Advanced Configuration Reference

Configuration Guide

Primary source file: rootfs/usr/share/planefence/stage/persist/planefence.config.RENAME-and-EDIT-me

Reading This Reference

• Required: Yes means you should set it for normal operation.
• Default/Behavior: values and behavior are taken from template comments.
• Unless noted, parameters are optional.

Required Station and Data Source

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
FEEDER_LAT	Station latitude (decimal; north positive, south negative).	Template example: 90.12345.	Yes
FEEDER_LONG	Station longitude (decimal; east positive, west negative).	Template example: -70.12345.	Yes
PF_SOCK30003HOST	Hostname of SBS-30003 source (ultrafeeder, dump1090[-fa], readsb, tar1090).	Template example: ultrafeeder.	Yes
PF_SOCK30003PORT	TCP port of SBS source.	30003.	Yes
PF_MAXDIST	Fence radius from station center, in PF_DISTUNIT.	Template example: 2.0.	Yes
PF_MAXALT	Maximum altitude in fence, in PF_ALTUNIT.	Template example: 5000.	Yes

General Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
GENERATE_CSV	Enable daily CSV export for Planefence/Plane-Alert.	OFF disables, ON enables.	No
PF_INTERVAL	Poll interval in seconds for new planes.	Template: 45; recommended minimum 30.	No
PF_DISTUNIT	Distance unit.	Allowed: kilometer, nauticalmile, mile, meter. Template: nauticalmile.	No
PF_ALTUNIT	Altitude unit.	Allowed: meter, feet. Template: feet.	No
PF_SPEEDUNIT	Speed unit.	Allowed: kilometerph, knotph, mileph. Template: knotph.	No
PF_FUDGELOC	Coordinate rounding for privacy.	0 whole deg, 1 0.1 deg, 2 0.01 deg, 3 0.001 deg; other non-empty behaves like 3.	No
PF_CHECKROUTE	Enrich PF table with route info via adsb.im API.	If omitted, default behavior is ON unless explicitly disabled.	No
PF_TRACKSERVICE	Tracking map service for Planefence links.	Must be tar1090-style deep-link target. Template: globe.adsbexchange.com.	No
PF_ELEVATION	Station elevation above MSL in PF_ALTUNIT.	If > 0, PF reports AGL instead of MSL. Template: 0.	No
OPENSKYDB_DOWNLOAD	Control OpenSky DB download/update.	Empty uses normal download behavior; set disabled to prevent downloads.	No

Web Page Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
PF_HTTP_PORT	HTTP port used inside container.	If omitted, 80. Template: 80.	No
PF_NAME	Short station label shown in page title.	Template: "MY".	No
PF_TABLESIZE	Default PF rows per page.	Options: 10, 25, 50, 100, all; default noted as 50.	No
PF_MAPURL	URL for station map link.	Full or relative URL.	No
PF_MAPZOOM	OpenStreetMap heatmap zoom level.	Template: 7.	No
PF_SHOWIMAGES	Show planespotters images in UI/notifications.	Default true behavior; set 0/off/false/no to disable.	No
PF_OPENAIP_LAYER	Show OpenAIP heatmap overlay.	ON enables layer.	No
PF_OPENAIPKEY	OpenAIP API key for overlay.	Required only if OpenAIP layer is enabled.	No

Planefence Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
PLANEFENCE	Enable Planefence feature/page.	If omitted, default behavior is enabled.	No
PF_MOTD	Message displayed at top of PF page.	Supports simple HTML.	No
PF_DELETEAFTER	Retention days for logs and JSON/CSV files.	Empty uses default 14; 0 keeps forever.	No
PF_NOISECAPT	Base URL of NoiseCapt container.	Empty disables integration.	No
PF_CHECKREMOTEDB	Use remote helper DB for airline lookup.	Any non-empty value enables; empty disables.	No
PF_IGNOREDUPES	Show only first ICAO+flight combo per day.	Enabled when set to yes/on/true/1/enabled.	No
PF_COLLAPSEWITHIN	Minimum seconds between observations to create separate entries.	Closer observations are collapsed. Template: 300.	No

