APRSD Webchat

Features

• This is the webchat extension for APRSD. This was removed from APRSD proper to help those installs that don't want/need the webchat capability and all of it's requirements.

Requirements

• aprsd >= 4.2.4

Installation

You can install APRSD Webchat via pip from PyPI:

$ pip install aprsd-webchat-extension

Or using uv:

$ uv pip install aprsd-webchat-extension

Configuration

Before running the webchat extension, you need to configure APRSD. The webchat extension uses the same configuration file as APRSD. Generate a sample configuration file if you haven't already:

$ aprsd sample-config

This will create a configuration file at ~/.config/aprsd/aprsd.conf (or aprsd.yml).

Required Configuration

The webchat extension requires the following basic APRSD configuration:

1. Callsign: Your amateur radio callsign
2. APRS-IS Network: Connection to APRS-IS servers
3. APRS Passcode: Your APRS passcode (generate with aprsd passcode YOURCALL)

Webchat-Specific Configuration

Add the following section to your APRSD configuration file to customize the webchat interface:

[aprsd_webchat_extension]
# IP address to listen on (default: 0.0.0.0 - all interfaces)
web_ip = 0.0.0.0

# Port to listen on (default: 8001)
web_port = 8001

# Latitude for GPS beacon button (optional)
# If not set, the GPS beacon button will be disabled
latitude = 37.7749

# Longitude for GPS beacon button (optional)
# If not set, the GPS beacon button will be disabled
longitude = -122.4194

# Beacon interval in seconds (default: 1800 = 30 minutes)
beacon_interval = 1800

# Disable URL request logging (default: False)
disable_url_request_logging = False

Authentication

The webchat interface uses HTTP Basic Authentication. You'll need to set up authentication credentials. The username and password are typically configured through your web server or reverse proxy (if using one), or you can set them in your APRSD configuration.

Usage

After installation and configuration, you can start the webchat server:

$ aprsd webchat

The webchat interface will be available at http://localhost:8001 (or the IP/port you configured).

Command-Line Options

$ aprsd webchat --help

Available options:

• -p, --port PORT: Override the web port from configuration
• -f, --flush: Flush out all old aged messages on disk
• --loglevel LEVEL: Set logging level (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR)
• --config-file FILE: Specify a different configuration file
• --quiet: Disable console logging output

Example: Running with Custom Port

$ aprsd webchat --port 9000 --loglevel INFO

This will start the webchat server on port 9000 instead of the default 8001.

Accessing the Web Interface

Once the server is running:

1. Open your web browser
2. Navigate to http://your-server-ip:8001 (or your configured port)
3. Enter your authentication credentials when prompted
4. You'll see the APRSD WebChat interface

Features

• Send Messages: Send APRS messages to other stations
• Receive Messages: View incoming APRS messages in real-time
• Message Status: Track sent messages and their acknowledgments
• GPS Beacon: Send GPS beacons (if latitude/longitude are configured)
• Station Locations: View locations of stations you're communicating with
• Real-time Updates: Uses WebSockets for real-time message updates

Integration with aprsd-gps-extension

If you have aprsd-gps-extension installed and enabled, the webchat interface will automatically use GPS data from that extension instead of the static latitude/longitude configuration. This enables dynamic GPS beaconing based on actual GPS coordinates.

Contributing

Contributions are very welcome. To learn more, see the Contributor Guide.

License

Distributed under the terms of the Apache Software License 2.0 license, APRSD Webchat is free and open source software.

Issues

If you encounter any problems, please file an issue along with a detailed description.

Credits

This project was generated from @hemna's APRSD Extension Python Cookiecutter template.

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