NiceBlocks

A modern, Go-based alternative to badblocks with a real-time web interface.

Features

• Random Pattern Test — Read-write verification using AES-CTR keystream (hardware-accelerated via AES-NI)
• Web Dashboard — Responsive UI built with HTMX and Tailwind CSS, with live progress grid, throughput heatmap, and SMART details
• SMART Monitoring — Temperature-based thermal throttling with auto-pause/resume and critical abort
• Protocol Support — NVMe, SATA (including USB-to-SATA bridges), and SCSI drives
• Single Binary — Compiles into a zero-dependency static binary
• CSRF Protection — Double-submit cookie pattern on all state-changing requests
• Optional Auth — HTTP Basic Auth via PASSWORD env var or -password flag

Installation

From .deb package (Debian/Ubuntu)

Download the package for your architecture from the latest release, then:

sudo dpkg -i niceblocks_*.deb

From source

Requires Go 1.26+:

git clone https://github.com/robindubreuil/niceblocks.git
cd niceblocks
go build -o niceblocks ./cmd/niceblocks

Usage

sudo niceblocks

Access the dashboard at http://localhost:8080.

Root privileges are required to access block devices directly.

Options

Flag	Env var	Default	Description
-port	PORT	8080	Port to listen on
-password	PASSWORD	(none)	Optional UI password (HTTP Basic Auth)

Systemd

sudo systemctl enable --now niceblocks

Configure port and password via environment variables in the service override:

sudo systemctl edit niceblocks

[Service]
Environment=PORT=8080
Environment=PASSWORD=your-password

Supported Architectures

Pre-built .deb packages are available for:

Architecture	Debian name	Use case
x86-64	amd64	PCs, servers
ARM64	arm64	Raspberry Pi 4/5, ARM servers
ARM hard-float	armhf	Older Raspberry Pi, ARM boards
RISC-V 64	riscv64	RISC-V boards and SBCs
ARM soft-float	armel	Old NAS, legacy ARM devices
x86 (32-bit)	i386	Legacy 32-bit systems

Development

make build    # Build the binary
make run      # Build and run (requires sudo)
make test     # Run tests with race detector
make clean    # Remove build artifacts

License

This project includes code from smart.go (see local/smart.go/LICENSE).