![Screenshot of ADS-B PLI in ATAK.](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ampledata/adsbxcot/main/docs/Screenshot_20201026-142037_ATAK-25p.jpg)
PyTAK is a Python Module for creating TAK clients, servers & gateways and includes classes for handling Cursor on Target (CoT) & non-CoT data, as well as functions for serializing CoT data, and sending and receiving CoT data over a network.
PyTAK supports the following I/O & network protocols:
- TCP Unicast:
tcp://host:port
- TLS Unicast:
tls://host:port
(see TLS Support section below) - UDP Unicast:
udp://host:port
- UDP Broadcast:
udp+broadcast://network:port
- UDP Multicast:
udp://group:port
- stdout or stderr:
log://stdout
orlog://stderr
PyTAK has been tested and is compatible with many situational awareness & common operating picture systems (SA & COP).
Servers:
Clients:
PyTAK is used by many CoT & TAK gateways:
- aiscot: Automatic Identification System (AIS) to COT Gateway. Transforms marine AIS position messages to COT PLI Events.
- adsbcot: Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) to COT Gateway. Transforms aircraft ADS-B position messages to COT PLI Events.
- adsbxcot: ADS-B Exchange to COT Gateway. Transforms aircraft ADS-B position messages to COT PLI Events.
- stratuxcot: Stratux ADS-B to COT Gateway. Transforms aircraft ADS-B position messages to COT PLI Events.
- aprscot: Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) to COT Gateway. Transforms APRS position messages to COT PLI Events.
- spotcot: Globalstar SPOT to COT Gateway. Transforms Spot satellite position messages to COT PLI Events.
- inrcot: Garmin inReach to COT Gateway. Transforms inReach satellite position messages to COT PLI Events.
- zellocot: ZelloWork to COT Gateway. Transforms ZelloWork user locations to COT PLI Events.
Tech Support: Email takhelp@undef.net or Signal: +1-310-621-9598
This tool has been developed for the Disaster Response, Public Safety and Frontline Healthcare community. This software is currently provided at no-cost to users. Any contribution you can make to further this project's development efforts is greatly appreciated.
The following Python 3.7+ code example creates a TAK Client that generates takPong
CoT every 20 seconds, and sends them to a TAK Server at
tcp://takserver.example.com:8087
(plain / clear TCP).
- For secure TLS, see TLS Support below.
To run this example as-is, save the following code-block out to a file named
example.py
and run the command python3 example.py
:
#!/usr/bin/env python3 import asyncio import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET from configparser import ConfigParser import pytak class MySerializer(pytak.QueueWorker): """ Defines how you process or generate your Cursor-On-Target Events. From there it adds the COT Events to a queue for TX to a COT_URL. """ async def handle_data(self, data): """ Handles pre-COT data and serializes to COT Events, then puts on queue. """ event = data await self.put_queue(event) async def run(self, number_of_iterations=-1): """ Runs the loop for processing or generating pre-COT data. """ while 1: data = tak_pong() await self.handle_data(data) await asyncio.sleep(20) def tak_pong(): """ Generates a simple takPong COT Event. """ root = ET.Element("event") root.set("version", "2.0") root.set("type", "t-x-d-d") root.set("uid", "takPong") root.set("how", "m-g") root.set("time", pytak.cot_time()) root.set("start", pytak.cot_time()) root.set("stale", pytak.cot_time(3600)) return ET.tostring(root) async def main(): """ The main definition of your program, sets config params and adds your serializer to the asyncio task list. """ config = ConfigParser() config["mycottool"] = {"COT_URL": "tcp://takserver.example.com:8087"} config = config["mycottool"] # Initializes worker queues and tasks. clitool = pytak.CLITool(config) await clitool.setup() # Add your serializer to the asyncio task list. clitool.add_tasks(set([MySerializer(clitool.tx_queue, config)])) # Start all tasks. await clitool.run() if __name__ == "__main__": asyncio.run(main())
PyTAK requires Python 3.6 or above and WILL NOT work on Python versions below 3.6. It should run on almost any platform that supports Python 3.6+, including Linux, Windows, Raspberry Pi, Android, et al.
PyTAK is available as a Debian .deb
package. This is the preferred method to
install PyTAK on Debian-based (Ubuntu, Debian, Raspberry Pi) systems:
$ wget https://github.com/ampledata/pytak/releases/latest/download/python3-pytak_latest_all.deb $ sudo apt install -f ./python3-pytak_latest_all.deb
N.B. If you wish to use TAK Data Packages / Pref Packages you must install the Python cryptography module. If you're installing on a Debian-based OS:
$ sudo apt install -y python3-cryptography
See also: https://cryptography.io/en/latest/installation/
You can install from PyPI or from source. Both of these methods will require manual installation of additional libraries.
1a. Debian, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi: Install LibFFI:
$ sudo apt update -y $ sudo apt install libffi-dev
1b. RedHat, CentOS: Install LibFFI:
$ sudo yum install libffi-devel
2a. Install PyTAK from the Python Package Index:
$ python3 -m pip install pytak[with_crypto]
2b. Install PyTAK from source:
$ git clone https://github.com/ampledata/pytak.git $ cd pytak/ $ python3 setup.py install
All configuration parameters can be specified either as environment variables or within an INI-style configuration file.
