Build a Tiny HTTP Dashboard

/sim is lovely when your program lives in the guest. HTTP is the same flight data wearing shoes and visiting another process.

This guide builds a tiny host-side dashboard from the atomic world snapshot. One request gives you a self-consistent view instead of a handful of fields sampled at slightly different moments.

Before you start

• Leave http_enabled = true in gatos.toml.
• Read the actual port from the gatOS status window. The preferred host address is http://127.0.0.1:4242/v1.
• Install jq on the machine running the command.

Read the world

one snapshot

curl -s http://127.0.0.1:4242/v1/snapshot | jq .

The same immutable snapshot feeds /sim, MQTT, serial, and MCP. HTTP simply packages it as JSON.

Print an active-vessel status line

watch-flight.sh

#!/bin/sh
set -eu

base=${GATOS_HTTP:-http://127.0.0.1:4242/v1}

while :; do
  curl -fsS "$base/vessels/active/telemetry" |
    jq -r '"\(.id)  alt=\(.alt.radar)m  speed=\(.vel.surf)m/s  fuel=\(.mass.p)kg"'
  sleep 0.5
done

1. Save the script and run chmod +x watch-flight.sh.
2. Launch or select a vessel in KSA.
3. Run ./watch-flight.sh.
4. Change altitude or throttle and watch the line follow along.

Build the cockpit instead

examples/dashboard-rs is the full ratatui version: fleet list, orbit data, controls, and proper error reporting.

When polling is the wrong tool

Use /v1/events for discrete events and the vessel stream endpoint for a continuous feed. Use /v1/fs/<path>?stream=1 when one scalar is all you need. A dashboard that asks for the world 60 times a second is mostly benchmarking its own enthusiasm.

HTTP referenceRoutes, response shapes, streaming behavior, limits, and command writes.