Malla - Docker-Enhanced Meshtastic Network Analyzer

This is a Docker-enhanced continuation of the original Malla project - a comprehensive web analyzer for Meshtastic networks based on MQTT data.

🔧 What's Working

• ✅ Complete database schema initialization
• ✅ Real-time MQTT data capture and processing
• ✅ Web interface with full functionality
• ✅ PostgreSQL database with optimized queries
• ✅ Network topology visualization
• ✅ Longest links analysis
• ✅ Node tracking and statistics
• ✅ Packet analysis and filtering

🚀 Quick Start with Docker

This enhanced version provides a complete Docker-based deployment with PostgreSQL database, MQTT broker, and all necessary services orchestrated together.

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• Git (to clone this repository)

One-Command Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/n30nex/malla.git
cd malla

# Start all services (PostgreSQL, MQTT, Web UI, Data Capture)
docker-compose up --build

That's it! The system will:

• Set up a PostgreSQL database
• Start an MQTT broker
• Begin capturing Meshtastic data
• Launch the web interface

Access the web interface at: http://localhost:8080

🏗️ Architecture

This Docker setup includes:

• PostgreSQL Database - Stores all mesh network data
• MQTT Broker - Eclipse Mosquitto for message handling
• Data Capture Service - Captures and processes Meshtastic packets
• Web Interface - Flask-based UI for network analysis

📋 Services Overview

Service	Port	Description
Web UI	8080	Main web interface
PostgreSQL	5432	Database (internal)
MQTT Broker	1883	Message broker (internal)

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables

Copy the example environment file and customize:

cp env.example .env

Key configuration options in .env:

# MQTT Configuration (Required)
MALLA_MQTT_BROker_ADDRESS=mqtt.mt.gt
MALLA_MQTT_USERNAME=meshdev
MALLA_MQTT_PASSWORD=large4cats

# Database Configuration
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=yourpassword

# Web Interface
MALLA_NAME=My Malla Instance
MALLA_WEB_PORT=8080

YAML Configuration

You can also use config.yaml for more detailed configuration:

cp config.sample.yaml config.yaml
# Edit config.yaml with your settings

🛠️ Development

Local Development

For development without Docker:

# Install dependencies
pip install -e .

# Set up local database
export MALLA_DATABASE_HOST=localhost
export MALLA_DATABASE_PORT=5432
export MALLA_DATABASE_NAME=malla
export MALLA_DATABASE_USER=malla
export MALLA_DATABASE_PASSWORD=yourpassword

# Start services
python -m malla.mqtt_capture  # Terminal 1
python -m malla.web_ui        # Terminal 2

Database Management

The system automatically initializes the database schema on first run. For manual database operations:

# Access PostgreSQL container
docker-compose exec postgres psql -U malla -d malla

# View database schema
\dt

📊 Features

Network Analysis

• Real-time Network Visualization - Interactive mesh topology ✅ WORKING
• Node Tracking - Monitor device locations and status
• Packet Analysis - Deep dive into mesh communications
• Traceroute Analysis - Network path visualization
• Performance Metrics - SNR, distance, and connectivity stats
• Longest Links Analysis ✅ WORKING

Data Management

• PostgreSQL Backend - Robust, scalable data storage
• Optimized Queries - Fast analysis of large datasets
• Data Persistence - Automatic data retention and cleanup
• Export Capabilities - Download network data

User Interface

• Modern Web UI - Responsive, mobile-friendly interface
• Interactive Maps - Visualize network topology
• Real-time Updates - Live data streaming
• Advanced Filtering - Powerful search and filter options

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Custom MQTT Broker

To use your own MQTT broker instead of the included one:

# In docker-compose.yml, comment out the mqtt service
# and update environment variables:
environment:
  MALLA_MQTT_BROKER_ADDRESS: your.broker.address
  MALLA_MQTT_PORT: 1883
  MALLA_MQTT_USERNAME: your_username
  MALLA_MQTT_PASSWORD: your_password

Production Deployment

For production use:

1. Change default passwords in .env
2. Use external database for better performance
3. Configure reverse proxy (nginx/Apache)
4. Set up SSL/TLS for secure connections
5. Configure logging for monitoring

Scaling

The system supports horizontal scaling:

• Multiple capture services for high-throughput networks
• Database clustering for large datasets
• Load balancing for web interface
• Message queue for async processing

📈 Performance

Optimizations Included

• Tier B Pipeline - Write-optimized data processing
• Materialized Views - Pre-computed analytics
• Database Indexing - Optimized query performance
• Connection Pooling - Efficient database connections
• Caching - Reduced computation overhead

Monitoring

Check system health:

# View service logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Check database status
docker-compose exec postgres pg_isready -U malla

# Monitor resource usage
docker stats

🤝 Contributing

This project extends the original Malla with Docker enhancements. All major issues have been resolved! The system is now fully functional.

Recent Fixes Applied

1. Database Schema Issues - Fixed PostgreSQL immutable function errors
2. Table Creation - All required tables now create successfully
3. Query Optimization - Improved database performance and indexing
4. Service Integration - All services now work together seamlessly

Areas for Future Enhancement

1. Performance Tuning - Further optimize database queries for large datasets
2. UI Improvements - Enhanced user interface and visualization features
3. Monitoring - Add health checks and monitoring capabilities
4. Documentation - Expand user guides and API documentation

Development Setup

# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/n30nex/malla.git
cd malla

# Start development environment
docker-compose up --build

# Check service status
docker-compose ps

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Access database
docker-compose exec postgres psql -U malla -d malla

# Run tests
docker-compose exec malla-web python -m pytest

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Database Connection Issues

# Check if PostgreSQL is running
docker-compose ps postgres

# View database logs
docker-compose logs postgres

# Test database connection
docker-compose exec postgres pg_isready -U malla

Web Interface Not Loading

# Check web service status
docker-compose ps malla-web

# View web service logs
docker-compose logs malla-web

# Test web interface
curl http://localhost:8080

MQTT Data Not Capturing

# Check capture service
docker-compose logs malla-capture

# Verify MQTT broker connection
docker-compose logs mosquitto

Reset Everything

# Stop all services
docker-compose down

# Remove volumes (WARNING: This deletes all data)
docker-compose down -v

# Rebuild and restart
docker-compose up --build

Performance Optimization

For better performance with large datasets:

# Increase PostgreSQL memory
# Add to docker-compose.yml under postgres service:
environment:
  POSTGRES_SHARED_BUFFERS: 256MB
  POSTGRES_EFFECTIVE_CACHE_SIZE: 1GB

# Monitor resource usage
docker stats

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Original Malla Project - zenitraM/malla

• Meshtastic Community - For the amazing mesh networking platform

• Contributors - All those who have helped improve this project

• Issues - Report bugs and request features

• Discussions - Community support and questions

• Documentation - Check the original Malla documentation

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