Plane-Alert Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
PLANEALERT	Enable Plane-Alert feature/page.	Template: enabled.	No
PA_TABLESIZE	Default Plane-Alert rows per page.	Template: 50.	No
PA_MOTD	Message displayed at top of Plane-Alert page.	Supports simple HTML.	No
PF_PARANGE	Plane-Alert radius in PF_DISTUNIT.	Empty means any aircraft reported by station.	No
PF_PA_SQUAWKS	Squawk codes that trigger Plane-Alert.	Comma-separated; supports x wildcard per digit. Empty disables squawk triggers.	No
PF_ALERTLIST	List inputs for Plane-Alert watch data.	Up to 10 comma-separated file names (config dir) or URLs. Concatenated list replaces built-in plane-alert-db.txt.	No
PF_ALERTHEADER	Header/field interpretation for alert file columns.	Field syntax: Text, $Text, #Text, #$Text; include ICAO Type column for silhouettes.	No
PA_HISTTIME	Days Plane-Alert entries remain visible.	Template: 14.	No
PA_SILHOUETTES_LINK	URL for silhouette pack updates.	Empty/omitted uses default URL; OFF disables updates.	No
PA_TRACKSERVICE	Tracking map service for Plane-Alert links.	Template: globe.adsbexchange.com.	No
PA_EXCLUSIONS	Filters that suppress Plane-Alert notifications/UI entries.	Comma-separated ICAO type, ADS-B hex, or text; case-insensitive; URLs/images not searched. Empty disables filtering.	No
PA_SHOW_STALE_PAGE	Keep old /plane-alert page instead of redirecting to new page.	Truthy values enable stale page; empty/default behavior is redirect to new page.	No
PA_COLLECT_CANDIDATES	Enable auto-collection of Plane-Alert candidates from socket30003 data.	ON/true/enabled/1/yes enables; OFF/false/disabled/0/no/empty disables.	No
PA_COLLECT_CANDIDATES_FILTER_FILE	Alternate filter filename in config directory.	Empty uses pa-candidates-filter.txt.	No
PA_COLLECT_CANDIDATES_LOG	Optional candidate-match log file.	Empty disables this logging.	No

Global Notification Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
NOTIF_DATEFORMAT	Date/time format used in notifications and tables.	Linux date format; template: "%F %T %Z".	No
PF_NOTIFEVERY	Send notification for every qualifying PF occurrence.	Template: false.	No
PF_NOTIF_MINTIME	Minimum delay (seconds) before PF notification.	Interpretation depends on PF_NOTIF_BEHAVIOR.	No
PF_NOTIF_BEHAVIOR	Timing basis for PF notification delay.	pre: from first observation; post: from last observation; default behavior if omitted is post.	No
PF_ATTRIB	Attribution text appended to PF notifications.	Template value provided.	No
PA_ATTRIB	Attribution text appended to PA notifications.	Template value provided.	No
PF_SCREENSHOTURL	Screenshot service base URL.	Default behavior expects http://screenshot:5042 if not overridden.	No
PF_SCREENSHOT_TIMEOUT	Maximum wait for screenshot generation.	Template: 45 seconds.	No

Discord Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
PA_DISCORD	Enable Discord notifications for Plane-Alert.	ON enables. Template: OFF.	No
PF_DISCORD	Enable Discord notifications for Planefence.	ON enables. Template: OFF.	No
PA_DISCORD_WEBHOOKS	Comma-separated Discord webhook URLs for Plane-Alert.	Empty disables posting for PA.	No
PF_DISCORD_WEBHOOKS	Comma-separated Discord webhook URLs for Planefence.	Empty disables posting for PF.	No
DISCORD_FEEDER_NAME	Friendly feeder name in Discord messages.	Can use markdown link format shown in template comments.	No
DISCORD_MEDIA	Media mode for Discord posts.	Options: empty, screenshot, photo, photo+screenshot, screenshot+photo; template: screenshot+photo.	No
PA_DISCORD_COLOR	Embed highlight color for PA.	Names, hex, or decimal RGB accepted; template: 0xf2e718.	No
PF_DISCORD_COLOR	Embed highlight color for PF.	Names, hex, or decimal RGB accepted; template: 0xf2e718.	No

Mastodon Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
PF_MASTODON	Enable Mastodon notifications for Planefence.	Template: OFF.	No
PA_MASTODON	Enable Mastodon notifications for Plane-Alert.	Template: OFF.	No
MASTODON_SERVER	Mastodon server hostname (without protocol).	Template: airwaves.social.	No
MASTODON_ACCESS_TOKEN	Mastodon app access token.	Empty disables posting authentication.	No
PF_MASTODON_VISIBILITY	PF post visibility.	Values include public, unlisted, private; template: unlisted.	No
PA_MASTODON_VISIBILITY	PA post visibility.	Values include public, unlisted, private; template: unlisted.	No
PA_MASTODON_MAXIMGS	Max images per PA Mastodon post.	Template: 1.	No
MASTODON_RETENTION_TIME	Retention window used by Mastodon posting logic.	Template: 7.	No

MQTT Parameters (Planefence)

