sensehive-iot 1.8.1

Debug, log, and visualize your MQTT data instantly, like uptime-kuma, but built for MQTT and IoT data.

Run → Add Topic → Publish → See Data in under 30 seconds.

Star History

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Index

• Documentation
• The SenseHive Family
• Quick Start (30 seconds)
• Dashboard Preview
• Minimum System Requirements
• What's New in v1.8
• What's New in v1.7
• What's New in v1.6
• What's New in v1.5
• What's New in v1.4
• Key Features
• What's New in v1.1
• Heartbeat receiver (v1.2)
• Overview
• Example Use Cases
• Why SenseHive Was Built
• Design Principles
• System Architecture
• Data Flow
• Folder Structure
• Deployment
• Home Assistant Add-on (HAOS)
• Default Access
• Data Persistence
• Configuration
• Test Setup (Quick Validation)
• Example Payload
• Testing and CI/CD
• Performance Benchmarks
• Comparison with Existing Solutions
• Positioning
• When to Use SenseHive
• When NOT to Use SenseHive
• Current Limitations
• Versioning and Release Status
• Stability Statement
• Community Release
• License
• Closing Note
• Support & Feedback

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Documentation

Full guides live in docs/: Setup | Configuration | Using SenseHive | Secure topics | Heartbeats and EdgeShell | Validate without hardware | Security | Development and testing | Architecture decisions | Changelog

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The SenseHive Family

SenseHive is the hub. Two device projects feed it, each found by SenseHive by itself, with nothing to add per device:

Project	Runs on	What it gives SenseHive
MQTT heartbeat agent	Linux edge nodes: Raspberry Pi, gateways, servers	Encrypted heartbeats every 10 s and a last will: each node online, offline or silent, with uptime history. Add node in SenseHive gives a join token; on the node git clone the agent and sudo python3 setup.py (Heartbeats)
PowerPulse	ESP32 boards	A power presence beacon: flash it, plug it in, and it appears under Secure topics with its data, online, and offline the moment power is lost (or a plain build added by hand) (Secure topics)
EdgeShell	Your server	Fleet manager that shows SenseHive's heartbeat state on its node cards
Home Assistant add-on	Home Assistant OS	SenseHive in the Home Assistant sidebar

Every SenseHive change is tested against both device projects, without hardware: the real PowerPulse firmware runs on a simulated ESP32 and must be found, decrypted, shown online and then offline. How it works, the measured numbers, and how to run the same checks yourself before you deploy hardware: Validate without hardware.

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Quick Start (30 seconds)

Get SenseHive running and visualize MQTT data instantly.

1. Run the Container

docker run -d -p 5000:5000 -v $(pwd)/sensehive-data:/app/data \
  -e SENSEHIVE_ADMIN_PASSWORD='choose-a-strong-password' devprincekumar/sense-hive:latest

Prefer no Docker? pip install sensehive-iot && sensehive. On Home Assistant OS? Install the add-on.

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2. Open the Dashboard

http://localhost:5000

Sign in as admin with the password you chose (or admin123 if you did not set one, then change it at once in Settings).

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3. Add Any MQTT Topic

• Click “+ Add Node”

• Enter a topic (example):

  test/topic
  

• Save

Example Topics You Can Try

• home/livingroom/temp
• sensor/temperature
• test/topic

No setup required, just Subscribe and watch.

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4. Publish Data (From Anywhere)

Publish a message using any MQTT client:

mosquitto_pub -h broker.hivemq.com -t test/topic -m "hello world"

That’s it, your data will appear instantly on the dashboard, no scripts, no setup.

Run → Add Topic → Publish → See Data

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Try Other Public Brokers (Optional)

You can switch brokers anytime:

• broker.hivemq.com (default)
• test.mosquitto.org
• broker.emqx.io

Broker	Host	Port	Notes
Eclipse Mosquitto	test.mosquitto.org	1883	Very popular, stable
EMQX Public Broker	broker.emqx.io	1883	Good global performance
HiveMQ EU	broker.hivemq.com	1883	Default used

Example:

mosquitto_pub -h test.mosquitto.org -t test/topic -m "hello again"

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Tip

Use a unique topic if testing on public brokers:

yourname/test/topic1

You can also use the included test script for automated data simulation if needed.

