Refs #2148. ## Problem `StoreObs` is the store's most numerous struct: 400k of them on a week of a busy regional network. Its lazy timestamp cache (#1481) is a `time.Time`, a `sync.Once` and a `bool`, together 40 bytes. On current master that makes the struct 200 bytes, which puts every observation in the 208-byte size class. ## Change The cache is now a single `atomic.Int64`: - `0` before the first call; - the parsed time as UTC nanoseconds after it; - or one of two sentinels: one for empty or unparseable strings, and one for times it can't hold exactly (a non-UTC offset, or outside `UnixNano`'s range). Those are re-parsed on each call so their location is preserved. Concurrent first calls may both parse; they store the same value. `StoreObs` is now 160 bytes, in the 160-byte size class: 48 bytes × 400k observations ≈ **19 MB** less heap. The first parse costs the same; cached reads now build the `time.Time` from an int. ## Tests - `TestStoreObsFitsIn160Bytes`: red commit first. - `TestStoreObsParsedTimeMatchesParse`: Z, nanosecond, offset, SQL, empty, garbage and epoch inputs give the same time and location as `time.Parse`, on the first and the cached call. - `TestStoreObsParsedTimeConcurrentFill`. - The existing `storeobs_parsedtime_test.go` still passes. - `go test ./cmd/server` passes, and `-race` passes on the ParsedTime, retransmission and observer analytics tests. ## This PR or #2149 #2149 fixes #2148 by reordering these same three fields. The two conflict, so here is how they compare. Sizes are `unsafe.Sizeof(StoreObs{})` on each branch, with Go's heap size class beside them: | | struct | heap per observation | saved per observation | saved at 400k observations | |---|---|---|---|---| | master | 200 B | 208 B | – | – | | #2149 (field reorder) | 192 B | 192 B | 16 B | ~6.4 MB | | this PR (one 8-byte field) | 160 B | 160 B | 48 B | ~19 MB | - **#2149:** a pure field reorder with no change in behaviour. It is the smallest, safest change and the easiest to review. It saves a third of what this PR does. - **This PR:** three times the saving, but more code. It adds two sentinel values, and re-parses on each call any timestamp with a non-UTC offset. The store writes UTC (`Z`), so that path is rare. It is tested against `time.Parse` on edge cases, concurrently, and under `-race`. Options: 1. **Take this PR.** #2149 then has nothing left to reorder. 2. **Take #2149 now, and this PR after it** as a follow-up for the further 32 bytes per observation. I'll rebase onto #2149 if it lands first. 3. **Take only #2149** if the smaller, simpler change is preferred. No config or UI changes. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) https://claude.ai/code/session_01KaR4xu8gVykQBkH8yG8m6H --------- Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
CoreScope
High-performance mesh network analyzer powered by Go. Sub-millisecond packet queries, ~300 MB memory for 56K+ packets, real-time WebSocket broadcast, full channel decryption.
Self-hosted, open-source MeshCore packet analyzer. Collects MeshCore packets via MQTT, decodes them in real time, and presents a full web UI with live packet feed, interactive maps, channel chat, packet tracing, and per-node analytics.
⚡ Performance
The Go backend serves all 40+ API endpoints from an in-memory packet store with 5 indexes (hash, txID, obsID, observer, node). SQLite is for persistence only — reads never touch disk.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Packet queries | < 1 ms (in-memory) |
| All API endpoints | < 100 ms |
| Memory (56K packets) | ~300 MB (vs 1.3 GB on Node.js) |
| WebSocket broadcast | Real-time to all connected browsers |
| Channel decryption | AES-128-ECB with rainbow table |
| GOMEMLIMIT (memory-constrained hosts) | set to ≥1.5× working set (e.g. 1536 MiB on a 2 GB Pi for a ~1 GB store). Lower values trigger a GC death-spiral. Configure via the GOMEMLIMIT env var or runtime.maxMemoryMB in config.json; env wins. Applies to both server and ingestor. See #1010. |
See PERFORMANCE.md for full benchmarks.
✨ Features
📡 Live Trace Map
Real-time animated map with packet route visualization, VCR-style playback controls, and a retro LCD clock. Replay the last 24 hours of mesh activity, scrub through the timeline, or watch packets flow live at up to 4× speed.
