Getting Started with LensCore

Welcome to LensCore! This guide will help you get up and running with our accessibility testing and web crawling platform.

What is LensCore?

LensCore is an open-source platform that combines:

• Accessibility Testing powered by axe-core
• Intelligent Web Crawling with Puppeteer
• AI-Enhanced Analysis using OpenAI (optional)
• Comprehensive Reporting in HTML and JSON formats

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• Node.js >= 20.0.0
• Docker (for containerized deployment)
• npm or yarn package manager
• OpenAI API Key (optional, for AI features)

Installation

Global Installation

Install LensCore globally via npm:

npm install -g @accesstime/lenscore

Or using yarn:

yarn global add @accesstime/lenscore

Verify Installation

Check that LensCore is installed correctly:

lens-core --version

Configuration

Initial Setup

Run the setup wizard to configure LensCore:

lens-core setup --port 3001

This will:

• Create configuration file at ~/.lenscore/config.json
• Set up Docker environment
• Configure API port
• Optionally set up OpenAI integration

Manual Configuration

You can also manually edit the configuration file:

{
  "mode": "local",
  "docker": {
    "image": "lenscore:latest",
    "port": 3001
  },
  "remote": {
    "baseUrl": "http://localhost:3001"
  },
  "openai": {
    "apiKey": "",
    "model": "gpt-3.5-turbo",
    "enabled": false
  },
  "project": {
    "framework": "",
    "cssFramework": "",
    "language": "",
    "buildTool": ""
  }
}

Environment Variables

You can also configure LensCore using environment variables:

• LENSCORE_PORT: API server port (default: 3001)
• OPENAI_API_KEY: Your OpenAI API key
• CACHE_TYPE: Cache type (memory|redis|none)
• CACHE_TTL: Cache time-to-live in seconds
• CACHE_MAX_SIZE: Maximum cache size

Quick Start

1. Initial Setup

Run the interactive setup wizard to configure LensCore for your project:

lens-core setup

This will guide you through:

• Creating lenscore.config.json
• Configuring accessibility test rules
• Setting up AI features (optional)
• Choosing cache strategy
• Project metadata

Example with custom port:

lens-core setup --port 8080

This allows you to specify a custom port for the API server.

2. Build and Start Services

After setup, build and start the services:

lens-core build

This command will:

• Build Docker image
• Start services in containers
• Initialize the API server

3. Check Service Status

lens-core status

You should see:

✓ Docker daemon is running
✓ Container lenscore is running
✓ API is healthy

4. Test a Single Page

Run your first accessibility test:

lens-core test https://example.com

This will:

• Load the webpage
• Run accessibility tests
• Generate a report
• Output results to console

5. Test with AI Analysis

Enable AI-powered recommendations:

lens-core test https://example.com --enable-ai

6. Generate HTML Report

Create a visual HTML report:

lens-core test https://example.com --web

The report will be saved to web/output/ directory.

Basic Usage Examples

Test Multiple Pages

lens-core test-multiple \
  https://example.com \
  https://example.com/about \
  https://example.com/contact

Crawl a Website

Discover and list all pages on a website:

lens-core crawl https://example.com --max-urls 50

Full Website Scan

Crawl and test an entire website:

lens-core scan https://example.com \
  --max-urls 50 \
  --max-depth 3 \
  --enable-ai \
  --web

Using the API

LensCore provides a RESTful API that you can use from any HTTP client.

Start the API Server

lens-core up

Test a Page via API

curl -X POST http://localhost:3001/api/test \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://example.com",
    "enableAI": false
  }'

Check API Health

curl http://localhost:3001/api/health

Project Structure

When you run LensCore, it creates the following structure:

~/.lenscore/
├── config.json          # Configuration file
├── logs/                # Application logs
│   ├── combined.log
│   └── error.log
└── cache/               # Cache directory

./
├── storage/             # Screenshot storage
│   └── screenshots/
└── web/                 # HTML reports
    └── output/

Configuration Options

Docker Configuration

# Set custom port
lens-core config --set "docker.port=3002"

# Check current configuration
lens-core config --list

OpenAI Configuration

# Set API key
lens-core config --set "openai.apiKey=sk-..."

# Enable AI features
lens-core config --set "openai.enabled=true"

# Set model
lens-core config --set "openai.model=gpt-4"

Project Context

Set project context for better AI recommendations:

lens-core config --set "project.framework=react"
lens-core config --set "project.cssFramework=tailwind"

Troubleshooting

Docker Not Running

If you see "Docker daemon is not running":

# Start Docker Desktop (macOS/Windows)
# Or start Docker service (Linux)
sudo systemctl start docker

Port Already in Use

If port 3001 is already in use:

lens-core setup --port 3002

Permission Issues

If you encounter permission errors:

# Linux/macOS
sudo chown -R $USER ~/.lenscore

# Check permissions
ls -la ~/.lenscore/

Cache Issues

Clear the cache if you experience issues:

# Via API
curl -X DELETE http://localhost:3001/api/cache/clear

# Or restart services
lens-core down
lens-core up

Next Steps

Now that you have LensCore set up, you can:

• Explore CLI Commands - Learn all available commands and options
• Read API Documentation - Integrate LensCore into your applications
• Learn About Accessibility - Understand WCAG guidelines
• Contribute to LensCore - Help improve the project

Getting Help

If you need help:

• Check our GitHub Issues
• Read the CLI documentation
• Review the API reference
• Join our community discussions

Updates

Keep LensCore up to date:

# Check for updates
npm outdated -g @accesstime/lenscore

# Update to latest version
npm update -g @accesstime/lenscore

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Ready to dive deeper? Check out the CLI Documentation for comprehensive command reference!