Requirement Manager (MarReq)

A comprehensive web-based requirements and test management system

About MarReq

MarReq is a comprehensive web-based requirements and test management system built with Rust, Rocket, and PostgreSQL. This software provides a complete solution for managing hierarchical requirements, tests, traceability matrices, and generating reports.

Whether you're managing software requirements, system specifications, or test cases, MarReq offers a modern, intuitive interface with powerful features for organizing, tracking, and reporting on your project's requirements and tests.

✨ Features

📋 Core Management

  • Multi-Project Support: Manage multiple projects with isolated data
  • Requirements Management: Create, edit, and organize hierarchical requirements
  • Test Management: Manage tests with status tracking and source documentation
  • Traceability Matrix: Visual mapping between requirements and tests
  • User Management: Assign authors and reviewers to requirements with authentication

🏷️ Advanced Features

  • Categories: User-defined categories for organizing requirements (project-specific)
  • Applicability: Define product lines, system types, or project scopes (project-specific)
  • Status Tracking: Track requirement status (Draft, Accepted, Rejected, etc.)
  • Verification Methods: Specify verification types (Test, Analysis, Review, etc.)
  • Authentication: Secure login system with password management
  • Project Isolation: Data separation between different projects

📊 Reporting & Export

  • Excel Export: Export requirements with all fields to Excel format
  • Matrix Export: Export traceability matrix to Excel
  • ReqIF 1.2: Import and export requirements as ReqIF XML; export current project or an immutable baseline
  • Comprehensive Data: All metadata included in exports (categories, applicability, dates, etc.)

📸 Immutable Baselines

  • Project Baselines: Create point-in-time snapshots of all requirement versions and traceability
  • Immutable: Baselines and their contents cannot be updated or deleted (enforced at DB and API level)
  • Version Snapshot: Each baseline stores which requirement version was current per requirement, plus the traceability matrix at creation time
  • Export from Baseline: ReqIF and UI support exporting a specific baseline for audits or releases
  • API & UI: Create, list, and view baselines via REST API and web UI (project Baselines section)

✅ Requirement Approval Workflow

  • Detail page: Approval badge (draft / reviewed / approved), metadata (approved by, date), and actions: Mark as Reviewed and Approve Requirement (for project owners/managers) with confirmation modals
  • Edit when approved: Editing an approved requirement creates a new Draft version; user is warned and can cancel or proceed
  • Version history: Each version shows its approval state; list and detail show approval consistently
  • List view: Approval column and filters (Approved only / Not approved). Transitions are explicit and audit-friendly

🎨 Modern UI

  • Responsive Design: Works on desktop and mobile devices
  • Modern Interface: Clean, card-based layout with consistent styling
  • Intuitive Navigation: Easy-to-use interface with clear visual hierarchy
  • Professional Styling: Consistent color scheme and typography
  • Dark Mode: Full dark mode support with theme persistence

🔌 API Access

  • RESTful API: Complete programmatic access to all data
  • JSON Format: Standard JSON responses for integration
  • CRUD Operations: Full Create, Read, Update, Delete support
  • Project-Scoped: All API operations respect project boundaries

📸 Screenshots

Get a glimpse of MarReq's modern interface and powerful features:

MarReq Dashboard

Dashboard - Overview of projects and requirements

Dashboard

Main dashboard showing project overview and quick access to key features

Requirements Management

Requirements Management - Hierarchical view

Requirements Management

Create, edit, and organize hierarchical requirements with full metadata

Traceability Matrix

Traceability Matrix - Requirements to Tests mapping

Traceability Matrix

Visual mapping between requirements and tests with status indicators

Requirement Detail View

Requirement Detail - Full requirement information

Requirement Detail

Detailed view of individual requirements with all metadata and relationships

Test Management

Test Management - Organize and track test cases

Test Management

Manage test cases with status tracking and source documentation

Categories Management

Categories - Organize requirements by category

Categories & Applicability

Define custom categories and applicability options for your project

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

  • PostgreSQL: Database backend (provided via Docker)
  • Docker & Docker Compose: For database containerization
  • Rust: Programming language
  • clang / libclang-dev: Required by xlsxwriter

Installation

For a fully initialized database with pre-configured users and sample data:

  1. Start database: docker compose up -d db
  2. Initialize DB with sample data: ./scripts/setup_database.sh
  3. Start app: cargo run --bin mar_req

Then open http://localhost:8000 in your browser (all demo users use password password).

