Conductor
A web-based, drag-and-drop UI builder for creating simple frontend applications backed by REST API endpoints.
Designed for IBM Concert Workflows / Rapid Infrastructure Automation, but backend-agnostic — any system that exposes HTTP/REST endpoints can be used as an integration target.
Overview
- Visual Editor — drag-and-drop canvas for placing and configuring UI components
- JSON Editor — direct access to the canonical project definition
- Preview Mode — run the application as an end user
- REST Proxy — server-side proxy for API calls; secrets never reach the browser
- AI Assistance — IBM Bob / watsonx can generate and refine project configurations
Repository Structure
conductor/
├── frontend/ # React + TypeScript UI
│ ├── public/
│ └── src/
├── backend/ # Node.js + Express + TypeScript API
│ └── src/
├── docs/ # Project documentation
│ ├── REQUIREMENTS.md
│ ├── ARCHITECTURE.md
│ ├── NICE-TO-HAVE.md
│ └── BUILD_AND_TEST_PLAN.md
├── examples/
│ └── project-definitions/
├── docker-compose.yml
└── README.md
Local Development
Prerequisites
- Node.js 20+
- npm 10+
Frontend
cd frontend
npm install
npm start
# Runs on http://localhost:3000
Backend
cd backend
npm install
npm run dev
# Runs on http://localhost:4000
The frontend development server proxies /api/* requests to http://localhost:4000.
Docker
docker-compose up --build
# Frontend: http://localhost:3000
# Backend: http://localhost:4000
Documentation
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| TESTING.md | Detailed manual test workflows and acceptance records |
| docs/REQUIREMENTS.md | Full product requirements |
| docs/ARCHITECTURE.md | Technical architecture |
| docs/NICE-TO-HAVE.md | Future enhancements |
| docs/BUILD_AND_TEST_PLAN.md | Incremental build and test plan |
Stack
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Frontend | React 18, TypeScript 5 |
| Backend | Node.js 20, Express 4, TypeScript 5 |
| Database | SQLite (MVP) |
| Deployment | Docker Compose, NGINX/reverse proxy |