COT_URL
: (optional) Destination for Cursor on Target messages. Default:udp://239.2.3.1:6969
(ATAK Multicast UDP Default)DEBUG
: (optional) Sets debug-level logging.FTS_COMPAT
: (optional) If set, implements random-sleep period to avoid FTS DoS protections.PYTAK_SLEEP
: (optional) If set, implements given sleep period between emitting CoT Events.
PyTAK 5.5.0+ supports importing TAK Data Packages containing TAK Server connection
settings, TLS certificates, etc. To use a .zip file with PyTAK, set the
PREF_PACKAGE
config parameter to the path of the .zip file.
For example, in the config.ini
file: PREF_PACKAGE=ADSB3_FIRE.zip
Or on the command line: mycoolcotutil -p ADSB3_FIRE.zip
TLS Support for connections to TAK destinations is configured with two settings:
- Specify
tls://
in the CoT Destination URL, for example:tls://takserver.example.com:8089
- Specify the TLS Cert and other configuration parameters.
Client Certificates, Client Key, CA Certificate & Key must be specified in PEM format.
N.B: Encrypted private keys are not supported and must be saved in clear-text: openssl rsa -in my_cert.key.pem -out my_cert-nopass.key.pem
Minimum TLS Configuration
PYTAK_TLS_CLIENT_CERT
: PEM Public Key Certificate that the PyTAK-based client will use to connect.
Optional TLS Configuration
PYTAK_TLS_CLIENT_KEY
: PEM Private Key for the associatedPYTAK_TLS_CLIENT_CERT
PYTAK_TLS_DONT_VERIFY
: Disable destination TLS Certificate Verification.PYTAK_TLS_DONT_CHECK_HOSTNAME
: Disable destination TLS Certificate Common Name (CN) Verification.PYTAK_TLS_CLIENT_CAFILE
: PEM CA trust store to use for remote TLS Verification.PYTAK_TLS_CLIENT_CIPHERS
: Colon (":") seperated list of TLS Cipher Suites.
For example, to send COT to a TAK Server listening for TLS connections on port 8089:
PYTAK_TLS_CLIENT_CERT=client.cert.pem PYTAK_TLS_CLIENT_KEY=client.key.pem COT_URL=tls://tak.example.com:8089
FTS (Free TAK Server) has built-in anti-Denial-of-Service (DoS) support, which restricts the number of CoT Events a client can send to a listening TCP Port. Currently this FTS feature cannot be disabled or changed, so clients must meter their input speed.
To use a PyTAK-based client with FTS, set the FTS_COMPAT
configuration parameter
to True
. This will cause the PyTAK client to sleep a random number of seconds
between transmitting CoT to a FTS server:
FTS_COMPAT = True
Alternatively you can specify a static sleep period by setting PYTAK_SLEEP
to an
integer number of seconds:
PYTAK_SLEEP = 3
Version 1 of the TAK Protocol Payload is a Google Protocol Buffer based payload. Each Payload consists of one (and only one) atakmap::commoncommo::v1::TakMessage message which is serialized using Google protocol buffers version 3.
PyTAK natively sends and receives "TAK Protocol Payload - Version 0", aka plain XML. If you'd like to receive & decode "Version 1" protobuf with PyTAK, install the takproto Python module:
$ python3 -m pip install takproto
Here is an example of receiving & decoding "Version 1" using takproto
.
N.B. The data type returned from this implementation differs from that of the
"Version 0" implementation (bytes
vs object
):
#!/usr/bin/env python3 import asyncio from configparser import ConfigParser import takproto import pytak class MyRXWorker(pytak.RXWorker): async def readcot(self): if hasattr(self.reader, 'readuntil'): cot = await self.reader.readuntil("</event>".encode("UTF-8")) elif hasattr(self.reader, 'recv'): cot, src = await self.reader.recv() tak_v1 = takproto.parse_proto(cot) if tak_v1 != -1: cot = tak_v1 return cot async def my_setup(clitool) -> None: reader, writer = await pytak.protocol_factory(clitool.config) write_worker = pytak.TXWorker(clitool.tx_queue, clitool.config, writer) read_worker = MyRXWorker(clitool.rx_queue, clitool.config, reader) clitool.add_task(write_worker) clitool.add_task(read_worker) async def main(): """ The main definition of your program, sets config params and adds your serializer to the asyncio task list. """ config = ConfigParser() config["mycottool"] = {"COT_URL": "udp://239.2.3.1:6969"} config = config["mycottool"] # Initializes worker queues and tasks. clitool = pytak.CLITool(config) await my_setup(clitool) # Start all tasks. await clitool.run() if __name__ == "__main__": asyncio.run(main())
Github: https://github.com/ampledata/pytak
Greg Albrecht W2GMD oss@undef.net
- PyTAK is Copyright 2023 Greg Albrecht
- asyncio_dgram is Copyright (c) 2019 Justin Bronder
Copyright 2023 Greg Albrecht <oss@undef.net>
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.
- asyncio_dgram is licensed under the MIT License, see pytak/asyncio_dgram/LICENSE for details.
Python Black, otherwise Google, then PEP-8.