ACARS Server

An ACARS connection aggregator for flight simulation

ACARS Server is a connection aggregator and message relay for ACARS simulation networks such as Hoppies.

The server maintains connections to upstream ACARS networks. Each connection simulates a single air traffic service unit (ATSU), such as the Brisbane FIR (YBBB) or Melbourne FIR (YMMM). Messages from air traffic controllers are relayed to the upstream network, allowing pilots to connect to a single unit and communicate with all enroute controllers within that unit.

This solves a limitation in the Hoppies network where multiple controllers cannot share station IDs, preventing multiple controllers from operating under the same FIR identifier.

Features

• CPDLC (Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications) message handling
• Telex message support
• Real-time message delivery for controller clients
• Multi-network support (VATSIM, IVAO)

Requirements

• .NET 10.0 SDK (for local development)
• Docker (optional, for containerized deployment)

Configuration

The server can be configured using environment variables. Copy example.env to .env and update with your settings:

# Logging
Logging__Level=Information

# Database
ConnectionStrings__DefaultConnection=Data Source=acars.db

# ACARS Client Configuration
Acars__0__Type=Hoppie
Acars__0__FlightSimulationNetwork=VATSIM
Acars__0__StationIdentifier=YOUR_CALLSIGN
Acars__0__Url=http://www.hoppie.nl/acars/system/connect.html
Acars__0__AuthenticationCode=YOUR_HOPPIE_CODE

Multiple ACARS clients can be configured by incrementing the index (Acars__1__, Acars__2__, etc.).

Hoppie is currently the only supported ACARS network type.

Running

Docker

docker-compose up

The server will be available on ports 8080 (HTTP) and 8081 (HTTPS).

Local Development

dotnet run --project source/ACARSServer/ACARSServer.csproj

The server will start on http://localhost:5272.

Building

Use the Nuke build automation:

# Linux/macOS
./build.sh

# Windows (PowerShell)
./build.ps1

# Windows (CMD)
build.cmd

Or build directly with dotnet:

dotnet build source/ACARSServer.sln