Not Seeing Data?

• Topic must match exactly
• Use a unique topic (shared brokers)
• Check host/port (1883)
• Wait a few seconds

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Dashboard Preview

Screenshots are taken from a seeded test install by tools/screenshots.py (made-up topics, no real data), so they always show the current release.

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Key Features

SenseHive collects data in two ways, side by side: the MQTT logger for the topics you add, and the heartbeat receiver, which finds edge nodes by itself and serves their state through a read-only API.

Category	Highlights
MQTT Data Ingestion	Compatible with any MQTT device · Public broker support · Topic-based subscription
Dynamic Data Storage	Auto topic-to-table mapping · SQLite persistence · Timestamped entries
Real-Time Dashboard	Live updates (SSE) · Latest 50 entries per topic · Topic-based visualization cards
Data Export	CSV export per topic · Easy data extraction
Organization	Tags · Node ID grouping · Filter by tag · Sort by name, status, entries or size
Device Health (LWT)	Online/offline per topic and per node · Live counts in the navbar
Data Management	Entry count & size per topic · Retention by age/entries · SQLite WAL mode
Wildcard Topics	sensors/# and home/+/temp subscriptions are logged
Secure Topics	Encrypted, signed per topic, found by themselves · Keys with CSV, expiry, revoke
Deployment Flexibility	Docker (multi-arch amd64 + arm64) · Home Assistant add-on · pip install CLI

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Minimum System Requirements

	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	1 core, ARMv8 (64-bit, e.g. Raspberry Pi 3) or x86-64	2 cores
Memory	128 MB free (SenseHive uses about 28 MB idle, 35 MB with 500 nodes and 100 busy topics)	512 MB free
Disk	200 MB (image 57 MB) plus your data	1 GB or more; about 0.35 MB per heartbeat node per day, topic data as published
OS	Linux with Docker 20.10+, Home Assistant OS, or any OS with Python 3.9 to 3.13	Linux with Docker
Network	A reachable MQTT broker (the public default needs internet)	Your own broker on the LAN
Clock	Correct time (NTP); secure topics and heartbeats refuse messages more than a few minutes off
Browser	A current Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, desktop or phone

Measured, not estimated: see Performance.

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What's New in v1.8

Area	Change
Many nodes	Add node, Many nodes (CSV): up to 500 tokens at a time; the agent's bulk tool sets them all up over SSH with the broker login, tests each node and rolls new passwords out (guide)
Add node	Heartbeats, Add node: a join token for a new node. On the node: git clone the heartbeat agent, sudo python3 setup.py, paste the token. A hardened systemd service, and the node appears by itself. No EdgeShell, and SenseHive never connects to the node (guide)
Isolation	HEARTBEAT_MASTER_KEY=auto: every SenseHive its own fleet. Other people's nodes on the same public broker never appear, and yours never appear in theirs (how)
Without hardware	The real PowerPulse firmware on a simulated ESP32 and the agent on a systemd node, tested on every change, with the measured numbers (Validate without hardware)

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What's New in v1.7

Area	Change
Secure topics	Encrypted and signed per topic with keys SenseHive issues. Flash a device with a key, it publishes under sensehive/secure/..., and its topic appears by itself; nobody without the key can read, change or replay its data, even on a public broker. Guide, device code and protocol
Keys	Generate 1 to 100 at a time with a label, shown once, CSV download; bound to their topic on first use; unused keys expire after 24 hours; show again with your password; revoke
Open and secure	Topic logs has two cards, Open topics (added by hand) and Secure topics (found by themselves), each with an (i) guide
Devices	Tested code for Python, MicroPython, Node.js and Node-RED, ESP32 (Arduino)
Recycle bin	Move retired heartbeat nodes out of the list; restore them, delete them for good, or see when one comes back

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What's New in v1.6

Area	Change
Guides	An (i) button on the Topic logs and Heartbeats cards opens a short guide: what the view is for and how to use it, step by step; the heartbeat guide links to the agent's repository
Filters	Filter by status: topics by online, offline or no last will; heartbeat nodes by online, offline or silent, with counts
Deployment	Deploying securely: one domain on 443 through a TLS proxy, SenseHive's port on loopback only, DNS, firewall and checks from outside

