Configuration

MyAstroBoard stores its runtime configuration in its database (data/myastroboard.db, see DATABASE.md); /api/config/export downloads it as config.json. All settings are managed through the App settings tab (admin only) in the UI or via the /api/config endpoint.

App settings tab layout

Locations (multi-location profiles)

Since v1.2, the configuration holds an admin-managed locations list (up to MAX_LOCATIONS = 5 presets) instead of a single location object. At least one preset is required before most calculations can run; editing a preset’s coordinates resets only that preset’s caches.

Full reference - data model, attribution, per-user default/active location, rate-limit analysis behind the cap: LOCATIONS.md.

Each preset carries:

The timezone field determines how all local times (moonrise, sunset, event times…) are displayed throughout the app for users observing from that preset. GET /api/timezones returns all valid IANA timezone strings for the dropdown.

A coordinate converter is available at POST /api/convert-coordinates to translate between decimal degrees and DMS (degrees/minutes/seconds).

Legacy single-location configs are migrated automatically on first load after upgrade (the old location key and the old global horizon profile move onto the first preset - zero manual action required).

Sky quality (light pollution)

Set per location preset:

See SKYTONIGHT.md - Light Pollution Integration for how these values affect AstroScore.

SkyTonight constraints

These values live under skytonight.constraints in the configuration. They define which objects are considered observable. All constraints are always active.

Custom horizon profile

Since v1.2 the horizon profile is a per-location preset field (locations[].horizon_profile, edited in the location’s edit modal) instead of the former global skytonight.constraints.horizon_profile. It stores an array of [azimuth, altitude] pairs that describe the site’s local horizon mask - mountains, buildings, or trees that block the view at specific azimuths.

"horizon_profile": [
  [0, 5],
  [45, 15],
  [90, 8],
  [180, 2],
  [270, 6],
  [315, 10]
]

SkyTonight evaluates each target against the horizon profile: if the object’s altitude at a given azimuth is below the profile altitude for that direction, it counts as blocked. Targets are scored only during the fraction of time they clear both the global altitude_constraint_min and the horizon profile.

The profile is set in App settings -> Locations -> (edit a preset) -> Custom Horizon Profile. Enter points manually per location.

Scheduler configuration

Configuration key: skytonight.scheduler

See SKYTONIGHT.md - Scheduler for scheduling logic.

Dataset configuration

Configuration key: skytonight.datasets

Application settings (admin)

Stored separately (database setting app_settings, see AUTHENTICATION.md):

MQTT connections

Sub-tab: App settings -> Configuration

The MQTT brokers the MQTT connectors talk to, stored under mqtt_connections; each connector picks one by id (connectors.mqtt.mqtt_connection_id). The password is kept in the connector secrets store, never in the configuration. See HOME_ASSISTANT.md and CONNECTORS.md.

"mqtt_connections": [
  {
    "id": "home-assistant",
    "name": "Home Assistant",
    "url": "mqtt://192.168.1.10:1883",
    "username": "myastroboard",
    "tls_insecure": false
  }
]

Connectors

Sub-tab: App settings -> Connectors

Connector configuration is stored in the configuration under connectors.<name>. See CONNECTORS.md for the full reference.

"connectors": {
  "allsky": {
    "url": "http://allsky.local",
    "label": "My AllSky",
    "enabled": true,
    "image_path": "current",
    "image_filename": "image.jpg",
    "mqtt_connection_id": "home-assistant",
    "mqtt_topic": "allsky",
    "client_id": "",
    "modules": {
      "live_image":      { "enabled": true },
      "sensor_data":     { "enabled": false },
      "keogram":         { "enabled": true },
      "startrails":      { "enabled": false },
      "daily_timelapse": { "enabled": false }
    }
  }
}

Backup and restore

Sub-tab: App settings -> Backup / Restore

Download backup

GET /api/backup/download produces a ZIP archive, built from the database in the same JSON layout as 1.6 backups:

The archive is named myastroboard_backup_<timestamp>.zip.

Not included: the security settings (trusted networks, instance-wide 2FA switch) are deliberately excluded from both the backup ZIP and /api/config/export, for the same reason as trust_proxy_headers: a LAN CIDR block from one install is meaningless - or actively wrong - on a restored host. Re-configure trusted networks by hand after a restore on a different machine. See also docs/AUTHENTICATION.md.

Restore backup

POST /api/backup/restore (multipart form, field file) accepts a backup ZIP (from 1.7 or 1.6) and restores its contents. Every entry is validated before anything is written, then the database is updated in one transaction: each folder present in the archive replaces that kind of data, and users.json replaces the account list (accounts absent from it are deleted with their data). Documents of accounts that are not in the database are skipped.

After a restore: every gunicorn worker picks the restored data up on its next request. A page reload is required to reflect restored user accounts.

Logs

Sub-tab: App settings -> Logs

Live log viewer

GET /api/logs returns the tail of data/logs/myastroboard.log for live viewing in the browser. The active levels can be checked with GET /api/logs/level ({"level": <log file>, "console_level": <console>}).

Log levels

Set in App settings -> Logs: one level for the log file (default INFO) and one for the console output (default WARNING) - see log_level / console_log_level in Application settings. To troubleshoot, set the log file level to DEBUG, reproduce the issue, then export the logs. A change applies right away, without a restart (the other gunicorn worker follows within a few seconds). The LOG_LEVEL / CONSOLE_LOG_LEVEL environment variables still work and, when set, take precedence: the matching setting is then shown disabled in the UI.

Log lines are JSONL-formatted (one JSON object per line): {"level": "INFO", "time": "...", "msg": "...", "module": "..."}.

Export logs

GET /api/logs/export downloads a ZIP archive containing:

• myastroboard.log - main application log
• skytonight/logs/last_calculation.log - last SkyTonight run log

Attach this file to GitHub issues to help maintainers diagnose problems.

Clear logs

POST /api/logs/clear truncates the main log file (admin only).

Retention

Besides the size-based rotation, lines older than log_retention_days (default 90, see Application settings) are removed from the main log and its backups. See Privacy & GDPR.

Metrics

Sub-tab: App settings -> Metrics (admin only)

GET /api/metrics returns system metrics including:

The metrics tab is the first place to check if a cache job is repeatedly failing or taking unexpectedly long.

App restart

POST /api/admin/restart (admin only) triggers a graceful application restart. This is needed after changes to the app settings that affect Flask configuration (e.g. enabling session_cookie_secure).

Configuration API

Last updated 2026-11-13