Data Sources
| Source | Required? | Provides |
|---|---|---|
| FR24 API | Yes (full app) | Routes, airlines, flight details, tracked flights, enriched radar |
| adsb.fi | Optional (on by default) | Free live positions over the internet — merges with FR24 or fills the radar when FR24 is off (ADSB_ENABLED=True). Not a USB ADS-B receiver. |
| Local dump1090 / readsb / tar1090 | Optional | Local aircraft.json positions (DUMP1090_ENABLED + URL). Lower latency near your antenna; preferred over adsb.fi when both match. |
| aisstream.io | Optional | Live marine AIS vessel positions on the radar (set traffic mode to marine or both) |
| planespotters.net | Optional (automatic) | Aircraft photos on flight detail (by hex / registration) |
| Wikimedia Commons | Optional (automatic) | Vessel photos on marine detail; aircraft type photo fallback |
| Tomorrow.io | Yes (weather) | Clock temperature and multi-day forecast |
| CAL FIRE | Optional (California) | Active wildfire incidents on the radar + Fire Details (counties, acres, containment); no API key |
| NIFC WFIGS | Optional (USA/Canada) | Current wildland fire incident locations outside California (AirNow large-fire layer); no API key |
| NASA FIRMS | Optional (rest of world) | Satellite wildfire hotspots when the radar is outside the USA and Canada (free MAP_KEY) |
| AirLabs | Optional | Scheduled departure info when a tracked flight is not yet airborne |
| FlightAware AeroAPI | Optional | Route fallback when FR24/AirLabs lack origin/destination (capped monthly spend — not a live radar feed) |
API responses are cached (e.g. FR24 feed ~90s, flight details ~30 min, weather ~1 hr) to reduce quota use during 24/7 operation.
Offline databases (airports.json, airlines.json, icao_types.json) download on first run.
-
Full experience:
FR24_API_KEY+TOMORROW_API_KEY(and optional keys for AIS, AirLabs, FlightAware, FIRMS). -
adsb.fi only: without FR24 you still get radar positions and basic tags — no routes or rich detail screens. Set
ADSB_ENABLED=Trueand your home location.
Keys are entered in the Web-Portal → API Keys, or via config.h / /etc/flightscnr.env. See config.h.example and .env.example in the repo.
