# š¦ ratcrate-cli: Ratatui Ecosystem Crate Discoverer
[](LICENSE)
[](https://crates.io/crates/ratcrate-cli)
[](https://crates.io/crates/ratcrate-cli)
[](https://www.rust-lang.org/)
[](https://docs.rs/doc2quarto)[](LICENSE)
# š ļø Overview
**`ratcrate-cli`** is a fast, terminal-native command-line tool built in **Rust** for discovering, searching, and getting information about crates within the Ratatui ecosystem. It uses a smart caching strategy to provide near-instant results directly in your terminal. The project follows a standard Rust CLI structure, ensuring clear separation of responsibilities:
* **main.rs**:
- Application Logic and CLIHandles argument parsing using clap.
- Manages the top-level execution flow, prioritizing immediate exit commands (-t, -c).
- Implements the core filtering and display logic.
- Manages interaction with the external fzf command.
* **cache.rs**:
- Data PersistenceManages the data source, which is a JSON file hosted remotely.
- Calculates the cache age (set to 1 day maximum).
- Handles fetching data via reqwest and saving/loading data from the OS-specific cache directory using dirs.
* **types.rs**:
- Data ModelingDefines the data contract for the remote JSON.
- Uses serde to deserialize the data into structured CratePackage and CratesData structs.
> [!TIP]
> ### For more information, read ["The book"](https://qubitai.in/book/rat-cli/)
## āØ Features
* **Offline First:** Caches data locally and only downloads when stale (older than 1 day) or forced.
* **Fuzzy Search:** Filter crates by name or description using a command-line query.
* **Interactive Mode:** Seamless integration with **`fzf`** for interactive selection and viewing of crate details.
* **Statistical Breakdown:** Quick summary of total, core, and community packages (`-t`).
* **Flexible Output:** Supports both a clean, colored list view and an optional structured table view (`--table`).
---
## š Installation
### Prerequisites
1. **Rust Toolchain:** You need the latest stable Rust version installed via [rustup](https://rustup.rs/).
2. **fzf (Optional):** Required for the interactive mode (`-f`).
### Install from Crates.io
Once the package is published, you can install it globally:
```bash
$> cargo install ratcrate-cli
```
## Using Homebrew
```bash
$> brew tap rvbug/tap
$> brew install rvbug/tap/doc2quarto
```
> Homebrew cn be installed via `/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"`
## Build from Source
Clone the repository and build the project using Cargo:
```bash
$> git clone [https://github.com/your-username/ratcrate-cli.git](https://github.com/your-username/ratcrate-cli.git)
$> cd ratcrate-cli
$> cargo install --path
```
---
## Ń« Usage
Run `ratcrate-cli --help` for a full list of options.
| `-h, --help` | Display help information. |
| `-q, --query <QUERY>` | Search term to filter packages
| `-c, --cache-info` | Show cache info |
| `-l, --limit <LIMIT>` | Limit number of results to show [default: 10] |
| `-r, --refresh` | Force re-download of remote JSON to cache |
| `-f, --fzf` | Enable interactive mode with fzf. |
| `-t, --total` | Display total number of crates. |
| `-V, --version` | Display the version number. |
| `-h, --help` | Display help information. |
| `--table ` | Table view (requires compiling with --features table)
### Total View
```bash
$ ratcrate-cli -t
āāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāā
ā Loaded from cache
Total Crates Overview
āāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāā
Total Crates: 1686
Core Libraries: 2
Community Packages: 1684
āāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāā
Data generated at: 2025-12-04T06:10:38.648089+00:00
```
### Table View
```bash
$> cargo run --features=table -- --table
ratcrate (discover ratatui crates)
āāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāā
ā Loaded from cache
+-----------------+---------+---------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| ratatui-macros | v0.6.0 | Macros for Ratatui | 252104 | https://github.com/ratatui/ratatui |
+-----------------+---------+---------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| ratatui-widgets | v0.2.2 | A collection of Ratatui widgets for building terminal user iā¦ | 123671 | https://github.com/ratatui/ratatui |
+-----------------+---------+---------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| CLI-Rhythm | v1.0.1 | A simple and functional CLI music player. | 5092 | https://github.com/Arklingh/CLI-Rhythm |
+-----------------+---------+---------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+-----------------------------------------------------+
```
### Query
```bash
$> cargo run -- -q parser
ratcrate (discover ratatui crates)
āāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāā
ā Loaded from cache
Results: 8 / 8
Query: parser
āāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāā
1. codex_usage v0.1.1
Codex and Claude Code telemetry/usage parser, aggregate JSONL events
into CodeAnalysis results
Downloads: 262 Repo: https://github.com/Mai0313/codex_usage
āāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāā
2. keybinds v0.2.0
Platform&Framework-agnostic key binding (keyboard shortcut) dispatcher,
parser, and generator written in Safe Rust.
Downloads: 9140 Repo: https://github.com/rhysd/keybinds-rs
```
## Roadmap
- [ ] "Try" mode
- [ ] Debian and Arch Support
## š¤ Contributing
Contributions are welcome! If you have suggestions or find a bug, please open an issue or submit a pull request.
## š License
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.