📦 Packet Feed
Filterable real-time packet stream with byte-level breakdown, Excel-like resizable columns, and a detail pane. Toggle "My Nodes" to focus on your mesh.
🗺️ Network Overview
At-a-glance mesh stats — node counts, packet volume, observer coverage.
📊 Node Analytics
Per-node deep dive with interactive charts: activity timeline, packet type breakdown, SNR distribution, hop count analysis, peer network graph, and hourly heatmap.
💬 Channel Chat
Decoded group messages with sender names, @mentions, timestamps — like reading a Discord channel for your mesh.
📱 Mobile Ready
Full experience on your phone — proper touch controls, iOS safe area support, and a compact VCR bar.
And More
- 11 Analytics Tabs — RF, topology, channels, hash stats, distance, route patterns, and more
- Node Directory — searchable list with role tabs, detail panel, QR codes, advert timeline
- Packet Tracing — follow individual packets across observers with SNR/RSSI timeline
- Observer Status — health monitoring, packet counts, uptime, per-observer analytics
- Hash Collision Matrix — detect address collisions across the mesh
- Channel Key Auto-Derivation — hashtag channels (
#channel) keys derived via SHA256 - Multi-Broker MQTT — connect to multiple brokers with per-source IATA filtering
- Dark / Light Mode — auto-detects system preference, map tiles swap too
- Theme Customizer — design your theme in-browser, export as
theme.json - Global Search — search packets, nodes, and channels (Ctrl+K)
- Shareable URLs — deep links to packets, channels, and observer detail pages
- Protobuf API Contract — typed API definitions in
proto/ - Accessible — ARIA patterns, keyboard navigation, screen reader support
Quick Start
Pre-built Image (Recommended)
No build step required — just run:
docker run -d --name corescope \
--restart=unless-stopped \
-p 80:80 -p 1883:1883 \
-v /your/data:/app/data \
ghcr.io/kpa-clawbot/corescope:latest
Open http://localhost — done. No config file needed; CoreScope starts with sensible defaults.
For HTTPS with a custom domain, add -p 443:443 and mount your Caddyfile:
docker run -d --name corescope \
--restart=unless-stopped \
-p 80:80 -p 443:443 -p 1883:1883 \
-v /your/data:/app/data \
-v /your/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro \
-v /your/caddy-data:/data/caddy \
ghcr.io/kpa-clawbot/corescope:latest
Disable built-in services with -e DISABLE_MOSQUITTO=true or -e DISABLE_CADDY=true, or drop a .env file in your data volume. See docs/deployment.md for the full reference.
Build from Source
git clone https://github.com/Kpa-clawbot/CoreScope.git
cd CoreScope
./manage.sh setup
The setup wizard walks you through config, domain, HTTPS, build, and run.
./manage.sh status # Health check + packet/node counts
./manage.sh logs # Follow logs
./manage.sh backup # Backup database
./manage.sh update # Pull latest + rebuild + restart
./manage.sh mqtt-test # Check if observer data is flowing
./manage.sh help # All commands
Configure
Copy config.example.json to config.json and edit:
{
"port": 3000,
"mqtt": {
"broker": "mqtt://localhost:1883",
"topic": "meshcore/+/+/packets"
},
"mqttSources": [
{
"name": "remote-feed",
"broker": "mqtts://remote-broker:8883",
"topics": ["meshcore/+/+/packets"],
"username": "user",
"password": "pass",
"iataFilter": ["SJC", "SFO", "OAK"]
}
],
"channelKeys": {
"public": "8b3387e9c5cdea6ac9e5edbaa115cd72"
},
"defaultRegion": "SJC"
}
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
port |
HTTP server port (default: 3000) |
mqtt.broker |
Local MQTT broker URL ("" to disable) |
mqttSources |
External MQTT broker connections (optional) |
channelKeys |
Channel decryption keys (hex). Hashtag channels auto-derived via SHA256 |
defaultRegion |
Default IATA region code for the UI |
dbPath |
SQLite database path (default: data/meshcore.db) |
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
PORT |
Override config port |
DB_PATH |
Override SQLite database path |
Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Docker Container │
│ │
Observer → USB → │ Mosquitto ──→ Go Ingestor ──→ SQLite DB │
meshcoretomqtt → MQTT ──→│ │ │
│ Go HTTP Server ──→ WebSocket │
│ │ │ │
│ Caddy (HTTPS) ←───────┘ │
└────────────────────┼────────────────────────┘
│
Browser
Two-process model: The Go ingestor handles MQTT ingestion and packet decoding. The Go HTTP server loads all packets into an in-memory store on startup (5 indexes for fast lookups) and serves the REST API + WebSocket broadcast. Both are managed by supervisord inside a single container with Caddy for HTTPS and Mosquitto for local MQTT.
