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Release v0.2.0

VRS X 0.2.0ReleasedRelease:

v0.2.0 is the biggest VRS X update to date. After the performance and architecture groundwork laid in v0.1.0, this release shifts focus toward data richness, usability, and production-readiness. It introduces three external data integrations, a full theming system across both the radar and admin panel, a redesigned METAR decoder, role-based access control, a license server for the closed beta, and a collection of new aircraft data tools. Several long-standing bugs have also been resolved — including radar stability issues and a headless mode networking failure.

At a Glance

  • HexDB.io — flight route lookup by callsign, 30-day cache
  • PlaneSpotters — real aircraft photos on click
  • OurAirports — CSV integration for airport data, with airport overlay on the radar map
  • Themes — Light / Dark / Retro for both the Radar and Admin Panel
  • Aircraft Trails — visual flight path history on the map
  • Custom Aircraft Icons — upload and assign your own markers per type
  • AircraftDB Editor — built-in editor for your local aircraft database
  • METAR Decoder — rewritten from scratch, with full REMARKS support
  • License Server — closed beta license management
  • User Access Management — admin/user roles, forced password change on first login
  • Admin Panel Port Separation — /admin secured, reverse proxy recommended
  • ADS-B Exchange NDJSON — aircraft database support
  • VRSOperatorFlags (rikgale) — silhouettes and airline logos via zip/csv upload
  • Fixed: Radar stability, CONNECTION_REFUSED in headless mode, OpenAIP overlay

New Integrations

HexDB.io Route Lookup

Aircraft callsigns now mean more than just an identifier. VRS X queries HexDB.io to resolve the full flight route associated with each callsign — showing origin and destination airports in the aircraft detail panel. Results are cached locally for 30 days, so repeated lookups don't generate unnecessary API traffic and the data stays available even when offline.

PlaneSpotters Photo Viewer

Click on any aircraft on the radar and VRS X will fetch real-world photos of that aircraft registration from PlaneSpotters.net, displayed directly in the detail panel. For enthusiasts and spotters, this turns the radar into a much richer experience — putting a face to the tail number.

OurAirports CSV & Airport Overlay

VRS X now supports importing airport data from OurAirports CSV files, one of the most comprehensive open airport databases available. Once imported, airports can be displayed directly on the radar map as an overlay. Visibility and display settings are fully configurable from the Admin Panel, allowing you to show only what's relevant to your setup.

Bring Your Own Data (BYOD) — Expanded

The BYOD model introduced in earlier versions continues to grow. VRS X never bundles third-party data — instead, it provides the tooling to bring your own, respecting each dataset's individual license terms.

  • ADS-B Exchange Aircraft Database: Added support for the ADS-B Exchange aircraft database in NDJSON format. Drop in the file via the Admin Panel and VRS X will index it for fast lookups. (Please review ADS-B Exchange's license before use.)

  • VRSOperatorFlags (rikgale/VRSOperatorFlags): Upload .zip and .csv files for aircraft silhouettes and airline logos. VRS X handles extraction, file organization, and serving automatically — no manual file placement required.

UI & Themes

The radar and admin panel now support multiple visual themes, making VRS X usable in a wider range of environments — from bright operations rooms to dim server closets running on a secondary monitor.

  • Admin Panel: Choose between Light, Dark, and Retro (a nod to classic Windows Forms aesthetics).
  • Radar: The radar map supports the same three themes — Light, Dark, and Retro — keeping the look consistent across the entire application.

Themes are switchable at any time without restarting the application.

Aircraft & Data Tools

Aircraft Trails

The radar now draws the flight path of each tracked aircraft as a trail behind its current position. This gives you an immediate visual sense of where an aircraft came from, its heading history, and any unusual maneuvers — without needing to dig into numeric data.

Custom Aircraft Icons

Not every aircraft type has a built-in marker. VRS X now lets you upload your own icon images via the Admin Panel and assign them to specific ICAO aircraft type codes. If you're tracking a fleet of unusual types, you can match the silhouettes exactly.

AircraftDB Editor

Managing your local aircraft database no longer requires external tools or direct database access. The new AircraftDB Editor is a built-in interface for viewing, adding, and editing aircraft records — useful for correcting entries, filling in gaps left by imported databases, or managing locally-registered aircraft.

METAR

The previous METAR parser handled the basics but fell short on edge cases and lacked support for the REMARKS section — which often contains some of the most operationally relevant information in a weather report (recent weather, pressure tendency, sensor status, etc.).

The decoder has been completely rewritten from scratch. The new implementation correctly parses all standard METAR fields and fully supports the RMK section, surfacing remarks data in a structured, readable format in the UI.

Security & Access Control

License Server

To support the ongoing closed beta, v0.2.0 introduces a built-in license server. Licenses can be issued, validated, and revoked centrally — giving the development team control over beta access without requiring manual distribution or honor-system enforcement.

User Access Management

VRS X now has a simple but proper role-based access system with two roles: Administrator and User.

  • Admins can manage user accounts and reset passwords.
  • Any password set by an administrator is marked as temporary — the user must change it upon their next login before gaining access to the application.

This prevents the common scenario of shared or forgotten admin-set passwords lingering in production.

Admin Panel Port Separation & Reverse Proxy Guidance

The /admin path on the radar port is now explicitly secured. To minimize the attack surface, the Admin Panel runs on a separate port from the public radar — configurable in Server Settings.

For production deployments, it is strongly recommended to place VRS X behind a reverse proxy such as Caddy or Nginx and expose only the radar port to the public internet, keeping the Admin Panel port firewalled or accessible only over a local network or VPN.

Fixed

  • Radar Stability: Resolved multiple underlying issues that caused intermittent radar instability and inconsistent aircraft list updates.

  • Headless CONNECTION_REFUSED: Fixed a network initialization bug that caused CONNECTION_REFUSED errors when starting VRS X with the --headless flag, making headless deployments reliable again.

  • OpenAIP Overlay: Fixed a bug where the OpenAIP airspace overlay silently failed to render on the map, despite being configured and enabled.