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What's New in v1.5

Area	Change
Heartbeat history	Every heartbeat kept (48 h by default); per-node charts for 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day, 7 days and 30 days with breaks, uptime and delivery delay; CSV export for one, selected or all nodes
Dashboard	Two cards, Topic logs and Heartbeats, switch the view with a smooth fade (GPU-composited, respects reduced motion); every dialog fits the screen at any size and zoom
Security	Strict hostile-input review (ADR 0008): payload size cap, per-node flood limit, API token lockout, CSV formula escaping, request size limit, more security headers, CI actions pinned to commits

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What's New in v1.4

Area	Change
Look	EdgeShell's theme (colours, font, sign-in card, top bar), light by default, dark remembered and shared with the heartbeats page
Layout	Fits phones, tablets and desktops at 67 to 200 % zoom: top bar wraps into icon buttons, cards and dialogs never overflow, Escape closes dialogs
Security	No CDN: browser code built ahead of time and served by SenseHive under a strict Content Security Policy; topics that could break SQL are refused and table names are always safely quoted; no default password on the sign-in page
Quality	Browser UI test (about 145 checks, every screen size and zoom, light and dark), ruff, Bandit and pip-audit in CI, front-end build check
Docs	Full guides in docs/ with architecture decision records

See the Changelog.

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What's New in v1.1

Area	Change	Issue
UI	JSON arrays, nested objects and long values wrap inside the cards (Chrome and Firefox)	#3
Performance	SQLite WAL mode; data retention by age and/or max entries per topic	#1
Dashboard	Entry count and size per topic, mandatory tags and Node ID, filter/sort/group, LWT online/offline status with navbar counts	#5
Install	pip install sensehive-iot with a sensehive CLI	#4
Home Assistant	One-click HAOS add-on with ingress, Mosquitto auto-discovery and backups	#2
Reliability	Wildcard topics logged, live updates reach every open tab, paho-mqtt 2.x support, no dev data in the image, persistent session secret
Quality	73-test regression suite, CI on every PR, automated multi-arch image publishing

Existing v1.0 databases are migrated automatically on first start. Keep your /app/data volume.

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Heartbeat receiver (v1.2)

SenseHive can receive encrypted, authenticated heartbeats from edge nodes running the MQTT heartbeat agent, over a public broker, and serve their state read-only to EdgeShell (VPN-independent uptime and LWT status on its node cards) or any other tool that reads JSON (Grafana, Node-RED, Home Assistant, scripts).

• Nothing to set up per node. Give SenseHive the fleet's master key and it computes the fleet's rotating topics itself, derives each sender's key from the key id in the message, and records a node on its first valid heartbeat. There is no node list to maintain and no topic to add.
• The agent for the nodes lives in its own repository, mqtt-heartbeat-service, with its architecture, lifecycle and a setup guide (docs/SETUP.md).
• The MQTT logger keeps working as before: add topics with Add Node and watch them on the dashboard; the receiver uses its own connection and tables.

The full guide, with how the agent works on a node, example API responses and recipes for curl, Python, Node-RED, Home Assistant and Grafana, is in docs/HEARTBEAT.md.

• Off by default. Set HEARTBEAT_MASTER_KEY (64 hex characters) to turn it on. Nothing else in SenseHive changes: it uses its own TLS connection to the heartbeat broker and its own tables.
• Verified, not trusted. Every message is AES-256-GCM encrypted and authenticated with the sending node's own key, on topics that change every ten minutes. Messages from strangers on the broker, replays and messages sealed with another key are dropped (and counted).
• State per node: online (heartbeats arriving), offline (its last will arrived), silent (no heartbeat and no will: usually the broker or internet path). Changes are kept as events; per-minute presence is kept for HEARTBEAT_KEEP_DAYS (30) for uptime calculations.
• Page: /heartbeats (signed in) lists every node.
• Read-only API (GET only), with Authorization: Bearer <HEARTBEAT_API_TOKEN> or a signed-in session:

Endpoint	Returns
/api/heartbeat/status	receiver on, broker connected, nodes seen, rejected messages
/api/heartbeat/nodes	per node: status, last heartbeat, since, last will time, agent version
/api/heartbeat/minutes?since=<unix>	per node, the minutes with a verified heartbeat
/api/heartbeat/events?since=<unix>	status changes, oldest first

