docker-dump1090

Note

May 2025 - Major update to allow the latest versions of the FlightAware fork of Dump1090 to run on my old Raspberry PI 3 model B.

🐋 Dockerfile to create a Docker image to run Dump1090 that is a self-contained ADS-B receiver that decodes aircraft transponder messages from a directly connected RTL-USB dongle and serves them over a local network. The image only includes the binaries required to run dump1090 and nothing else to ensure that the container only has one concern. This image is intended to be used in a containerized Docker application, however it can be used standalone.

Dependencies

osmocom/rtl-sdr

Turns a Realtek RTL2832-based DVB-T USB dongle into a software defined radio (SDR) receiver. Required to interface with the hardware at the OS level.

flightaware/dump1090

An ADS-B, Mode S, and Mode 3A/3C demodulator and decoder. Receives and decodes aircraft transponder messages from a directly connected SDR, or from data provided over a network connection.

Host Driver Blacklisting

By default Linux will load the dvb_usb_rtl28xxu kernel module when the RTL-SDR dongle is plugged in, claiming the device before dump1090 (or the rtl-sdr library) can access it. This must be prevented by blacklisting the relevant kernal module on the Raspberry Pi host.

Create a blacklist file:

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/rtlsdr-backlist.conf

Add the following lines:

blacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxu
blacklist rtl2832
blacklist rtl2830

Then update the initramfs and reboot:

sudo update-initramfs -u
sudo reboot

After rebooting, verify the modules are not loaded:

lsmod | grep dvb

If the output is empty, the dongle is free for the container to use. If any modules still appear, unload them manually with sudo modprobe -r <module_name> and check the blacklist file is saved correctly.

Build Image

Standard Build

1. Open a terminal on your system.
2. Navigate to the directory containing your Dockerfile.
3. Run docker build --rm -t dump1090 . If this is a rebuild it will use the existing cache.
4. Verify the image with docker images to confirm the new build is listed.

Clean Build Without Cache

1. Open a terminal and go to your Dockerfile's directory.
2. Run docker build --no-cache --rm -t dump1090 .
3. Confirm the build by running docker images

Note

The --rm flag in the docker build command is used to remove intermediate containers after a successful build. This helps in keeping your system clean by not leaving behind any unnecessary intermediate containers.

Run Container

To test everything is working as expected and you are receiving data from any aircraft in range

1. Open a terminal.
2. Run docker run -it --device /dev/bus/usb dump1090 --interactive
3. -it runs the container interactively. Combines -i (interactive mode) and -t (allocates a pseudo-TTY), allowing you to interact with the container in real-time.
4. --device /dev/bus/usb passes through the host's USB bus so the container can access the RTL-SDR dongle.
5. --interactive runs dump1090 in terminal mode, displaying the decoded messages directly. This is good for testing purposes.

If there are any aircraft flying within range of your receiver, you will see something similar to this:

Network Ports

When networking is enabled with --net, dump1090 listens on the following ports:

Port	Purpose
8080	Web interface (map view)
30001	Raw input — feed dump1090 with data in raw format
30002	Raw output — decoded data sent to clients as it arrives
30003	SBS1 (BaseStation) format output — suitable for feeding sharing sites
30004	Beast-format input
30005	Beast-format output

Port 30003 outputs messages in SBS1 format, for example:

MSG,4,,,738065,,,,,,,,420,179,,,0,,0,0,0,0
MSG,3,,,738065,,,,,,,35000,,,34.81609,34.07810,,,0,0,0,0

This can be used to feed data to various sharing sites without the need for a separate decoder.