Introduction

What Is MeshDash?

MeshDash connects to a Meshtastic radio via Serial (USB), TCP (WiFi/LAN), or Bluetooth (BLE), then serves a web application and REST API on your local network. Everything runs on your own hardware. Your data stays local by default. Remote access is opt-in and controlled entirely by you.

The system is built on FastAPI (Python async web framework) with a SQLite database backend. A background APScheduler-based connection manager handles radio lifecycle, reconnection, and all packet processing.

Architecture

[ Meshtastic Radio ]
        |
   Serial / TCP / BLE
        |
[ MeshDash Python Process ]
   ├── FastAPI ASGI App  (uvicorn)
   │    ├── REST API endpoints (/api/*)
   │    ├── SSE stream (/sse)
   │    ├── HTML page routes (/, /map, /settings …)
   │    ├── Plugin router (/api/plugins/*)
   │    └── Static frontend (/static/*)
   │
   ├── MeshtasticConnectionManager  (connection.py)
   │    └── Reconnect loop with configurable retry/timeout
   │
   ├── MeshtasticData  (in-memory + SQLite)
   │    ├── Packet deque (RAM buffer, configurable size)
   │    ├── Node dict
   │    └── DatabaseManager (WAL-mode SQLite)
   │
   ├── Background Workers
   │    ├── Packet processor  (asyncio queue per slot)
   │    ├── Stats broadcaster (every 10 s)
   │    ├── Metrics saver     (every 5 min)
   │    ├── DB pruner         (every 1 hr)
   │    ├── Task scheduler    (task_scheduler.py)
   │    ├── Auto-reply engine (auto_reply.py)
   │    ├── Telemetry monitor (monitor.py)
   │    ├── C2 bridge worker  (remote access)
   │    ├── Plugin watchdog
   │    └── Connection heartbeat logger
   │
   └── Plugin Engine
        └── Loads /plugins/*/  with isolation & watchdog

Key Features

Supported Platforms

Documentation Map

Use the sidebar to jump to any section. Pages are grouped by category:

Getting Started:

1. Installation — automated installer, Docker, manual, and update process
2. Configuration Reference — every key in .mesh-dash_config with types and defaults
3. Radio Connection — Serial, TCP, BLE, and WebSerial setup
4. Connection Manager — health check timing, strike system, reconnect lifecycle
5. Database Schema — every table and column in both SQLite databases
6. Packet Source Detection — how RF vs MQTT is determined per packet
7. Task Scheduler — cron evaluation, task execution, heartbeat internals

API Reference:

8. API Authentication — JWT tokens, login flow, initial setup
9. Core API Endpoints — all ~30 endpoints: status, nodes, packets, messages, SSE, console
10. Tasks API — scheduled task CRUD
11. Auto-Reply API — automated response rules, placeholders, bulk operations
12. Telemetry Monitor API — threshold alerting over the mesh
13. System & Config API — config R/W, updates, restart, multi-radio slot management
14. Plugin API — full plugin lifecycle, manifest spec, install, logs, watchdog
15. Web Serial API — server-side endpoints for browser USB bridge
16. Remote Access (C2) — community map, access tiers, security protections

Frontend Guide:

17. Frontend Architecture — SPA model, view loading, SSE dispatch, global state
18. Topbar & Diagnostics — status widget, node inspector, toast, modals
19. Web Serial Connection — browser USB direct mode, baud rate, wizard
20. Overview View — node grid, KPI strip, sparklines, geocoding
21. Messaging Views — Direct Messages and Channels, delivery tracking
22. Map View — Leaflet map, styles, paths, neighbor links
23. Analysis Tools — MeshShark (BPF, detail pane), Traceroute, Compare, Analytics
24. Automation Views — Tasks, Auto-Reply, Monitor, Web Telemetry wizard
25. System Views — Settings, Node Config protobuf editor, Plugins UI
26. C2 Terminal — bottom CLI bar, version badge, command reference

Development & Support:

28. Plugin Development — manifest, init_plugin context, routes, watchdog
29. Troubleshooting — common problems and solutions including WebSerial and frontend