Plugin Sync for LEDMatrix

Keeps plugins and configuration in sync across multiple LEDMatrix Pi's over HTTP. The source Pi runs a lightweight sync server; destination Pi's pull from it on a configurable schedule.

Features

• HTTP-based sync — no SSH keys, no rsync, no extra tools required
• Pull-based — each destination Pi manages its own sync independently; add new destinations without touching the source
• Lightweight built-in server — the plugin starts a small HTTP server on the source Pi, no separate service needed
• Run Now button — trigger an immediate sync from the plugin's settings page in the web UI
• Auto-restart — automatically restarts the display service when changes are detected
• Safe config merge — only plugin config sections are synced; hardware settings, schedule, timezone, location, and other Pi-specific keys are always preserved locally
• Optional token auth — shared secret header for basic security on trusted local networks
• Zero display time — runs entirely in the background, never interrupts your display rotation

How It Works

ledpi-test (source)              ledpi-ticker (destination)
┌─────────────────────┐          ┌──────────────────────────┐
│ plugin-sync         │          │ plugin-sync              │
│ server_mode: true   │◄─ HTTP ──│ server_mode: false       │
│ port 5001           │          │ source_host: ledpi-test  │
└─────────────────────┘          └──────────────────────────┘

Installation

Install on both the source Pi and each destination Pi from the LEDMatrix Plugin Manager using the GitHub URL:

https://github.com/sarjent/ledmatrix-plugin-sync

Setup

On the source Pi (ledpi-test):

• Set server_mode: true
• Set server_port: 5001 (or any available port)
• Optionally set sync_token to a shared secret string

On each destination Pi (ledpi-ticker, etc.):

• Leave server_mode: false (default)
• Set source_host to the source Pi's hostname or IP
• Set source_port to match the source
• Set sync_token to the same value as the source (if used)
• Click Run Sync Now to test

Configuration

Option	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	true	Enable or disable the plugin
server_mode	boolean	false	Run as sync server (set to true on source Pi only)
server_port	integer	5001	Port the sync server listens on or connects to
sync_token	string	""	Shared secret for basic auth — must match on source and all destinations
source_host	string	""	Hostname or IP of the source Pi (destination mode only)
source_port	integer	5001	Port of the sync server on the source Pi
sync_plugins	boolean	true	Sync the plugins/ directory from source
sync_config	boolean	true	Sync plugin configuration sections from source config.json
sync_secrets	boolean	false	Sync config_secrets.json (API keys) from source
sync_frequency_hours	number	24	Hours between scheduled syncs — options: 1, 6, 12, 24, 48, 168
dry_run	boolean	false	Log what would be synced without making changes
auto_restart	boolean	true	Restart the display service automatically when changes are detected
display_service_name	string	"ledmatrix.service"	Systemd service to restart when changes are detected
preserve_local_keys	array	[]	Additional config.json keys to always keep from local and never overwrite

Always preserved locally

The following config.json keys are never overwritten from source, regardless of settings:

display · schedule · dim_schedule · timezone · location · web_display_autostart · plugin_system · plugin-sync

Firewall

If UFW is enabled on the source Pi (common on Raspberry Pi OS), port 5001 must be opened:

sudo ufw allow 5001/tcp comment "LEDMatrix plugin sync"

Requirements

• LEDMatrix v2.0.0 or higher
• Python 3.9+
• Both Pi's on the same local network
• Port 5001 (or your configured port) open between Pi's
• Passwordless sudo for systemctl restart (default on Raspberry Pi OS)

License

MIT License

Support

If this plugin is useful to you, consider buying me a coffee!

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or pull request on GitHub.