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
PF_MQTT_URL	Broker URL or host (mqtt:// or mqtts://).	If omitted/empty, MQTT disabled.	No
PF_MQTT_PORT	Broker TCP port.	Default behavior is 1883 if not set.	No
PF_MQTT_TLS	Toggle TLS usage.	Set to enable TLS; unset for plaintext.	No
PF_MQTT_CAFILE	CA certificate path for self-signed broker certs.	Empty means no custom CA file.	No
PF_MQTT_TLS_INSECURE	Disable certificate verification.	true disables verification; default behavior false.	No
PF_MQTT_CLIENT_ID	MQTT client identifier.	Default behavior uses container hostname.	No
PF_MQTT_TOPIC	MQTT topic.	Default behavior uses <hostname>/planefence.	No
PF_MQTT_DATETIME_FORMAT	Datetime format for MQTT payload.	Default behavior %s.	No
PF_MQTT_QOS	MQTT QoS level.	Default behavior 0.	No
PF_MQTT_FIELDS	Limit payload fields.	Empty means send all fields.	No
PF_MQTT_USERNAME	MQTT username.	Optional basic auth.	No
PF_MQTT_PASSWORD	MQTT password.	Optional basic auth.	No

MQTT Parameters (Plane-Alert)

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
PA_MQTT_URL	Broker URL or host (mqtt:// or mqtts://).	If omitted/empty, MQTT disabled.	No
PA_MQTT_PORT	Broker TCP port.	Default behavior is 1883 if not set.	No
PA_MQTT_TLS	Toggle TLS usage.	Set to enable TLS; unset for plaintext.	No
PA_MQTT_CAFILE	CA certificate path for self-signed broker certs.	Empty means no custom CA file.	No
PA_MQTT_TLS_INSECURE	Disable certificate verification.	true disables verification; default behavior false.	No
PA_MQTT_CLIENT_ID	MQTT client identifier.	Default behavior uses container hostname.	No
PA_MQTT_TOPIC	MQTT topic.	Default behavior uses <hostname>/plane-alert.	No
PA_MQTT_DATETIME_FORMAT	Datetime format for MQTT payload.	Default behavior %s.	No
PA_MQTT_QOS	MQTT QoS level.	Default behavior 0.	No
PA_MQTT_FIELDS	Limit payload fields.	Empty means send all fields.	No
PA_MQTT_USERNAME	MQTT username.	Optional basic auth.	No
PA_MQTT_PASSWORD	MQTT password.	Optional basic auth.	No

RSS Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
PF_RSS_SITELINK	Base site URL for PF RSS links/validation.	Empty disables PF RSS.	No
PF_RSS_FAVICONLINK	Favicon URL for PF RSS feed metadata.	Optional.	No
PA_RSS_SITELINK	Base site URL for PA RSS links/validation.	Empty disables PA RSS.	No
PA_RSS_FAVICONLINK	Favicon URL for PA RSS feed metadata.	Optional.	No

BlueSky Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
BLUESKY_APP_PASSWORD	BlueSky app password (aaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd format).	Required only if BlueSky posting is enabled.	No
BLUESKY_HANDLE	BlueSky handle value after @.	Required only if BlueSky posting is enabled.	No
PF_BLUESKY_ENABLED	Enable PF BlueSky notifications.	Truthy values (on/enabled/1/yes) enable.	No
PA_BLUESKY_ENABLED	Enable PA BlueSky notifications.	Truthy values (on/enabled/1/yes) enable.	No

Telegram Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default/Behavior	Required
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN	Bot token used by Telegram notifications.	Optional global value for PF/PA unless overridden by prefixed values.	No
PF_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID	PF target chat/channel ID (numeric or @channel).	Optional; needed when PF Telegram enabled.	No
PA_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID	PA target chat/channel ID (numeric or @channel).	Optional; needed when PA Telegram enabled.	No
PF_TELEGRAM_ENABLED	Enable PF Telegram notifications.	Truthy values (on/enabled/1/yes/true) enable. Template: false.	No
PA_TELEGRAM_ENABLED	Enable PA Telegram notifications.	Truthy values (on/enabled/1/yes/true) enable. Template: false.	No
PF_TELEGRAM_CHAT_TYPE	PF chat type behavior.	dm/private/user sends direct messages; template normal.	No
PA_TELEGRAM_CHAT_TYPE	PA chat type behavior.	dm/private/user sends direct messages; template normal.	No

Configuration Workflow

1. Start the container once to generate config files.
2. Edit planefence.config.RENAME-and-EDIT-me.
3. Rename to planefence.config.
4. Recreate the service/container.
5. Validate via logs and web UI.