📖 User Manual

Web Interface

Requirements

Navigate to project requirements to view and manage requirements (with version history). You can:

  • Create new requirements with hierarchical structure
  • Edit existing requirements inline or via detail page
  • Filter and search requirements (including Approved only / Not approved)
  • Assign categories, applicability, authors, and reviewers
  • Track requirement status and approval (Draft → Reviewed → Approved)
  • View requirement hierarchy and version history
  • On the detail page: use Mark as Reviewed and Approve Requirement (project owners/managers)

Tests

Go to project tests to manage test cases. Features include:

  • Create and organize test cases (hierarchical)
  • Link tests to requirements via traceability matrix
  • Track test status and results
  • Document test sources and verification methods

Traceability Matrix

Visit project matrix to view the traceability matrix. This provides:

  • Visual mapping between requirements and tests
  • Status and suspect-link indicators for each requirement–test link
  • Filtering and search capabilities
  • Export to Excel

Baselines

From the project dashboard or nav, open Baselines to:

  • Create immutable point-in-time snapshots (current requirement versions + traceability)
  • View baseline contents and metadata
  • Export a specific baseline as ReqIF for audits or releases

Categories & Applicability

Manage project-specific metadata:

  • Categories: Access project categories to create and manage requirement categories
  • Applicability: Visit project applicability to define product lines, system types, or project scopes

Export Features

  • Requirements Export: Click "Export Excel" on the requirements page or homepage
  • Matrix Export: Click "Export Excel" on the matrix page
  • ReqIF Export: Use "Export → ReqIF (current)" for the live project, or "ReqIF (from baseline…)" to pick a baseline and download its snapshot as ReqIF 1.2 XML
  • File Format: Excel as .xls; ReqIF as XML

Import Features

  • Excel Parser: Standalone application to parse exported Excel files and import data via API
  • ReqIF 1.2 Import: Import requirements from ReqIF XML into a project (project ReqIF/Import page)
  • Data Import: Import requirements, tests, and traceability data from Excel or ReqIF
  • API Integration: Seamless integration with the main application's REST API

🔌 API Reference

Base URL

http://localhost:8000/api

All API routes are mounted at /api. All operations are project-scoped where applicable.

Endpoints

Requirements

  • GET /requirements - List all requirements
  • GET /requirements/{id} - Get specific requirement
  • GET /requirements/{id}/versions - List versions (newest first)
  • GET /requirements/{req_id}/versions/{version_id} - Get specific version
  • PUT /requirements/{req_id}/versions/{version_id}/approval - Set approval state (body: state: "reviewed" | "approved"; project owners/managers)
  • POST /requirements - Create new requirement
  • PATCH /requirements/{id} - Partially update supported fields
  • DELETE /requirements/{id} - Delete requirement

Tests

  • GET /tests - List all tests
  • GET /tests/{id} - Get specific test
  • POST /tests - Create new test
  • POST /tests/{id}/field - Partially update a test field (body: field, value)
  • DELETE /tests/{id} - Delete test

Categories

  • GET /categories - List all categories
  • GET /categories/{id} - Get specific category
  • POST /categories - Create new category
  • PUT /categories/{id} - Update category
  • DELETE /categories/{id} - Delete category

Applicability

  • GET /applicability - List all applicability options
  • GET /applicability/{id} - Get specific applicability
  • POST /applicability - Create new applicability
  • PUT /applicability/{id} - Update applicability
  • DELETE /applicability/{id} - Delete applicability

Matrix

  • GET /matrix - Get traceability matrix data

Baselines (immutable snapshots)

  • GET /projects/{project_id}/baselines - List baselines
  • GET /projects/{project_id}/baselines/{baseline_id} - Get baseline metadata
  • POST /projects/{project_id}/baselines - Create baseline (body: name, description)
  • GET /projects/{project_id}/baselines/{baseline_id}/requirements - Get requirements in baseline
  • GET /projects/{project_id}/baselines/{baseline_id}/traceability - Get traceability snapshot

Users

  • GET /users - List all users
  • GET /users/{id} - Get specific user
  • POST /users - Create new user
  • DELETE /users/{id} - Delete user

Status

  • GET /status - List all status options
  • GET /status/{id} - Get specific status
  • POST /status - Create new status

Traceability

  • POST /traceability/clear_suspect - Clear suspect flag for a link (body: req_id, test_id)

Semantic search (project-scoped; when enabled)

  • GET /projects/{project_id}/requirements/semantic_search - Search by semantic similarity
  • POST /projects/{project_id}/requirements/ask - RAG answer over requirements
  • POST /projects/{project_id}/requirements/reindex - Reindex (admin)
  • GET /projects/{project_id}/requirements/index_status - Indexing status
  • GET /projects/{project_id}/requirements/semantic_search/status - Check if enabled

Example API Usage

# Get all requirements
curl http://localhost:8000/api/requirements

# Create a new category
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/categories \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title": "API", "description": "API requirements", "tag": "API"}'

# Export requirements to Excel
curl -O http://localhost:8000/requirements.xls

🛠️ Technology Stack

  • Backend: Rust with Rocket web framework
  • Database: PostgreSQL with Diesel ORM
  • Frontend: Handlebars templates with custom CSS
  • Reports: Excel generation with xlsxwriter
  • Containerization: Docker for database

🔗 Resources