AlpacaBridge

AlpacaBridge is a unified workspace for building, testing, and running a complete ASCOM Alpaca server. It combines AlpacaCore (driver library) and AlpacaHTTP (HTTP server) with a focus on clean, standards-compliant Alpaca implementations and ConformU-validated drivers.

[0.13.0] - 2026-03-12 CHANGELOG Information

AlpacaBridge Explained

• ScopeTrader: Openastro AlpacaBridge Launches and Why it Matters

• This video walks through building, testing, and running a complete ASCOM Alpaca server, including AI-assisted driver development and ConformU validation Building the Future of Astrophotography & EAA with AlpacaBridge, an ASCOM Alpaca Solution!

Project Overview

Key Features:

• Complete Alpaca Server - Build and run a full-featured ASCOM Alpaca server with web UI
• Comprehensive Driver Support - Pre-built drivers for ZWO cameras, switches, and focusers, plus iOptron telescopes (all ConformU validated)
• AI-Accelerated Driver Development - Leveraging modern AI workflows to implement and validate Alpaca-compliant drivers efficiently
• Convenience Scripts - One-command build, test, and run workflows
• ConformU Validated – Drivers are tested against the ASCOM Alpaca specification

Learn more

For deeper details, see the project READMEs:

• AlpacaCore/SUPPORTED-DRIVERS.md - List of validated drivers
• AlpacaCore/README.md - Core library and driver development
• AlpacaHTTP/README.md - HTTP server implementation
• AGENTS.md - AI-assisted development workflow and rules

Support the Project

AlpacaBridge is developed and maintained independently. Contributions help fund hardware access, testing, and ongoing standards compliance work.

If you'd like to support the project:

Quick Start

Run all tests

macOS/Linux:

chmod +x run_all_tests.sh
./run_all_tests.sh

Windows (CMD/PowerShell):

run_all_tests.cmd

Build and run the HTTP server

macOS/Linux:

chmod +x build_and_run.sh
./build_and_run.sh

Windows (CMD/PowerShell):

build_and_run.cmd

When the server starts, it prints: AlpacaHTTP is running. Open http://localhost:6800/ in your browser.

Optional settings

• ALPACAHTTP_USE_BOOST_BEAST (default: OFF): set to ON to build AlpacaHTTP with Boost.Beast.
• ALPACACORE_ENABLE_ALL_VENDORS (default: ON): set to OFF to disable vendor drivers.
• ALPACA_BUILD_CONFIG (Windows only): set to Debug or Release for multi-config generators.

Installation (Linux)

For Linux systems, you can use the installation script to build and install AlpacaCore and AlpacaHTTP as a systemd service.

chmod +x install_alpaca_service.sh
./install_alpaca_service.sh install

Commands

• install - Builds AlpacaCore and AlpacaHTTP, installs udev rules, creates a systemd service, and starts the service
• update - Stops the service, rebuilds the projects, and restarts the service
• uninstall - Stops and disables the systemd service, removes the service file
• status - Shows the current status of the AlpacaHTTP service

Building Custom Drivers

AlpacaBridge supports AI-assisted driver development, making it easy to build drivers for any vendor device. The workspace includes comprehensive guides and Cursor rules that help AI agents understand the architecture and build drivers following established patterns.

Getting Started:

1. Place your vendor SDK in AlpacaCore/external/
2. Use AI (with Cursor or similar tools) to build your driver - the AI will automatically reference AGENTS.md and the Cursor rules in AlpacaCore/.cursor/rules/ to understand the architecture and build patterns
3. Test your driver using the workspace test scripts
4. Validate with ConformU before adding to SUPPORTED-DRIVERS.md

Note: AGENTS.md is designed for AI agents to read when building drivers, though users can also reference it to understand the development workflow.

See AlpacaCore/README.md for detailed driver development guidance.