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Open MCT
Open MCT (Open Mission Control Technologies) is a next-generation mission control framework for visualization of data on desktop and mobile devices. It is developed at NASA's Ames Research Center, and is being used by NASA for data analysis of spacecraft missions, as well as planning and operation of experimental rover systems. As a generalizable and open source framework, Open MCT could be used as the basis for building applications for planning, operation, and analysis of any systems producing telemetry data.
NotePlease visit our Official Site and Getting Started Guide
Once you've created something amazing with Open MCT, showcase your work in our GitHub Discussions Show and Tell section. We love seeing unique and wonderful implementations of Open MCT!
Building and Running Open MCT Locally
Building and running Open MCT in your local dev environment is very easy. Be sure you have Git and Node.js installed, then follow the directions below. Need additional information? Check out the Getting Started page on our website.
(These instructions assume you are installing as a non-root user; developers have reported issues running these steps with root privileges.)
Clone the source code:
git clone https://github.com/nasa/openmct.git
(Optional) Install the correct node version using nvm:
nvm install
Install development dependencies (Note: Check the package.json engine for our tested and supported node versions):
npm install
Run a local development server:
npm start
ImportantOpen MCT is now running, and can be accessed by pointing a web browser at http://localhost:8080/
Open MCT is built using npm and webpack.
Documentation
Documentation is available on the Open MCT website.
Examples
The clearest examples for developing Open MCT plugins are in the
tutorials provided in
our documentation.
NoteWe want Open MCT to be as easy to use, install, run, and develop for as
possible, and your feedback will help us get there!
Feedback can be provided via GitHub issues,
Starting a GitHub Discussion,
or by emailing us at arc-dl-openmct@mail.nasa.gov.
Developing Applications With Open MCT
For more on developing with Open MCT, see our documentation for a guide on Developing Applications with Open MCT.
Compatibility
This is a fast moving project and we do our best to test and support the widest possible range of browsers, operating systems, and NodeJS APIs. We have a published list of support available in our package.json's browserslist key.
The project utilizes nvm to maintain consistent node and npm versions across all projects. For UNIX, MacOS, Windows WSL, and other POSIX-compliant shell environments, click here. For Windows, check out nvm-windows.
If you encounter an issue with a particular browser, OS, or NodeJS API, please file an issue.
NoteIf you are building a project with Open MCT as a git dependency rather than an npm dependency, an extra step is now
necessary to build the source. Due to the threat posed by Supply Chain Attacks ignore-scripts is now enabled in
this repository. Developers building with Open MCT as a git dependency will now need to execute npm run build
manually. We always encourage developers to use Open MCT as a prebuilt npm repository, rather than building from github.
Plugins
Open MCT can be extended via plugins that make calls to the Open MCT API. A plugin is a group
of software components (including source code and resources such as images and HTML templates)
that is intended to be added or removed as a single unit.
As well as providing an extension mechanism, most of the core Open MCT codebase is also
written as plugins.
For information on writing plugins, please see our API documentation.
Tests
Our automated test coverage comes in the form of unit, e2e, visual, performance, and security tests.
Unit Tests
Unit Tests are written for Jasmine
and run by Karma. To run:
npm test
The test suite is configured to load any scripts ending with Spec.js found
in the src hierarchy. Full configuration details are found in
karma.conf.js. By convention, unit test scripts should be located
alongside the units that they test; for example, src/foo/Bar.js would be
tested by src/foo/BarSpec.js.
e2e, Visual, and Performance Testing
Our e2e (end-to-end), Visual, and Performance tests leverage the Playwright framework and are executed using Playwright's test runner, @playwright/test.
How to Run Tests
e2e Tests: These tests are run on every commit. To run the tests locally, use:
npm run test:e2e:ci
Visual Tests: For running the visual test suite, use:
npm run test:e2e:visual
Performance Tests: To initiate the performance tests, enter:
npm run test:perf
All tests are located within the e2e/tests/ directory and are identified by the *.e2e.spec.js filename pattern. For more information about the e2e test suite, refer to the README.
Security Tests
Each commit is analyzed for known security vulnerabilities using CodeQL. The list of CWE coverage items is available in the CodeQL docs. The CodeQL workflow is specified in the CodeQL analysis file and the custom CodeQL config.
Test Reporting and Code Coverage
Each test suite generates a report in CircleCI. For a complete overview of testing functionality, please see our Circle CI Test Insights Dashboard
Our code coverage is generated during the runtime of our unit, e2e, and visual tests. The combination of those reports is published to codecov.io
For more on the specifics of our code coverage setup, see
Glossary
Certain terms are used throughout Open MCT with consistent meanings
or conventions. Any deviations from the below are issues and should be
addressed (either by updating this glossary or changing code to reflect
correct usage.) Other developer documentation, particularly in-line
documentation, may presume an understanding of these terms.
Term
Definition
plugin
A removable, reusable grouping of software elements. The application is composed of plugins.
composition
In the context of a domain object, this term refers t
Read the full README on GitHub