Architecture of the tangram framework¶

The tangram framework consists of a lightweight core and a suite of independent, installable plugins that can be combined to create a powerful and flexible aviation data processing and visualization system.

The system consists of a web-based frontend (in Javascript based on Vite), a backend service (in Python ), and performance-critical components in Rust .

Communication between the frontend and backend is done through a REST API, while real-time data streaming is handled via WebSockets. A Redis pub/sub system is used for efficient data distribution between backend components.

A Plugin-First Architecture¶

The core tangram package provides the essential scaffolding: a web server, a plugin loader, and a frontend API. All domain-specific functionality, including data decoding and processing, is implemented in separate, pip-installable plugins.

This design allows you to:

install only the functionality you need.
develop, version, and distribute your own extensions (e.g., my-simulation-plugin) without modifying the core tangram codebase.

Component	Technology
Frontend	JavaScript (Vue.js, Vite)
Backend	Python for most applications (FastAPI for the REST API)
	Rust for performance critical components
Data communication	Redis (pub/sub messaging system)

System Overview¶

When you run tangram serve, it starts a single Python process that manages multiple asynchronous tasks for the application's core components and enabled plugins.

graph LR
    subgraph User
        B[Browser/Frontend]
    end

    subgraph "Tangram Process (Python)"
        direction TB
        FAS[FastAPI Server]
        CS[Channel Service]
        PS[Plugin Services e.g., planes]
    end

    subgraph "External Services"
        J[jet1090 Container]
    end

    R[Redis Pub/Sub]

    B -- HTTP API Requests --> FAS
    B <-- WebSocket --> CS
    FAS -- Serves Frontend Assets --> B
    FAS <-- Reads/Writes --> R
    CS <-- Relays Messages --> R
    PS -- ◀ Subscribes to --> R
    J -- Publishes ▶ --> R

Component	Provided By	Description
`tangram` (Core)	`tangram_core` package	REST API server, CLI, and frontend shell.
`channel`	(Bundled with `tangram`)	WebSocket bridge between the frontend and Redis pub/sub.
`jet1090` integration	`tangram_jet1090` plugin	Decodes Mode S/ADS-B messages and provides data streams.
State Vectors & History	`tangram_jet1090` plugin	Maintains real-time state and stores historical aircraft data.
System Info	`tangram_system` plugin	Provides backend server metrics like CPU and memory usage.
Weather Layers	`tangram_weather` plugin	Provides API endpoints for meteorological data.

Backend Plugin System¶

The backend discovers plugins using Python's standard entry point mechanism. When you pip install tangram_jet1090, it registers itself under the tangram_core.plugins group in its pyproject.toml. The core tangram application queries these groups at startup to find and load all available plugins, allowing them to add their own API routes and background tasks.

For a detailed guide on creating your own backend extensions, see the Backend Plugin Guide.

Frontend Plugin System¶

The frontend loads plugins dynamically. The backend serves a /manifest.json file listing all enabled frontend plugins. The core tangram web application fetches this manifest and dynamically imports the JavaScript entry point for each plugin. The plugin's entry point then calls the tangramApi.registerWidget() function to add its Vue components to the main application.

For more details, see the Frontend Plugin Guide.