Next-gen management console

content/posts/2026-03-24-Next-gen-management-console.adoc

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+---
+layout: post
+title:  "Next-Gen Management Console for WildFly"
+date:   2026-03-24
+tags:   hal console management
+author: hpehl
+description: Introducing halOP, the next-generation management console for WildFly — built from the ground up with modern technologies, new features, and a fresh user experience.
+---
+
+We're excited to share that we've been working on a next-generation management console for WildFly.
+At its core is https://github.com/hal/foundation[HAL Foundation,window="_blank"] — a shared foundation that provides the building blocks for WildFly's management console implementations.
+Built on top of HAL Foundation, *halOP* (HAL On Premise) is the next-gen management console and will be the successor to the existing HAL management console you know and love.
+
+halOP is a complete rewrite, built from the ground up using modern technologies like Java 21, https://github.com/google/j2cl[J2CL,window="_blank"] (Java to JavaScript transpilation), https://github.com/crysknife-io/crysknife[Crysknife CDI,window="_blank"], https://github.com/patternfly-java/patternfly-java[PatternFly Java,window="_blank"], and https://github.com/hal/elemento[Elemento,window="_blank"].
+The result is a fresh, modern user experience that makes managing your WildFly instances easier and more enjoyable.
+
+The next-gen management console was also introduced at the https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kjaMGFGtL3MPY58UCJMojLlTzl335DUm1L-P9lYk2HY/edit?tab=t.0[WildFly Community Call on December 18,2025,window="_blank"].
+If you prefer a live walkthrough, you can watch the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X43dkm1Zdm4&t=371s[recording,window="_blank"] or browse the https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1M9OETbieAw4Jkai7meYflT8eF1l_pn350fA1D3dCPW8/edit?usp=sharing[slides,window="_blank"].
+
+image::hal/dashboard.png[halOP Dashboard]
+
+== What's New
+
+The new console comes with a number of exciting features and improvements:
+
+=== Dashboard
+
+The new dashboard gives you an at-a-glance overview of your WildFly instance.
+It shows key information like the server status, WildFly and JVM version, management model version, and stability level — all in one place.
+We have lots of ideas for the dashboard and are actively looking for feedback.
+If you have suggestions for what you'd like to see on the dashboard, please join the discussion at https://github.com/hal/foundation/issues/71[#71,window="_blank"].
+
+=== Themes and Accessibility
+
+halOP supports both light and dark themes, along with a contrast selector — making it more accessible and comfortable to use in different environments.
+
+=== Stability Level Indicators
+
+Resources, attributes, operations, and parameters now display their stability levels directly in the UI.
+This helps you quickly understand which features are stable, preview, or experimental.
+
+=== Use Case-Centric Tasks
+
+A brand-new top-level *Tasks* category lets you complete complex management tasks quickly.
+Tasks combine multiple steps and operations that involve configuring different subsystems and resources.
+For example, the "Statistics" task lets you manage the `statistics-enabled` attribute across multiple resources, with filtering and expression assignment capabilities.
+We're planning to add more tasks over time.
+If you have ideas for tasks that would make your life easier, please let us know at https://github.com/hal/foundation/issues/189[#189,window="_blank"].
+
+=== Enhanced Model Browser
+
+The model browser has received significant improvements:
+
+image::hal/model-browser.png[halOP Model Browser]
+
+* *Resizable tree navigation* for a more flexible layout
+* *Forward and backward history navigation* to move between resources quickly
+* *Search functionality* for addresses, resource types, and names
+* *Direct resource navigation* via resource address input
+* *Breadcrumb navigation* reflecting the current address
+* *Clipboard copy* to copy the current resource address and paste it into the CLI
+* *Capability reference following* to jump between related resources
+* *On-the-fly dependent resource creation* to create dependent resources without losing context
+
+==== Improved Attribute and Operation Management
+
+Working with attributes and operations is now more powerful:
+
+* Filtering by name, status (defined/undefined, required/not required, deprecated/not deprecated), and mode (configuration/runtime, read-write/read-only/metric)
+* Attribute descriptions available as popovers
+* Capability links for referenced capabilities
+* Nested attribute support for both simple and complex types
+* Allowed values information and expression syntax highlighting
+* Operation filtering by name, signature, and deprecation status
+* Toggleable global operations display
+
+For a full overview of all new features — including screencasts of the statistics task and on-the-fly dependent resource creation — check out the https://github.com/hal/foundation/tree/main/whats-new#readme[What's New,window="_blank"] page.