Variable	Default	Purpose
HEARTBEAT_MASTER_KEY	empty (off)	Fleet master key, 64 hex characters (secret)
HEARTBEAT_API_TOKEN	empty	Bearer token for the API, at least 32 characters (secret)
HEARTBEAT_BROKER / HEARTBEAT_PORT / HEARTBEAT_TLS	broker.hivemq.com / 8883 / true	Heartbeat broker (TLS, certificate verified)
HEARTBEAT_STALE_SECONDS	35	No heartbeat for this long: silent
HEARTBEAT_KEEP_DAYS	30	Per-minute presence and events kept for

Keep both secrets out of compose files you commit: use an .env file next to docker-compose.yml.

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Overview

SenseHive is a self-hosted MQTT data ingestion and visualization system designed for rapid deployment, minimal overhead, and reliable local operation.

It enables engineers and teams to:

• Ingest MQTT data streams
• Persist data locally
• Visualize real-time telemetry
• Export structured datasets

The system is optimized for edge environments, internal infrastructure, and low-resource devices, where traditional IoT platforms are unnecessarily complex or resource-intensive.

Example Use Cases

• Monitoring environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, AQI)
• Collecting telemetry from distributed IoT nodes
• Rapid prototyping of MQTT-based systems
• Internal dashboards for lab or field deployments

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Why SenseHive Was Built

In practical IoT deployments involving weather monitoring systems, DAQ nodes, and distributed sensor networks, existing solutions were evaluated but did not meet the need for:

• Fast setup
• Lightweight execution
• Direct data visibility

Most available tools required:

• Complex configuration
• Multiple dependent services
• Higher system resources

The requirement was clear:

A simple, plug-and-play system that can be deployed instantly and start logging MQTT data without setup overhead.

SenseHive was built to meet that need.

The experience aimed to replicate the simplicity of tools that offer immediate usability with minimal configuration - but for MQTT-based data systems.

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Design Principles

• Simplicity over complexity
• Edge-first deployment
• Minimal dependencies
• One-command startup
• Reliable local operation

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System Architecture

graph TD
    A[IoT Devices / DAQ Systems] -->|MQTT| B[MQTT Broker]
    B --> C[SenseHive MQTT Client]

    C --> D[Processing Layer]
    D --> E[SQLite Database]

    E --> F[Flask Backend]
    F --> G[SSE Stream Engine]

    G --> H[Web Dashboard]
    F --> I[CSV Export API]

As part of the EdgeShell system

SenseHive also runs next to EdgeShell, the fleet control plane, as its heartbeat receiver. Five projects work together:

flowchart LR
    U[Admins and operators] -->|HTTPS| NG[nginx]
    NG --> ES[EdgeShell<br/>control plane]
    NG -->|/sensehive/, admins after EdgeShell's 2FA gate| SH[SenseHive]
    ES -->|SSH and Ansible over the mesh| N[Edge nodes<br/>heartbeat agent on each]
    ES -->|Fleet Setup installs| N
    N -->|AES-256-GCM heartbeats + last will<br/>every 10 s| B[Public MQTT broker, TLS]
    B --> SH
    SH -->|read-only heartbeat API, bearer token| ES
    PFE[Pi Fleet Emulator] -.->|every EdgeShell release tested against| ES
    ES -->|Remote button| ORG[OpenRemoteGUI on nodes]

Part	Job
EdgeShell	Users, roles, 2FA, SSH and Ansible to nodes, monitoring, uptime and SLA
SenseHive	Verifies node heartbeats and serves their state to EdgeShell; MQTT data logger for admins
MQTT heartbeat agent	On every node: encrypted heartbeat every 10 s and a last will
OpenRemoteGUI	Browser remote desktop on nodes
Pi Fleet Emulator	Emulated Pi fleet for testing

Recommended setup: run SenseHive from EdgeShell's Compose file (it is already in it), give both the same HEARTBEAT_MASTER_KEY and API token, install the agent from EdgeShell's Fleet Setup, and open SenseHive from EdgeShell's admin panel. Node status then arrives on two independent paths: SSH metrics over the mesh, and heartbeats over the broker, so a VPN outage is told apart from a node outage. Details: docs/HEARTBEAT.md.

