meshcore-bot/docs/web-viewer.md

MeshCore Bot Data Viewer

A web-based interface for viewing and analyzing data from your MeshCore Bot.

Features

• Dashboard: Overview of database statistics and bot status
• Repeater Contacts: View active repeater contacts with location and status information
• Contact Tracking: Complete history of all heard contacts with signal strength and routing data
• Cache Data: View cached geocoding and API responses
• Purging Log: Audit trail of contact purging operations
• Real-time Updates: Auto-refreshes every 30 seconds
• API Endpoints: JSON API for programmatic access

Quick Start

Option 1: Standalone Mode

# Install Flask if not already installed
pip3 install flask

# Start the web viewer (reads config from config.ini)
python3 -m modules.web_viewer.app

# Or use the restart script for standalone mode
./restart_viewer.sh

# Override configuration with command line arguments
python3 -m modules.web_viewer.app --port 8080 --host 0.0.0.0

Option 2: Integrated with Bot

1. Edit config.ini and set:

   [Web_Viewer]
   enabled = true
   auto_start = true
   host = 127.0.0.1
   port = 5000
   

2. The web viewer will start automatically with the bot

Configuration

The web viewer can be configured in the [Web_Viewer] section of config.ini:

[Web_Viewer]
# Enable or disable the web data viewer
enabled = true

# Web viewer host address
# 127.0.0.1: Only accessible from localhost
# 0.0.0.0: Accessible from any network interface
host = 127.0.0.1

# Web viewer port
port = 5000

# Enable debug mode for the web viewer
debug = false

# Auto-start web viewer with bot
auto_start = false

Accessing the Viewer

Once started, open your web browser and navigate to:

• Local access: http://localhost:5005 (or your configured port)
• Network access: http://YOUR_BOT_IP:5005 (if host is set to 0.0.0.0)

Pages Overview

Dashboard

• Database status and statistics
• Contact counts and cache information
• Quick navigation to other sections

Repeater Contacts

• Active repeater contacts
• Location information (city/coordinates)
• Device types and status
• First/last seen timestamps
• Purge count tracking

Contact Tracking

• Complete history of all heard contacts
• Signal strength indicators
• Hop count and routing information
• Advertisement data
• Currently tracked status

Cache Data

• Geocoding cache entries
• Generic cache entries (weather, sports, etc.)
• Expiration status
• Cache value previews

Purging Log

• Audit trail of contact purging operations
• Timestamps and reasons
• Contact names and public keys

API Endpoints

The viewer also provides JSON API endpoints:

• GET /api/stats - Database statistics
• GET /api/contacts - Repeater contacts data
• GET /api/tracking - Contact tracking data

Example usage:

curl http://localhost:5000/api/stats

Database Requirements

The viewer uses the same database as the bot by default ([Bot] db_path, typically meshcore_bot.db). That single file holds repeater contacts, mesh graph, packet stream, and other data so the viewer can show everything.

Migrating from a separate web viewer database

If you previously had the web viewer using a separate database (e.g. [Web_Viewer] db_path = bot_data.db), you can switch to the shared database so the viewer shows repeater/graph data and uses one file.

1. Stop the bot and web viewer so neither has the databases open.

2. Optionally preserve packet stream history from the old viewer DB into the main DB:

   • From the project root, run:

     python3 migrate_webviewer_db.py bot_data.db meshcore_bot.db
     

     Use your actual paths if they differ (e.g. full paths or different filenames). The script copies the packet_stream table from the first file into the second and skips rows that would duplicate IDs.
   • If you don’t care about old packet stream data, skip this step; the viewer will create a new packet_stream table in the main DB.

3. Point the viewer at the main database in config.ini:

   [Web_Viewer]
   db_path = meshcore_bot.db
   

   (Or the same value as [Bot] db_path if you use a different path.)

4. Start the bot (and viewer as usual). The viewer will now read and write to the same database as the bot.

You can keep or remove the old bot_data.db file after verifying the viewer works with the shared DB.

Troubleshooting

Web viewer not accessible (e.g. Orange Pi / SBC)

If the viewer does not load from another device (e.g. from your phone or PC while the bot runs on an Orange Pi), work through these steps on the Pi.

1. Confirm config

   • In config.ini under [Web_Viewer]:
     • enabled = true
     • auto_start = true (if you want it to start with the bot)
     • host = 0.0.0.0 (required for access from other devices; 127.0.0.1 is localhost only)
     • port = 8080 (or another port 1024–65535)
   • Restart the bot after changing config.

2. Check that the viewer process is running

   # From project root on the Pi
   ss -tlnp | grep 8080
   # or
   netstat -tlnp | grep 8080
   

   If nothing listens on your port, the viewer did not start or has exited.

3. Inspect viewer logs

   • When run by the bot, the viewer writes to:
     • logs/web_viewer_stdout.log
     • logs/web_viewer_stderr.log
   • Look for Python tracebacks, "Address already in use", or missing dependencies (e.g. Flask, flask-socketio).
   • Optional: run the viewer manually to see errors in the terminal:

     cd /path/to/meshcore-bot
     python3 modules/web_viewer/app.py --config config.ini --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080
     

4. Check integration startup

   • Bot logs may show: Web viewer integration failed: ... or Web viewer integration initialized.
   • If integration failed, the viewer subprocess is never started; fix the error shown (e.g. invalid host or port in config).

5. Firewall

   • Many SBC images (e.g. Orange Pi, Armbian minimal) do not ship with a firewall; if curl to localhost works and host = 0.0.0.0, the blocker may be network (Wi‑Fi client isolation, different subnet, or router). Check from a device on the same LAN using http://<PI_IP>:8080.
   • If your system uses ufw:

     sudo ufw status
     sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp
     sudo ufw reload
     

   • If ufw is not installed (e.g. sudo: ufw: command not found), you may have no host firewall—that’s common on embedded images. To allow the port with iptables (often available when ufw is not):

     sudo iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT
     

     (Rules may not persist across reboots unless you use a persistence method for your distro.)
   • If you prefer ufw, install it (e.g. sudo apt install ufw) and use the ufw commands above.

6. Test from the Pi first

   curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://127.0.0.1:8080/
   

   If this returns 200, the viewer is running and the issue is binding or firewall. If you use host = 0.0.0.0, then try from another device: http://<PI_IP>:8080.

7. Standalone run (no bot)

   • To rule out bot integration issues, start the viewer by itself (same config path so it finds the DB):

     python3 modules/web_viewer/app.py --config config.ini --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080
     

   • If restart_viewer.sh is used, note it binds to 127.0.0.1 by default; for network access run the command above with --host 0.0.0.0 or edit the script.

Flask Not Found

pip3 install flask flask-socketio

Database Not Found

• Ensure the bot has been run at least once to create the databases
• Check file permissions on database files

Port Already in Use

• Change the port in config.ini or stop the conflicting service
• Use ss -tlnp | grep 8080 or lsof -i :8080 (if available) to find what's using the port

Permission Denied

chmod +x restart_viewer.sh

Security Notes

• The web viewer is designed for local network use
• Set host = 127.0.0.1 for localhost-only access
• Set host = 0.0.0.0 for network access (use with caution)
• No authentication is implemented - consider firewall rules for production use

Future Enhancements

• Live packet streaming
• Real-time message monitoring
• Interactive contact management
• Export functionality
• Authentication system
• Mobile-responsive design improvements