SimpleTrack-Server

A lightweight self-hosted family location tracker for Android. No third-party services, no subscriptions. Runs on a basic LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP).

Features

• Live map of all family devices (OpenStreetMap, no API key needed)
• Speed, direction, altitude, accuracy per device
• Breadcrumb trail history (1 hour to 1 week)
• Automatic stop detection with address lookup
• Stop history with per-device filtering
• 30-day cookie authentication
• Zero extra server processes — runs entirely within existing Apache/MySQL/PHP
• Manual SOS button
• Automatic (disableable) crash detection

Requirements

• Apache 2.4+
• MySQL 8.0+
• PHP 8.x
• Let's Encrypt SSL (certbot)
• Android phones running SimpleTrack client (free, Play Store)

Server Installation

1. Database setup

CREATE DATABASE loctrack;
CREATE USER 'loctrack'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your-password';
GRANT SELECT, INSERT ON loctrack.locations TO 'loctrack'@'localhost';
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE ON loctrack.stops TO 'loctrack'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Run the schema:

mysql -u root loctrack < setup_db.sql

2. Configuration

cp config/config.php.example config/config.php
# Edit config/config.php with your real DB password, auth secret, and groups/devices

Generate a password hash:

php -r "echo password_hash('yourpassword', PASSWORD_DEFAULT);"

3. Apache vhost

Copy track.prestile.com.conf.example to /etc/apache2/sites-available/ and edit for your domain. Then:

certbot --apache -d your.domain.com
a2ensite your.domain.com.conf
systemctl reload apache2

4. Traccar Client app (each phone)

• Install SimpleTrack client from Play Store https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.prestile.simpletrack (note: Simpletrack is in "Open Testing" on the Play Store).
• Device identifier: firstname (must match DEVICES in config.php)
• Server URL: https://your.domain.com/track.php
• Accept permissions on first run.
• Exempt from battery optimization - Always

Files

File	Purpose
track.php	Receives location pings from phones
api.php	JSON endpoint for the map page
index.php	Map viewer (HTML/JS)
login.php	Cookie-based login page
auth.php	Authentication functions
config/config.php	DB credentials and settings (gitignored, server-only, not in repo)
setup_db.sql	Database schema

Stop Detection

Stops are detected in real-time on each check-in. A stop is recorded when a device remains within 150 meters of a centroid point for 5+ minutes. Stops are automatically closed when the device moves away.