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Data Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant Device
    participant Broker
    participant SenseHive
    participant DB
    participant UI

    Device->>Broker: Publish MQTT Payload
    Broker->>SenseHive: Forward Message
    SenseHive->>DB: Store Data
    SenseHive->>UI: Stream Updates (SSE)
    UI->>User: Display Latest Data

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Folder Structure

.
├── version-1.0/              # application (also the `sensehive` pip package)
│   ├── app.py                # Flask app + MQTT logger
│   ├── cli.py                # `sensehive` command
│   ├── heartbeat.py          # heartbeat receiver + read-only API
│   ├── security.py           # sign-in hardening
│   ├── templates/            # dashboard, login and heartbeats pages
│   ├── static/               # built browser code (committed, no CDN)
│   ├── requirements.txt
│   └── Dockerfile
├── frontend/                 # browser sources (JSX, CSS), built by `npm run build`
├── tools/                    # front-end build, browser UI test, screenshots
├── tests/                    # regression suite (pytest) + legacy DB fixture
├── docs/                     # guides and architecture decision records
├── .github/workflows/        # CI (every PR) and CD (Docker Hub, PyPI, releases)
├── Docker-compose/           # compose files for x86 and ARM
├── Test-sensehive/           # test publisher script
├── pyproject.toml            # pip packaging (sensehive-iot)
├── DOCKERHUB.md              # Docker Hub description (synced by CD)
├── README.md
└── LICENSE

The Home Assistant add-on lives in its own repository: 855princekumar/sensehive-ha-addon.

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Deployment

Option 1: Docker (Recommended)

Pull Images

docker pull devprincekumar/sense-hive:latest

• One multi-arch image for AMD64 / x86 and ARM64 (Raspberry Pi 4/5); Docker picks the right one
• Pin a release with devprincekumar/sense-hive:1.8.1; edge tracks the main branch
• arm-pi-5 remains available and points to the same multi-arch release

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Run Container

docker run -d \
  -p 5000:5000 \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/app/data \
  devprincekumar/sense-hive:latest

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Option 2: Docker Compose

Use the provided compose files:

• docker-compose-amd.yml
• docker-compose-arm.yml

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Option 3: Local Run (Without Docker)

cd version-1.0
python app.py

Access the dashboard:

http://localhost:5000

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Option 4: pip install (CLI)

pip install sensehive-iot
sensehive --port 5000 --broker localhost     # your broker; open http://localhost:5000 (admin / admin123)

No devices yet? sensehive-demo (installed with the package) is a small emulated fleet: each device has its own last will and publishes JSON readings. --register adds them as nodes for you:

sensehive-demo --broker localhost --register http://localhost:5000 --password admin123

The dashboard fills in within seconds: a card per device with live readings, Active from its last will, and Inactive when you stop it (Ctrl+C). CI runs exactly this on every change: the built wheel in a clean venv, a real broker, the emulated fleet and a browser on phone, tablet, laptop and desktop (25 checks), and the same against the Docker image.

Options:

sensehive --host 0.0.0.0 --port 5000 --broker broker.hivemq.com
sensehive --broker 192.168.1.10 --broker-port 1883 --broker-username user --broker-password pass
sensehive --timezone Asia/Kolkata --data-dir ~/sensehive-data
sensehive --version

Data is stored in ~/.sensehive unless --data-dir (or DB_PATH) is set. --broker overrides the broker saved in Settings. Install straight from GitHub with pip install git+https://github.com/855princekumar/sense-hive.

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Home Assistant Add-on (HAOS)

One-click deployment for Home Assistant OS / Supervised users.

