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openamrobot-ui · Configuration

For: whoever is deploying the dashboard rather than just using it. Before you start: the dashboard running, per Set up. When you finish: connections, limits and access configured deliberately rather than by default.

The Config page

/config holds connections, Demo Mode, speed limits and preferences. Most day-to-day settings live here rather than in files.

Setting Effect
Connection profile Which robot the dashboard talks to
Demo Mode Browser-side sample data, no robot commands
Speed limits Caps applied to manual driving
Preferences Display and interface behaviour

Preferences and profiles live in the browser's localStorage. They do not travel to another browser or machine.

Ports

Port Service Required
5050 Flask UI and REST API Yes
9090 Rosbridge WebSocket Yes
8080 Web video server Only for camera streams

A remote browser needs reachability to 5050 and 9090.

Security and access

There is no authentication

Only unauthenticated AUTH_MODE=open is implemented. Anyone who can reach the UI and rosbridge ports can view data and command the robot.

local and external are reserved future modes. Requesting either currently falls back to open and shows a warning.

Deployment rules that follow from that:

  • Keep the dashboard on a trusted local network
  • Do not expose ports 5050, 9090 or 8080 to the internet
  • Use firewall rules or an authenticated reverse proxy where network isolation is not sufficient
  • Do not commit .env files or API keys

Read the repository's SECURITY.md before deploying outside a private lab network.

This is a real constraint, not a formality. An open rosbridge on a routable address is a robot anyone can drive.

Secrets

Voice Command needs an Anthropic API key, supplied at runtime:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key" docker compose up

Real .env files are excluded from Docker images by design. Pass secrets at runtime. Never bake a key into an image, and never commit one.

The /params page reads and changes Nav2 parameters live. Convenient, and worth two cautions:

  • A live parameter change takes effect immediately, on a robot that may be moving.
  • Changes made here are not persisted to the platform's configuration files. After a restart the robot returns to its configured values.

Use /params to find a good value quickly. Then write it into the platform configuration so it survives. See openamr-platform-sw Configuration.

Data locations

Data Location
Programs, locations, history, recordings, certificates ~/.openamr_ui/
Docker backend data Named volume openamr_ui_data
Schedules, missions, devices, profiles, metrics, preferences Browser localStorage
Maps and routes ros2/src/openamr_ui_package/maps/ and paths/

Back up before you

  • reinstall
  • clear browser storage
  • remove Docker volumes
  • switch browser or machine

Browser-local data does not move by itself. This catches people who assume the dashboard is stateless because it runs in a browser. Half of it is not.

Fleet profiles

/fleet holds robot profiles and selects the active robot. Each profile carries its own connection settings, so switching robots is a selection rather than a reconfiguration.

Profiles are browser-local. A second Domain Expert on a second laptop configures their own.

Set up · Concepts · Security basics

Build it: openamrobot-ui