Configuration Guide

Configuration Guide

This is the quick-start configuration path for most users.

For full parameter-by-parameter documentation, see: Advanced-Configuration-Reference.md

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

1. First-Run Workflow

1. Start the container once so config files are generated.
2. Edit planefence.config.RENAME-and-EDIT-me.
3. Rename it to planefence.config.
4. Recreate the Planefence container.
5. Validate with logs and web UI.

2. Minimum Required Parameters

Set these before production use:

Parameter	Why It Matters	Example/Default Behavior
FEEDER_LAT	Station latitude; used for fence distance and map context.	Example: 90.12345
FEEDER_LONG	Station longitude; used for fence distance and map context.	Example: -70.12345
PF_SOCK30003HOST	SBS data source host name/IP.	Example: ultrafeeder
PF_SOCK30003PORT	SBS data source TCP port.	Default: 30003
PF_MAXDIST	Fence radius around your station.	Example: 2.0
PF_MAXALT	Altitude cap for in-fence events.	Example: 5000

3. Recommended Early Settings

Parameter	Recommendation	Default/Behavior
PF_DISTUNIT	Choose unit system first.	Template: nauticalmile
PF_ALTUNIT	Align altitude with your preference.	Template: feet
PF_NAME	Set station label shown in UI.	Template: "MY"
PF_MAPURL	Point to your tar1090/map URL for deep links.	Template example provided
PF_TRACKSERVICE	Use your preferred track service.	Template: globe.adsbexchange.com
PF_FUDGELOC	Keep privacy rounding enabled unless needed otherwise.	Template: 3
PF_DELETEAFTER	Adjust retention policy for disk management.	Empty defaults to 14; 0 keeps forever

4. Feature Toggles You’ll Commonly Use

Area	Key Parameters	Default/Behavior
Core features	PLANEFENCE, PLANEALERT	Both enabled in template
Plane-Alert inputs	PF_ALERTLIST, PF_ALERTHEADER	Default list points to plane-alert-db-images.csv
Candidate collection	PA_COLLECT_CANDIDATES, PA_COLLECT_CANDIDATES_FILTER_FILE, PA_COLLECT_CANDIDATES_LOG	Collection is ON in template
Discord	PF_DISCORD, PA_DISCORD, *_WEBHOOKS	Disabled by default
Mastodon	PF_MASTODON, PA_MASTODON, token/server/visibility fields	Disabled by default
Telegram	PF_TELEGRAM_ENABLED, PA_TELEGRAM_ENABLED, bot/chat fields	Disabled by default
MQTT	PF_MQTT_*, PA_MQTT_*	Disabled when URL is empty
RSS	PF_RSS_*, PA_RSS_*	Disabled when site link is empty
BlueSky	PF_BLUESKY_ENABLED, PA_BLUESKY_ENABLED, app password/handle	Disabled by default

5. High-Impact Optional Parameters

Parameter	Impact
PA_EXCLUSIONS	Suppresses unwanted aircraft in Plane-Alert UI and notifications.
PF_NOTIFEVERY	Can significantly increase notification volume when enabled.
PF_COLLAPSEWITHIN	Changes how frequently repeat observations create separate entries.
PF_ELEVATION	Switches altitude display behavior to AGL when greater than zero.
PF_OPENAIP_LAYER + PF_OPENAIPKEY	Enables OpenAIP overlays on heatmap.

6. Full Reference

Need exact parameter-level detail for defaults, allowed values, and behavior?

• docs/wiki/Advanced-Configuration-Reference.md