User Guide¶
This guide explains how to operate the ElasticBLAST Control Plane from the browser. It is organised around the main product surfaces researchers use during a BLAST workflow.
TL;DR
Researchers move through five surfaces: Dashboard (readiness), New Search (submit), Recent searches (track), Results (inspect + download), and Terminal (advanced shell). The API Reference page is for developers who want to drive the backend directly.
Workflow¶
- Open the Dashboard to confirm Azure resources are ready (AKS, Storage, ACR, terminal sidecar, BLAST databases).
- Create a search in New Search, starting from the BLAST program and finishing with a command preview.
- Track progress in Recent searches and open a job to see live status.
- Review and download outputs on the Results page.
- Use the Browser Terminal only when command-line inspection is needed — the in-browser shell runs inside the control-plane environment, no laptop tools required.
- Use the API Reference when you need to integrate an external client or test a single endpoint.
Pages at a Glance¶
| Page | App route | Primary screenshot |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard | / |
docs/images/screenshots/dashboard-overview-desktop.png |
| New Search | /blast/submit |
docs/images/screenshots/new-search-desktop.png |
| Recent searches | /blast/jobs |
docs/images/screenshots/jobs-desktop.png |
| Results | /blast/jobs/{jobId} |
docs/images/screenshots/results-desktop.png |
| Browser Terminal | /terminal |
docs/images/screenshots/terminal-desktop.png |
| API Reference | /docs |
docs/images/screenshots/api-reference.png |
| UI Preview | /mock-app/ |
Static mock build — no live data |
Try Without An Azure Subscription¶
If you do not have a deployed control plane yet, open the UI Preview. It runs the same React app with fixture data and lets you click through every page below — Dashboard, New Search, Recent searches, Results, and the API Reference — without provisioning AKS, Storage, or ACR.
Screenshot Policy¶
Screenshots in this guide are captured from a controlled demo environment. Capture targets, viewports, and the redaction checklist live in docs/screenshot-capture-manifest.json; the end-to-end capture process is documented in the Screenshot Workflow. Refresh an image only when the visible state of that screen changes.