Dashboard research - similar products (no clone)¶
Sources: GitHub READMEs / raw UI files / docs / DeepWiki (viewed via API & web; no repo clones).
Peers surveyed¶
| Product | Kind | Primary "home" |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Security | Mass-market endpoint | Security at a glance - status tiles |
| Tailscale home-view | Network client | Device name + Connected/Offline + one control |
| LuLu | App firewall | Tray-first; window = Rules / Settings (no heavy dashboard) |
| OpenSnitch | App firewall | Stats tabs (Events/Rules/...) + Running status |
| Portmaster | Privacy firewall | Opens on Network Monitor; tray = status colors |
| AdGuard Home | DNS protection | Protection toggle + counters + top blocked |
| Pi-hole | DNS protection | 4 stat tiles + charts + tops |
| NextDNS | DNS protection | Green "using NextDNS" + analytics/logs |
What good homes put first¶
- Binary protection state - Protected / Off / Needs attention (Win Security green/yellow/red; Tailscale Connected/Offline; AdGuard protectionEnabled; OpenSnitch Running).
- One primary control - Turn protection on/off (or temporary disable). Everything else secondary.
- Proof it works - last threat / last block / "0 threats" / blocked count (Win Current threats; AdGuard/Pi-hole blocked; DenyOut last block).
- Way into history - not the table itself on home (LuLu/Portmaster keep logs elsewhere; Pi-hole/AdGuard are admin products so they put stats on home).
- Failure visibility - tray color + in-window banner (OpenSnitch icons; Tailscale red error; Win red tile).
What power tools put on home (avoid for Safe-first)¶
- Live connection grids (Portmaster Network Monitor as default).
- Multi-tab stats (OpenSnitch Events/Nodes/Rules/Hosts/Processes).
- Charts + top domains + clients (Pi-hole / AdGuard) - great for operators, noisy for browse-and-forget.
- Mode jargon (Safe desktop / Agents only) before status English.
Pattern split¶
| Audience | Home content |
|---|---|
| Consumer / Safe-first (DenyOut target) | Status sentence + On/Off + last event + link to History |
| Operator / homelab (Pi-hole, AdGuard) | Stats tiles + charts + tops |
| Power firewall (OpenSnitch, Portmaster default) | Live monitor / rules as primary |
DenyOut should follow consumer (Win Security + Tailscale mini), borrow one operator cue (optional small "blocked today" count), never open as live monitor.
Ideal simple DenyOut Home (synthesis)¶
Normative requirements (authoritative): home.md v2.
[ Status: You are protected | Protection is off | Needs your help ]
[ one line of calm support ]
[ primary: Turn off | Turn on Protect computer ]
[ Last blocked ] or [ Nothing blocked yet - that is OK ]
host - human why - Allow this site - See history
[ optional, quiet ] Blocked today: N
[ doors, not peers ] Settings - (For AI tools -> My agents)
Must answer in 5 seconds: Am I protected? What do I do? Did anything scary happen?
Must not: reason codes, Filters, Jump, Agents only, IPC/health grid, charts, equal-weight secondary screens.
Takeaways for DenyOut¶
| Keep / strengthen | Avoid copying |
|---|---|
| Status-first hero (already) | Pi-hole 4-tile chart grid as default |
| Last-block decision card | OpenSnitch/Portmaster as home |
| Green/yellow/red urgency | Mode names as the headline |
| Tray = status; window = rare | Equal-weight nav of power screens |
| Empty = good news | Empty = "go test Advanced" |