+
+== What's Already Available
+
+halOP is already usable today!
+Here's what's ready:
+
+* The *dashboard* as the new starting page
+* The *model browser* with all the enhancements described above
+* *Theme support* (light and dark) with contrast settings
+* *Stability level indicators* across the UI
+* The new *Tasks* category with the statistics task
+
+== How to Try It Out
+
+There are several ways to get started with halOP — pick whichever works best for you.
+
+=== Bundled with WildFly
+
+halOP can be added to WildFly using the Galleon feature pack `org.jboss.hal:hal-op-feature-pack`, which is available on https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/org.jboss.hal/hal-op-feature-pack[Maven Central,window="_blank"].
+To provision a WildFly server with halOP, use the Galleon CLI:
+
+[source,shell]
+----
+galleon.sh provision provision.xml \
+    --dir=wildfly \
+    --stability-level=experimental
+----
+
+Then create a management user and start the server:
+
+[source,shell]
+----
+cd wildfly
+bin/add-user.sh -u admin -p admin --silent
+bin/standalone.sh --stability=experimental
+----
+
+Once the server is running, halOP is available at http://localhost:9990/halop.
+See the https://github.com/hal/foundation#bundled[HAL Foundation README,window="_blank"] for the full provisioning details including the `provision.xml` configuration.
+
+=== Standalone Mode
+
+You can also run halOP as a standalone single-page application that connects to any running WildFly instance.
+There are multiple options:
+
+==== JBang (Quickest Way)
+
+[source,bash]
+----
+jbang hal-op@hal
+----
+
+That's it — no installation required!
+The console will be available at http://localhost:9090.
+
+==== Container
+
+[source,bash]
+----
+podman run -p 9090:9090 quay.io/halconsole/hal-op
+----
+
+==== JVM
+
+Download the pre-built Uber-Jar from https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/org.jboss.hal/hal-op-standalone[Maven Central,window="_blank"] and run it:
+
+[source,bash]
+----
+java -jar hal-op-<version>-runner.jar
+----
+
+==== Native Binary
+
+Native binaries are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows — offering the fastest startup times.
+You can download them from the https://github.com/hal/foundation/releases[GitHub releases,window="_blank"] page, where they are attached to each release.
+
+== Get Involved
+
+WildFly and the management console are open-source projects, and we'd love your help!
+Whether you want to report a bug, request a feature, or contribute code — every bit of help is welcome.
+
+* Browse and file issues on https://github.com/hal/foundation/issues[GitHub Issues,window="_blank"]
+* Check out the https://github.com/hal/foundation/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md[contribution guidelines,window="_blank"] to get started with development
+* Watch the https://github.com/hal/foundation[HAL Foundation repository,window="_blank"] to stay up to date
+
+We're building this console for the WildFly community, and your input shapes what it becomes.
+We look forward to hearing from you!
+
+== References
+
+* https://github.com/hal/foundation[HAL Foundation,window="_blank"] — the foundation for the next-gen management console
+* https://github.com/hal/foundation/tree/main/whats-new#readme[What's New,window="_blank"] — full overview of new features with screenshots and screencasts
+* https://github.com/hal/foundation/issues[GitHub Issues,window="_blank"] — report bugs, request features, or browse open issues
+* https://github.com/hal/foundation/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md[Contributing,window="_blank"] — guidelines for contributing to the project
+* WildFly Community Call (December 2025) — live introduction and demo of the next-gen management console: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X43dkm1Zdm4&t=371s[recording,window="_blank"] | https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1M9OETbieAw4Jkai7meYflT8eF1l_pn350fA1D3dCPW8/edit?usp=sharing[slides,window="_blank"]