1. Settings → Add-ons → Add-on Store → ⋮ → Repositories, add https://github.com/855princekumar/sensehive-ha-addon
2. Install SenseHive, press Start, enable Show in sidebar
3. Open SenseHive from the sidebar, add a topic and publish

Feature	Details
Ingress	Opens in the Home Assistant sidebar; Home Assistant handles authentication
Zero MQTT setup	Connects to the Mosquitto broker add-on automatically (or set a broker in Configuration)
Backups	Database stored in the add-on /data folder, included in Home Assistant backups
Security	AppArmor profile, no privileges, direct port access disabled by default
Architectures	amd64 and aarch64 (Raspberry Pi 4/5)

Build, test and validation

Check	Result
Home Assistant app linter (official schema)	Passed
AppArmor profile parse (apparmor_parser)	Passed
Multi-arch image build (amd64 + aarch64)	Passed, built from devprincekumar/sense-hive (the add-on follows each SenseHive release)
Sandbox: mock Supervisor at 172.30.32.2 + Mosquitto with credentials + ingress proxy	26/26 checks passed
Real Home Assistant: official apps devcontainer, Home Assistant 2026.10.2 + Supervisor 2026.10.3 (store install, Mosquitto discovery, ingress via Core, data flow, LWT, restart, backup)	21/21 checks passed, in CI on every change
Real Home Assistant with a browser: Home Assistant's sign-in, SenseHive in the sidebar, the panel without a second sign-in, Add Node, an emulated fleet of 6 devices on Home Assistant's Mosquitto, live readings and last-will status, details, dark mode, phone to desktop with no layout or console errors	30 checks passed, in CI on every change
Supervisor security rating	8/8 (AppArmor profile, no API or host access, protected mode)

The add-on repository runs the linter, AppArmor, build and sandbox checks on every change, and a daily sync workflow opens a PR when a new SenseHive release is published.

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Alternative: Docker next to Home Assistant

SenseHive can also run as a plain container next to Home Assistant, connected to the same MQTT broker (e.g., Mosquitto add-on).

This setup is useful for:

• Inspecting raw MQTT topics
• Logging data independently of Home Assistant
• Exporting MQTT data for analysis

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Quick Setup (Docker Compose)

Standard Systems (x86 / AMD64)

version: "3.8"

services:
  sense-hive:
    image: devprincekumar/sense-hive:latest
    container_name: sense-hive
    ports:
      - "5500:5000"
    volumes:
      - ./sensehive-data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - sense-hive-network
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "python", "-c", "import urllib.request; urllib.request.urlopen('http://localhost:5000/api/status')"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 10s

networks:
  sense-hive-network:
    driver: bridge

Access SenseHive at: http://localhost:5500

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Raspberry Pi (ARM)

version: "3.8"

services:
  sense-hive:
    image: devprincekumar/sense-hive:arm-pi-5
    container_name: sense-hive
    ports:
      - "5500:5000"
    volumes:
      - /config/sensehive:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - sense-hive-network
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "python", "-c", "import urllib.request; urllib.request.urlopen('http://localhost:5000/api/status')"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 10s

networks:
  sense-hive-network:
    driver: bridge

Access SenseHive at: http://localhost:5500

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Notes for Home Assistant Users

• Use the same MQTT broker configured in Home Assistant (typically Mosquitto)

• Broker host is usually:

  • homeassistant.local
  • or the Home Assistant IP (e.g., 192.168.1.x)

• Default MQTT port: 1883

• Use the same credentials defined in Home Assistant

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Data Persistence

• For standard Docker setups:

  • ./sensehive-data:/app/data

• For Home Assistant environments:

  • /config/sensehive:/app/data

This ensures data persists across container restarts and aligns with Home Assistant storage conventions.

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Default Access

Username: admin
Password: SENSEHIVE_ADMIN_PASSWORD from the first start, otherwise admin123

Change admin123 straight after the first sign-in. The sign-in page never shows it, and five wrong passwords lock sign-in for 15 minutes.

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Data Persistence

Database location:

/app/data/iot_dashboard.db

Install	Database location
Docker	/app/data/iot_dashboard.db (mount a volume)
Home Assistant add-on	/data/iot_dashboard.db (included in backups)
pip	~/.sensehive/iot_dashboard.db (or --data-dir)

Note:

• Without volume mounting, data will not persist across container restarts
• SQLite runs in WAL mode; -wal/-shm files next to the database are normal

Configuration

The default setup uses a public MQTT broker for quick testing.