MQTT Setup
- Flash an observer node with
MESH_PACKET_LOGGING=1build flag - Connect via USB to a host running meshcoretomqtt
- Configure meshcoretomqtt with your IATA region code and MQTT broker address
- Packets appear on topic
meshcore/{IATA}/{PUBKEY}/packets
Or POST raw hex packets to POST /api/packets for manual injection.
Project Structure
corescope/
├── cmd/
│ ├── server/ # Go HTTP server + WebSocket + REST API
│ │ ├── main.go # Entry point
│ │ ├── routes.go # 40+ API endpoint handlers
│ │ ├── store.go # In-memory packet store (5 indexes)
│ │ ├── db.go # SQLite persistence layer
│ │ ├── decoder.go # MeshCore packet decoder
│ │ ├── websocket.go # WebSocket broadcast
│ │ └── *_test.go # 327 test functions
│ └── ingestor/ # Go MQTT ingestor
│ ├── main.go # MQTT subscription + packet processing
│ ├── decoder.go # Packet decoder (shared logic)
│ ├── db.go # SQLite write path
│ └── *_test.go # 53 test functions
├── proto/ # Protobuf API definitions
├── public/ # Vanilla JS frontend (no build step)
│ ├── index.html # SPA shell
│ ├── app.js # Router, WebSocket, utilities
│ ├── packets.js # Packet feed + hex breakdown
│ ├── map.js # Leaflet map + route visualization
│ ├── live.js # Live trace + VCR playback
│ ├── channels.js # Channel chat
│ ├── nodes.js # Node directory + detail views
│ ├── analytics.js # 11-tab analytics dashboard
│ └── style.css # CSS variable theming (light/dark)
├── docker/
│ ├── supervisord-go.conf # Process manager (server + ingestor)
│ ├── mosquitto.conf # MQTT broker config
│ ├── Caddyfile # Reverse proxy + HTTPS
│ └── entrypoint-go.sh # Container entrypoint
├── Dockerfile # Multi-stage Go build + Alpine runtime
├── config.example.json # Example configuration
├── tests/ # Node.js test suite: unit/ (test-all.sh) and e2e/ (Playwright)
├── test-all.sh # Runs every suite in tests/unit
└── tools/ # Generators, E2E tests, utilities
For Developers
Building
make build # all four binaries for your machine, into dist/
make build-server # just one
make crossbuild # static linux/amd64 + linux/arm64 binaries
The SQLite driver is mattn/go-sqlite3, which
is cgo, so a plain GOOS=linux go build from a Mac will not work: cross-compiling
needs a C compiler that can target the other platform. make crossbuild uses
zig as that compiler (install it and it just
works) and links statically against musl, so the result is one self-contained file
that runs on Alpine or scratch. The container build does the same thing — see
Dockerfile.
Test Suite
380 Go tests covering the backend, plus 150+ Node.js tests for the frontend and legacy logic, plus 49 Playwright E2E tests for browser validation.
# Go backend tests
cd cmd/server && go test ./... -v
cd cmd/ingestor && go test ./... -v
# Or across all 14 modules at once
make test
# Node.js frontend + integration tests
npm test
# Playwright E2E (requires running server on localhost:3000)
node tests/e2e/test-e2e-playwright.js
Generate Test Data
node tools/generate-packets.js --api --count 200
Migrating from Node.js
If you're running an existing Node.js deployment, see docs/go-migration.md for a step-by-step guide. The Go engine reads the same SQLite database and config.json — no data migration needed.
Contributing
Contributions welcome. Please read AGENTS.md for coding conventions, testing requirements, and engineering principles before submitting a PR.
Live instance: analyzer.00id.net — all API endpoints are public, no auth required.
API Documentation: CoreScope auto-generates an OpenAPI 3.0 spec. Browse the interactive Swagger UI at /api/docs or fetch the machine-readable spec at /api/spec.
License
GPL-3.0-or-later




