Deployment

Put the server next to the antenna and connect from a browser anywhere. Only audio, decoded data, and display frames cross the network; raw IQ stays on the server.

Docker Compose

On Linux:

git clone https://github.com/Newspicel/sdrminusminus.git
cd sdrminusminus
docker compose up -d

Open http://<host>:8080. The service restarts on its own and keeps its database, recordings, and certificate under /data in the sdrmm-data volume. Keep and back up that volume. Use the :nightly tag only to test unreleased changes.

USB devices

The supplied service already contains:

devices:
  - /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb
device_cgroup_rules:
  - "c 189:* rmw"
group_add: ["46"]

The cgroup rule lets radios reconnect. Set group_add to the group that owns your radio on the host. 46 is usually plugdev on Debian and Ubuntu. Check with:

stat -c '%g %G %a' /dev/bus/usb/*/*

If the radio belongs to group 0, install its udev rules on the host first. Check hardware shows ownership from inside the container.

SoapySDR modules

The image has bladeRF, LimeSDR, and SoapyRemote modules. Add others with a derived image:

FROM ghcr.io/newspicel/sdrminusminus:latest
USER root
RUN apt-get update \
    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends soapysdr-module-audio \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
USER sdrmm

SDRplay receivers

Install the SDRplay API on the host and keep sdrplay_apiService running. Then share the library and the host's IPC:

volumes:
  - sdrmm-data:/data
  - /usr/local/lib/libsdrplay_api.so.3:/usr/local/lib/libsdrplay_api.so.3:ro
ipc: host

ipc: host exposes the host's shared memory to the container. Only use it with a trusted image.

Token

Put the token in a .env file kept out of version control:

SDRMM_TOKEN=replace-with-a-long-random-secret

services:
  sdrmm:
    env_file: .env

HTTPS

The simplest option is a tunnel. To use your own certificate, mount it read-only:

volumes:
  - sdrmm-data:/data
  - /srv/sdrmm/certs:/certs:ro
command: ["--bind", "0.0.0.0:8080", "--tls-cert", "/certs/fullchain.pem", "--tls-key", "/certs/privkey.pem"]

The container runs as UID 10001 and must be able to read both files, including symlink targets. For a self-signed certificate, name the host clients use:

command: ["--bind", "0.0.0.0:8080", "--tls-self-signed", "--tls-name", "radio.example"]

As a system service

Run the portable server under its own user with USB access and fixed paths:

/usr/local/bin/sdrmm \
  --bind 0.0.0.0:8080 \
  --db /var/lib/sdrmm/sdrmm.db \
  --recordings-dir /var/lib/sdrmm/recordings

Stop it with a normal termination signal so recordings can finish. Set SDRMM_TOKEN and HTTPS.

Before leaving it unattended

Test the packaged build with your radio:

Save the sdrmm --doctor report.
Stream for 30 minutes and check the drop counter, audio, and spectrum.
Try tuning, gain, rate, and every control you plan to use.
Unplug and replug the radio. The workspace should pick it up again.
Record a short capture and play it back.

Radios on other machines

A Device node can open network radios such as rtl_tcp, SpyServer, SDRconnect, and iiod directly. For SoapyRemote, run SoapySDRServer next to the radio and install SoapyRemote where SDR-- runs; the radio then appears in the normal list.

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