bd5rv/aprsc repository overview

⁠aprsc - APRS-IS Server in Docker

Lightweight, production-ready Docker image for aprsc⁠ - a high-performance APRS-IS (Automatic Packet Reporting System - Internet Service) server.

⁠✨ Features

• 🪶 Ultra-compact: Only 4.8 MB download (11.2 MB uncompressed)
• 🏗️ Multi-architecture: Native support for AMD64, ARM64, and ARMv7 (Raspberry Pi ready!)
• ⚡ Zero-configuration: Run without config files using environment variables
• 🔒 Secure: Runs as non-root user with minimal Alpine Linux base
• 🌐 Complete: Full APRS-IS server with web monitoring interface
• 📊 Production-ready: Health checks, resource limits, and proper signal handling
• 🔧 Flexible: Support for both environment variables and configuration files

⁠🚀 Quick Start

⁠Run with defaults

docker run -d \
  -p 14580:14580 \
  -p 14501:14501 \
  bd5rv/aprsc:latest

Access web interface at http://localhost:14501/⁠

⁠Run with custom callsign

docker run -d \
  -e APRSC_SERVER_ID=YOUR-CALL \
  -e APRSC_PASSCODE=12345 \
  -e APRSC_UPLINK_ENABLED=yes \
  -p 14580:14580 \
  -p 14501:14501 \
  bd5rv/aprsc:latest

Get your passcode at: https://apps.magicbug.co.uk/passcode/⁠

⁠📦 Available Tags

• latest - Latest stable release
• 2.1.19-g6d55570 - Specific version with git hash
• 2.1.19 - Semantic version
• 2.1 - Major.minor version
• 2 - Major version

⁠🏗️ Multi-Architecture Support

This image supports multiple CPU architectures with automatic platform detection:

⁠Automatic Detection

Docker automatically selects the correct architecture for your device:

# On x86-64 server - pulls AMD64 image
docker pull bd5rv/aprsc:latest

# On Raspberry Pi 4 - pulls ARM64 image automatically
docker pull bd5rv/aprsc:latest

# On Raspberry Pi 3 - pulls ARMv7 image automatically
docker pull bd5rv/aprsc:latest

⁠Raspberry Pi Quick Start

Perfect for APRS iGate on Raspberry Pi:

docker run -d \
  -e APRSC_SERVER_ID=YOUR-CALL \
  -e APRSC_PASSCODE=12345 \
  -e APRSC_UPLINK_ENABLED=yes \
  -p 14580:14580 \
  -p 14501:14501 \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  bd5rv/aprsc:latest

# Verify architecture
docker exec <container> uname -m
# Raspberry Pi 4/5: aarch64 (ARM64)
# Raspberry Pi 2/3: armv7l (ARMv7)

See: Multi-Architecture Guide⁠

⁠🔧 Configuration

⁠Environment Variables

See full list: Environment Variables Guide⁠

⁠Using Configuration File

docker run -d \
  -v ./aprsc.conf:/etc/aprsc/aprsc.conf:ro \
  -p 14580:14580 \
  -p 14501:14501 \
  bd5rv/aprsc:latest

⁠🌐 Ports

⁠🐳 Docker Compose Example

version: '3.8'

services:
  aprsc:
    image: bd5rv/aprsc:latest
    container_name: aprsc
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - APRSC_SERVER_ID=YOUR-CALL
      - APRSC_PASSCODE=12345
      - APRSC_MY_ADMIN=Your Name
      - [email protected]
      - APRSC_UPLINK_ENABLED=yes
      - APRSC_UPLINK_SERVER=rotate.aprs2.net
    ports:
      - "14580:14580"
      - "14501:14501"
    volumes:
      - ./logs:/var/log/aprsc
      - aprsc-data:/var/run/aprsc/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "wget", "--quiet", "--tries=1", "--spider", "http://127.0.0.1:14501/"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 40s

volumes:
  aprsc-data:

⁠🔗 Connecting to APRS-IS Network

⁠Read-Only Mode (No Authentication)

docker run -d \
  -e APRSC_UPLINK_ENABLED=yes \
  -e APRSC_UPLINK_TYPE=ro \
  -p 14580:14580 \
  -p 14501:14501 \
  bd5rv/aprsc:latest

