Introduction to VirtUI Manager

VirtUI Manager is a powerful, text-based Terminal User Interface (TUI) application designed for managing QEMU/KVM virtual machines using the libvirt Python API.

It bridges the gap between the simplicity of command-line tools and the rich functionality of GUI-based solutions like virt-manager, offering a comprehensive management experience directly from your terminal.

Why VirtUI Manager?

Managing virtual infrastructure often involves a trade-off between convenience and accessibility.

• GUI tools (virt-manager) offer great visualization but require X11 forwarding or a desktop environment, which can be slow, resource-heavy over remote connections.
• Web interfaces (Cockpit) are user-friendly but can be heavy to deploy, feature-incomplete, or lack multi-hypervisor support.
• CLI tools (virsh) are fast and scriptable but lack the intuitive "at-a-glance" overview and ease of use for complex tasks.

VirtUI Manager solves these challenges by providing a lightweight, fast, and feature-rich interface that runs entirely in the terminal. It is perfect for:

• Headless Servers: Manage VMs directly on the server without needing a graphical environment.
• Remote Management via SSH: Works flawlessly over SSH connections without the lag of X11 forwarding.
• Low-Bandwidth Environments: The text-based interface is incredibly efficient.
• Power Users: Keyboard-centric workflow for rapid management.

Key Features

🚀 Performance & Architecture

• Lightweight TUI: built with textual, requiring no X dependencies.
• Event-Driven: Uses libvirt events to update the UI in real-time, minimizing polling overhead.
• Smart Caching: Built-in caching for libvirt calls ensures a responsive interface even with large numbers of VMs.

🌐 Multi-Server Management

• Single Pane of Glass: Connect to and manage multiple local or remote libvirt servers simultaneously.
• Transhypervisor View: See VMs from different servers in a unified grid.

🛠️ Comprehensive VM Control

• Lifecycle Management: Start, Stop, Pause, Resume, Force Off, and Delete VM, etc...
• Configuration: detailed editing of CPU, Memory, Disks, Networks, and Boot options and mode.
• Snapshots & Overlays: Create, restore, and manage internal snapshots and external disk overlays.

📦 Advanced Operations

• Bulk Actions: Select multiple VMs (using patterns or manual selection) to perform mass start/stop/delete operations or configuration changes.
• Migration: Support for standard live migration and a unique Custom Migration mode for moving offline VMs with non-shared storage.
• Provisioning: Built-in wizard for installing new VMs from cached ISOs or online repositories.

🖥️ Remote Access

• VirtUI Remote Viewer: A custom-built, native graphical viewer for accessing VM consoles (VNC/SPICE) with support for USB redirection.
• Web Console: Integrated support for noVNC to access VM consoles via a web browser, even for remote servers.

Comparison

Feature	VirtUI Manager	Virt-Manager	Virsh (CLI)	Cockpit
Interface	TUI (Terminal)	GUI (GTK)	CLI (Text)	Web UI
Remote via SSH	✅ Excellent	⚠️ Slow (X11)	✅ Excellent	❌ Setup required
Headless Support	✅ Native	❌ No	✅ Native	✅ Native
Multi-Server	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Resource Usage	🟢 Low	🔴 High	🟢 Lowest	🟡 Medium
Installation	🟢 Simple (Python)	🟡 Medium	🟢 Pre-installed	🔴 Complex

Getting Started

Ready to take control of your virtualization infrastructure?

1. Check the Installation Guide to get set up.
2. Explore the Main Window to understand the interface.
3. Learn about VM Configuration to tune your machines.