You can modify:

• MQTT broker (local or remote)
• Credentials
• Timezone settings

Most settings live in the UI (Settings): broker, credentials, timezone, data retention and password. Environment variables set the defaults for a new database:

Variable	Default	Purpose
DEFAULT_BROKER_HOST / DEFAULT_BROKER_PORT	broker.hivemq.com / 1883	Broker for a new database
DEFAULT_BROKER_USERNAME / DEFAULT_BROKER_PASSWORD	empty	Broker credentials
SENSEHIVE_FORCE_BROKER	false	true applies DEFAULT_BROKER_* on every start
DEFAULT_TIMEZONE	UTC	Timezone for a new database
RETENTION_DAYS / RETENTION_MAX_ENTRIES	0 (off)	Initial retention policy
RETENTION_INTERVAL	3600	Seconds between retention runs
SQLITE_WAL	true	Set false on network filesystems (NFS/SMB)
SECRET_KEY	random, persisted next to the DB	Session secret
DB_PATH	/app/data/iot_dashboard.db	Database location
HOST / PORT	0.0.0.0 / 5000	Listen address for python app.py
HEARTBEAT_*	off	Heartbeat receiver, see Heartbeat receiver
SENSEHIVE_SECURE_TOPICS / SENSEHIVE_SECURE_ROOT	true / sensehive/secure	Secure topics on or off, and their root
SENSEHIVE_ADMIN_PASSWORD	empty (admin123)	First password of the admin user in a new database (never printed)
SENSEHIVE_MAX_FAILED_LOGINS / SENSEHIVE_LOCK_MINUTES	5 / 15	Sign-in is refused for a user or an address after this many failures in this window
SENSEHIVE_TRUST_PROXY	false	Behind a reverse proxy: take the client address from X-Real-IP (limits per real client)
SENSEHIVE_COOKIE_SECURE / _SAMESITE / _PATH	false / Lax / /	Session cookie flags (always HttpOnly); behind HTTPS use true / Strict
SENSEHIVE_SESSION_HOURS	12	Session lifetime

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Test Setup (Quick Validation)

A test publisher is included to simulate IoT data.

Step 1: Start SenseHive

Run using Docker or local execution.

---

Step 2: Run Test Script

cd test-sensehive
python test_script.py

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Step 3: Configure Dashboard

• Add topic: test-sensehive
• Observe live updates
• View latest 50 entries
• Export data using CSV

---

Example Payload

{
  "device_id": "sensehive_node_01",
  "timestamp": 1710000000,
  "temperature": 28.5,
  "humidity": 62,
  "status": "active"
}

---

Testing and CI/CD

Run the suites locally (details in Development and testing):

pip install -r version-1.0/requirements.txt pytest
python -m pytest                                        # unit + API tests
SENSEHIVE_TEST_BROKER=localhost:1883 python -m pytest   # plus end-to-end against a real broker
pip install playwright && python -m playwright install chromium
python tools/ui_test.py                                 # browser UI: every screen size and zoom
npm ci && npm run check                                 # built front end matches its sources

Pipeline	Trigger	What runs
CI	Every pull request and push to main	Regression tests on Python 3.9 to 3.13 against a real Mosquitto broker, paho-mqtt 1.x compatibility, browser UI test (phone to desktop, 67 to 200 % zoom, CSP violations), ruff, Bandit, pip-audit, front-end build check, CodeQL, wheel build + CLI smoke test, Docker build + container health check
CD	Push to main	Full CI, then publishes devprincekumar/sense-hive:edge (amd64 + arm64)
CD	Tag vX.Y.Z	Full CI, then publishes X.Y.Z, X.Y, latest, arm-pi-5, updates the Docker Hub description, publishes sensehive-iot to PyPI and creates a GitHub release

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Performance Benchmarks

Lightweight by design: about 28 MB of memory at idle and 35 MB with 500 heartbeat nodes and 100 busy topics, in a 57 MB image. Measured with SenseHive 1.4.2 (script in tools/measure/, full results in docs/PERFORMANCE.md):

Scenario	CPU (one core)	Memory
Idle, heartbeat receiver on, 100 topics subscribed	0.04 %	28 MB
500 heartbeat nodes (50 encrypted messages/s verified)	8.7 %	34 MB
The same plus 100 topics logging 50 messages/s	19 %	35 MB

Also measured	Value
API response (500 nodes, 100 topics)	2 to 8 ms p50, under 10 ms p95
Storage per logged message	about 270 bytes at most, including indexes
Heartbeats refused in the run	0 (all 500 nodes online)
Docker image	57 MB, amd64 and arm64

Test machine: Intel Core i7-1185G7 laptop, Docker Desktop. Expect a few times the CPU share on a Raspberry Pi core; memory stays about the same.

