Zero Editor

A lightweight, web-based code editor built with Rust for resource-constrained devices like the Raspberry Pi Zero.

3 MB binary. ~2-3 MB RAM. Zero dependencies.

Why?

VS Code Remote SSH is too heavy for a Pi Zero (416 MB RAM). JupyterLab is too heavy. Nano works but lacks a modern editing experience. Pi Editor fills this gap: a real code editor with syntax highlighting, file management, and an integrated terminal — all served from a single binary that barely touches your RAM.

Features

• Code Editor — CodeMirror-powered editor with syntax highlighting for Python, Rust, JavaScript, Shell, TOML, YAML, Markdown, HTML, CSS, and more
• File Explorer — Browse, open, and navigate your project directory
• Integrated Terminal — Run commands directly from the browser with command history (Up/Down arrows) and tab completion
• Run Button — One-click execution with automatic language detection:
  • .py → uv run python
  • .rs → rustc + run
  • .js → node
  • .sh → bash
• File Transfer — Drag-and-drop upload from your desktop + download button
• Keyboard Shortcuts — Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+Enter run
• Dark Theme — Dracula theme, easy on the eyes

Quick Start

Build from source

# Clone
git clone https://github.com/omrylcn/zero-editor.git
cd zero-editor

# Build
cargo build --release

# Run (edit WORKSPACE path in src/main.rs first)
./target/release/zero-editor

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

Deploy to Raspberry Pi

# Cross-compile for aarch64
cross build --release --target aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu

# Copy binary to Pi
scp target/aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu/release/zero-editor user@pi-address:~/

# SSH and run
ssh user@pi-address
./zero-editor

Then access from your desktop browser: http://<pi-ip>:3000

SSH Port Forward (optional)

ssh -L 3000:localhost:3000 user@pi-address
# Then open http://localhost:3000

Configuration

Edit the WORKSPACE constant in src/main.rs to point to your project directory:

const WORKSPACE: &str = "/home/your-user/your-project";

Tech Stack

• Backend: Rust + Actix Web (~3 MB binary, stripped + LTO)
• Frontend: CodeMirror 5 (loaded from CDN, zero storage on device)
• Dependencies: None at runtime — single static binary

Resource Usage

	Pi Editor	VS Code Remote	JupyterLab
RAM	~2-3 MB	~200+ MB	~100+ MB
Disk	3 MB	200+ MB	50+ MB
Startup	instant	10-30s	5-15s

License

MIT