" },
.target = target,
.optimize = optimize,
});
// Add http.zig dependency
const http = b.dependency("http", .{
.target = target,
.optimize = optimize,
});
exe.root_module.addImport("http", http.module("http"));
// Add zeit dependency
const zeit = b.dependency("zeit", .{
.target = target,
.optimize = optimize,
});
exe.root_module.addImport("zeit", zeit.module("zeit"));
// Link libmaxminddb (built from source)
exe.linkLibrary(maxminddb);
exe.addIncludePath(.{ .path = "vendor/libmaxminddb/include" });
exe.linkLibC();
b.installArtifact(exe);
// Tests
const tests = b.addTest(.{
.root_source_file = .{ .path = "src/main.zig" },
.target = target,
.optimize = optimize,
});
tests.root_module.addImport("http", http.module("http"));
tests.root_module.addImport("zeit", zeit.module("zeit"));
tests.linkLibrary(maxminddb);
tests.addIncludePath(.{ .path = "vendor/libmaxminddb/include" });
tests.linkLibC();
const run_tests = b.addRunArtifact(tests);
const test_step = b.step("test", "Run tests");
test_step.dependOn(&run_tests.step);
}
Project Structure:
wttr/
├── build.zig
├── build.zig.zon
├── vendor/
│ └── libmaxminddb/ # Vendored libmaxminddb source
│ ├── include/
│ │ └── maxminddb.h
│ └── src/
│ ├── maxminddb.c
│ └── data-pool.c
└── src/
└── ...
build.zig.zon:
.{
.name = "wttr",
.version = "0.1.0",
.dependencies = .{
.http = .{
.url = "https://github.com/karlseguin/http.zig/archive/refs/tags/v0.1.0.tar.gz",
.hash = "...",
},
.zeit = .{
.url = "https://github.com/rockorager/zeit/archive/refs/tags/v0.1.0.tar.gz",
.hash = "...",
},
},
.paths = .{
"build.zig",
"build.zig.zon",
"src",
},
}
Testing Strategy
Unit Tests:
// cache/lru.zig
test "LRU basic operations" {
var lru = try LRU.init(testing.allocator, 3);
defer lru.deinit();
try lru.put("key1", "value1", 9999999999);
try testing.expectEqualStrings("value1", lru.get("key1").?);
}
test "LRU eviction" {
var lru = try LRU.init(testing.allocator, 2);
defer lru.deinit();
try lru.put("key1", "value1", 9999999999);
try lru.put("key2", "value2", 9999999999);
try lru.put("key3", "value3", 9999999999);
try testing.expect(lru.get("key1") == null); // Evicted
try testing.expectEqualStrings("value2", lru.get("key2").?);
}
// weather/mock.zig
test "mock weather provider" {
var mock = try MockWeather.init(testing.allocator);
defer mock.deinit();
const data = WeatherData{ /* ... */ };
try mock.addResponse("London", data);
const provider = mock.provider();
const result = try provider.fetch("London");
try testing.expectEqual(data.current.temp_c, result.current.temp_c);
}
// http/middleware.zig
test "rate limiter enforces limits" {
const zeit = @import("zeit");
var limiter = try RateLimiter.init(testing.allocator, .{
.capacity = 10,
.refill_rate = 1,
.refill_interval_ms = 1000,
});
defer limiter.deinit();
// Consume all tokens
var i: usize = 0;
while (i < 10) : (i += 1) {
try limiter.check("1.2.3.4");
}
// Next request should fail
try testing.expectError(error.RateLimitExceeded, limiter.check("1.2.3.4"));
// Wait for refill (1 second = 1 token)
std.time.sleep(1_100_000_000); // 1.1 seconds
// Should succeed now
try limiter.check("1.2.3.4");
}
test "rate limiter allows bursts" {
var limiter = try RateLimiter.init(testing.allocator, .{
.capacity = 100,
.refill_rate = 5,
.refill_interval_ms = 200,
});
defer limiter.deinit();
// Should allow 100 requests immediately (burst)
var i: usize = 0;
while (i < 100) : (i += 1) {
try limiter.check("1.2.3.4");
}
// 101st should fail
try testing.expectError(error.RateLimitExceeded, limiter.check("1.2.3.4"));
}
Integration Tests:
test "end-to-end weather request" {
var mock = try MockWeather.init(testing.allocator);
defer mock.deinit();
// Setup mock data
try mock.addResponse("London", test_weather_data);
// Create server components
var cache = try Cache.init(testing.allocator, .{});
defer cache.deinit();
var resolver = try LocationResolver.init(testing.allocator, .{});
defer resolver.deinit();
// Simulate request
const output = try handleWeatherRequest(
"London",
&cache,
&resolver,
mock.provider(),
);
defer testing.allocator.free(output);
try testing.expect(std.mem.indexOf(u8, output, "London") != null);
try testing.expect(std.mem.indexOf(u8, output, "°C") != null);
}
Deployment
Single Binary:
# Build
zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseFast
# Run
./zig-out/bin/wttr
# With config
WTTR_LISTEN_PORT=8080 ./zig-out/bin/wttr
Docker:
FROM alpine:latest
COPY zig-out/bin/wttr /usr/local/bin/wttr
COPY GeoLite2-City.mmdb /data/GeoLite2-City.mmdb
ENV WTTR_GEOLITE_PATH=/data/GeoLite2-City.mmdb
EXPOSE 8002
CMD ["/usr/local/bin/wttr"]
Performance Targets
Latency:
- Cache hit: <1ms
- Cache miss: <100ms (depends on weather API)
- P95: <150ms
- P99: <300ms
Throughput:
-
10,000 req/s (cached)
-
1,000 req/s (uncached)
Memory:
- Base: <50MB
- With 10,000 cache entries: <200MB
- Binary size: <5MB
Future Enhancements (Not in Initial Version)
- i18n Support - Add translation system
- PNG Rendering - Add image output
- HTML Output - Add web browser support
- v2 Format - Data-rich experimental format
- Prometheus Format - Metrics output
- Moon Phases - Special moon queries
- Multiple Weather Providers - WWO, OpenWeather, etc.
- Metrics/Observability - Prometheus metrics, structured logging
- Admin API - Cache stats, health checks
Migration from Current System
Phase 1: Parallel Deployment
- Deploy Zig version on different port (8003)
- Route 1% of traffic to Zig version
- Monitor errors and performance
- Compare outputs
Phase 2: Gradual Rollout
- Increase traffic to 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%
- Monitor at each step
- Rollback if issues
Phase 3: Cutover
- Switch all traffic to Zig version
- Keep Python/Go as backup for 1 week
- Decommission old system
Success Criteria
Functional:
- All core endpoints work (/, /{location}, /:help)
- ANSI output matches current system
- JSON output matches current system
- One-line formats work
- Location resolution works (IP, name, coordinates)
- Rate limiting works
- Caching works
Performance:
- Latency ≤ current system
- Throughput ≥ current system
- Memory ≤ current system
- Binary size <10MB
Quality:
- >80% test coverage
- No memory leaks (valgrind clean)
- No crashes under load
- Clean error handling
Operational:
- Single binary deployment
- Simple configuration
- Good logging
- Easy to debug