meshcore-bot/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 requires access to the main database:

• meshcore_bot.db - Main bot database (contains all data including contacts, tracking, cache, and stats)

Troubleshooting

Flask Not Found

pip3 install flask

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 lsof -i :5000 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