REST API

Port 8080 is owned by the native Rust front (ados-control, an axum server). It serves migrated routes directly and reverse-proxies the rest to a residual FastAPI on an internal Unix socket (/run/ados/api-internal.sock). From a client’s point of view it is one HTTP API for status, telemetry, commands, configuration, video, pairing, and everything else the agent can do. The API is the backbone that the CLI, TUI, and Mission Control all talk to. The split between native and proxied routes moves over time as more routes migrate into the Rust front. Callers do not need to know which process answers a given route. A route that has not yet migrated is forwarded transparently to the FastAPI upstream; on a zero-Python build with no upstream present, an un-migrated route returns 501 rather than 404.

Base URL

http://<drone-ip>:8080

On the drone itself: http://localhost:8080

Authentication

Most endpoints require the X-ADOS-Key header. The key is generated during pairing and stored at /etc/ados/pairing.json.

curl http://localhost:8080/api/status \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: sk_live_your_key_here"

A few endpoints are exempt from auth (like /api/pairing/info) so that unpaired agents can still be discovered and paired.

Route domains

The API is organized by domain. The “Served by” column shows where a domain currently lives: the Rust front, the residual FastAPI (proxied through the front), or a mix while migration is in progress.

Domain	Prefix	Served by	Purpose
Status	`/api/status`, `/api/status/full`	Rust front	Agent status, board, FC, health
Configuration	`/api/config`	FastAPI (proxied)	Read/write configuration
Commands	`/api/command`, `/api/commands`	Rust front	Send MAVLink commands and list supported commands
Telemetry	`/api/telemetry`	Rust front	Cached telemetry snapshot
Parameters	`/api/params`, `/api/params/{name}`	Rust front	FC parameter reads and writes through the cache
Video	`/api/video`	Mixed	Pipeline config, snapshot, recording (live device enumeration stays Python)
WFB-ng	`/api/wfb`	Rust front	Link stats, channel, pairing
MAVLink signing	`/api/mavlink/signing`	Rust front	MAVLink2 signing capability and FC enrollment
Pairing	`/api/pairing`	Mixed	Pair, unpair, info, code
Plugins	`/api/plugins`	FastAPI (proxied)	Plugin lifecycle, install, list, perms
Services	`/api/services`	Rust front	Systemd service control
System	`/api/system`, `/api/v1/diagnostics`	Rust front	Reboot, shutdown, diagnostics, resource reads
Fleet	`/api/fleet`	Rust front	Fleet enrollment and peers
Peripherals	`/api/peripherals`	FastAPI (proxied)	USB devices, sensors
Vision	`/api/vision`, `/api/vision/models`	FastAPI (proxied)	Vision state, detections, model registry
Logs	`/api/logs`, `/api/observability`	FastAPI (proxied)	Log retrieval (see also the `ados-logd` query API)
Network	`/api/v1/network`	Rust front	MAC pinning, WiFi client
Ground station	`/api/v1/ground-station`	Rust front	Ground-station status, network, PIC, mesh, UI, recording
WHEP	`/whep`	FastAPI (proxied)	WebRTC video playback signaling
Setup	`/api/setup`, `/setup`	FastAPI (proxied)	First-boot setup wizard webapp

Common endpoints

Status

# Full agent status
curl http://localhost:8080/api/status \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

Response:

{
  "version": "0.89.2",
  "uptime_seconds": 3847,
  "board": {
    "name": "Radxa ROCK 5C Lite (RK3582)",
    "tier": 4,
    "soc": "RK3582"
  },
  "fc_connected": true,
  "fc_port": "/dev/ttyS0",
  "fc_baud": 921600,
  "health": {
    "cpu_percent": 12.3,
    "memory_percent": 34.2,
    "disk_percent": 41.8,
    "temperature": 52.3
  }
}

# Consolidated full status (single request, replaces 4 separate calls)
curl http://localhost:8080/api/status/full \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

Configuration

# Read full config
curl http://localhost:8080/api/config \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

# Set a value
curl -X PUT http://localhost:8080/api/config \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"key": "mavlink.baud_rate", "value": "115200"}'

Video

# Video pipeline status
curl http://localhost:8080/api/video \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

# Capture snapshot
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/video/snapshot \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

WFB-ng link

curl http://localhost:8080/api/wfb \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

Response:

{
  "state": "active",
  "rssi_dbm": -42,
  "snr_db": 28.5,
  "channel": 149,
  "packets_received": 184523,
  "packets_lost": 12,
  "fec_recovered": 8,
  "fec_failed": 0,
  "bitrate_kbps": 4200
}

Parameters

# Read cached FC parameters
curl http://localhost:8080/api/params \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

# Read a single parameter
curl http://localhost:8080/api/params/RC1_MIN \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

Pairing

# Check pairing status (no auth required)
curl http://localhost:8080/api/pairing/info

# Unpair
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/pairing/unpair \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

Services

# List all systemd services and their states
curl http://localhost:8080/api/services \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

Ground station

# Ground station status (only in ground-station profile)
curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/ground-station/status \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

# Network info
curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/ground-station/network \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY"

# PIC heartbeat
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/ground-station/pic/heartbeat \
  -H "X-ADOS-Key: $KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"client_id": "gcs-session-1"}'

CORS

CORS is enabled by default with an allowlist, not a wildcard. The defaults cover the local Mission Control development origins (localhost:4000, localhost:4001). Add your own origins in config without dropping the defaults:

security:
  api:
    cors_enabled: true
    cors_origins_extra: ["https://command.altnautica.com"]

The effective allowlist is the union of the built-in defaults, cors_origins, and cors_origins_extra.

OpenAPI docs

The residual FastAPI generates interactive API documentation, served through the front. When the agent is running with the Python API present, open:

Swagger UI: http://localhost:8080/docs
ReDoc: http://localhost:8080/redoc

These pages list the FastAPI endpoints with request/response schemas and a “Try it out” button. On a zero-Python build (where the residual API is not present), these paths are not available.

The Swagger UI is a fast way to explore the proxied endpoints. It shows the available endpoints, required parameters, and response shapes, and you can send test requests directly from the browser.

​REST API

​Base URL

​Authentication

​Route domains

​Common endpoints

​Status

​Configuration

​Video

​WFB-ng link

​Parameters

​Pairing

​Services

​Ground station

​CORS

​OpenAPI docs

REST API

Base URL

Authentication

Route domains

Common endpoints

Status

Configuration

Video

WFB-ng link

Parameters

Pairing

Services

Ground station

CORS

OpenAPI docs