⁠Full Access Mode (With Authentication)

docker run -d \
  -e APRSC_SERVER_ID=N0CALL \
  -e APRSC_PASSCODE=12345 \
  -e APRSC_UPLINK_ENABLED=yes \
  -e APRSC_UPLINK_TYPE=full \
  -e APRSC_UPLINK_SERVER=asia.aprs2.net \
  -p 14580:14580 \
  -p 14501:14501 \
  bd5rv/aprsc:latest

⁠Available Upstream Servers

• rotate.aprs2.net - Global round-robin (recommended)
• asia.aprs2.net - Asia region
• euro.aprs2.net - Europe region
• noam.aprs2.net - North America region

⁠🧪 Testing Connection

Test with telnet:

telnet localhost 14580

Then login:

user TEST pass -1 vers test 1.0

You should see APRS packets streaming immediately.

See: Testing Guide⁠

⁠📊 Monitoring

⁠Web Interface

Open http://localhost:14501/⁠ in your browser to see:

• Server runtime status
• Connected clients list
• Traffic statistics
• Uplink status

⁠JSON API

curl http://localhost:14501/status.json

⁠Health Check

docker ps
# Look for "(healthy)" in STATUS column

⁠🎯 Use Cases

• APRS iGate: Receive RF packets and gate to APRS-IS
• APRS Server: Provide filtered feeds to APRS clients
• APRS Hub: Central hub for local APRS network
• Testing/Development: Test APRS applications locally
• Read-Only Feed: Monitor APRS traffic without transmitting

⁠💻 System Requirements

Minimal:

• CPU: 0.5 cores
• RAM: 128 MB
• Disk: ~15 MB

Supported Platforms:

• x86-64 (AMD64) - Intel/AMD servers and desktops
• ARM64 (aarch64) - Raspberry Pi 4/5, ARM servers, Apple Silicon
• ARMv7 (armv7l) - Raspberry Pi 2/3, older ARM devices

All platforms tested and production-ready!

⁠📚 Documentation

• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/bd5rv/aprsc-docker⁠
• Multi-Architecture Guide: https://github.com/bd5rv/aprsc-docker/blob/main/MULTI_ARCH.md⁠
• Environment Variables: https://github.com/bd5rv/aprsc-docker/blob/main/ENVIRONMENT.md⁠
• Testing Guide: https://github.com/bd5rv/aprsc-docker/blob/main/TESTING.md⁠
• aprsc Official: http://he.fi/aprsc/⁠
• APRS-IS Network: http://www.aprs-is.net/⁠

⁠⚠️ Important Notes

⁠Default Configuration Warning

When running with default settings, you'll see:

WARNING: Using default callsign 'NOCALL'
WARNING: Using invalid passcode

This is normal for testing. For production use, set APRSC_SERVER_ID and APRSC_PASSCODE.

⁠POSIX Capabilities Warning

You may see:

aprsc: Failed to apply initial POSIX capabilities: Operation not permitted

This is normal and can be safely ignored. The container still works perfectly. See FAQ⁠ for details.

⁠🛠️ Troubleshooting

⁠No data received?

1. Check uplink is enabled: APRSC_UPLINK_ENABLED=yes
2. Verify uplink connection: curl http://localhost:14501/status.json | jq '.uplinks'
3. Check logs: docker logs <container-name>

⁠Web interface shows 404?

1. Ensure port 14501 is exposed
2. Check health status: docker ps
3. Verify with: curl http://localhost:14501/

⁠Port conflicts?

Change host port mapping:

docker run -p 24580:14580 ...

⁠📄 License

• aprsc: Licensed under its original license
• Docker configuration: MIT License

⁠🤝 Contributing

Issues and Pull Requests welcome at: https://github.com/bd5rv/aprsc-docker⁠

⁠🏷️ Version Information

This image is based on:

• aprsc: v2.1.19-g6d55570
• Alpine Linux: 3.20
• Image Size: 4.8 MB (download) / 11.2 MB (uncompressed)

Built with ❤️ for the Amateur Radio community

For detailed documentation, visit the GitHub repository⁠

Enjoy! 73! de BD5RV