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Comparison with Existing Solutions

Feature / Tool	SenseHive	ThingsBoard	Node-RED	Grafana + MQTT	Home Assistant
Setup Complexity	Very Low	High	Medium	High	Medium
One-Click Deployment	Yes	No	Partial	No	Partial
Resource Usage	Low	High	Medium	High	Medium
MQTT Native Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Plugin-based	Yes
Built-in Storage	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Real-Time Dashboard	Yes	Yes	Limited	Yes	Yes
Data Export	Yes	Yes	Custom	Yes	Limited
Edge Device Friendly	Yes	Limited	Yes	Limited	Limited
Learning Curve	Low	High	Medium	High	Medium
Intended Use Case	Lightweight logging	Enterprise IoT	Flow automation	Observability	Smart home

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Positioning

SenseHive is designed as:

A lightweight, plug-and-play MQTT data logger and dashboard for quick deployment and internal use.

It is not intended to replace full-scale IoT platforms.

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When to Use SenseHive

• You need quick MQTT data logging without heavy setup
• You are working with edge devices (ESP32, Raspberry Pi, DAQ systems)
• You want a self-hosted, lightweight dashboard
• You need fast prototyping or internal monitoring

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When NOT to Use SenseHive

• You need large-scale distributed IoT infrastructure
• You require multi-tenant SaaS architecture
• You need advanced analytics or big data pipelines
• You expect enterprise-grade scalability out of the box

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Current Limitations

• SQLite may not scale for high-throughput systems
• Table-per-topic schema limits scalability
• No dynamic schema optimization
• No built-in migration to time-series databases
• Basic authentication system
• No alerting or automation engine

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Versioning and Release Status

v1.5 (Current)

• Heartbeat history with charts and CSV export, dashboard view cards, dialogs that always fit, hostile-input hardening (What's New in v1.5)

v1.4

• EdgeShell's theme, responsive layout at every screen size and zoom, no CDN with a strict CSP, SQL-safe topic names, browser UI test, full docs and ADRs (What's New in v1.4)

v1.3

• Sign-in hardening: salted, slow password hashes (old ones upgraded on the next sign-in), lockout after repeated failures per user and per address, a new session on every sign-in, cross-site requests that change data refused, HttpOnly cookies with configurable SameSite, Secure and Path, optional first admin password from the environment

v1.2

• Heartbeat receiver: encrypted, authenticated heartbeats and LWT from edge nodes over a public broker, /heartbeats page, read-only API (Heartbeat receiver)

v1.1

• SQLite WAL mode and data retention
• Topic stats, tags, node grouping and LWT device status
• JSON payload wrapping fix, wildcard topic logging, multi-tab live updates
• pip package with CLI, Home Assistant add-on with ingress
• Regression suite and CI/CD; multi-arch Docker image

See What's New in v1.1.

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v1.0

• Stable and tested
• Running in internal LAN environments
• Used for real data aggregation across multiple devices
• Verified over more than two months of continuous usage

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Planned

• Alerts and notifications
• Advanced filters and tag analytics
• Node-level analytics
• Schema optimization groundwork

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Stability Statement

SenseHive is:

• Reliable for self-hosted and LAN-based deployments
• Suitable for continuous MQTT data logging
• Actively used in internal setups

However, it is still under development toward a fully scalable production-grade platform.

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Community Release

This project is being released as open source to:

• Enable wider testing
• Gather feedback from real-world use cases
• Improve scalability and feature set

Contributions, suggestions, and improvements are encouraged.

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License

MIT License

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Closing Note

SenseHive is built to simplify MQTT-based data logging and visualization without introducing unnecessary complexity.

It is particularly suited for:

• Edge deployments
• Rapid prototyping
• Internal monitoring systems
• Lightweight IoT infrastructures

The focus remains on usability, portability, and practical engineering needs.

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Support & Feedback

If you find this useful, consider starring the repository.

Feedback, issues, and contributions are welcome to help improve the project.