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Getting started

Use ros2-node-map either to inspect a live ROS 2 graph on Linux or to explore an exported graph JSON snapshot anywhere.

Pick a mode

Mode Requirements Result
Live mode Linux, ROS 2 Jazzy, and the packaged backend Live ROS graph discovery in the Electron app
File-only Mode A graph JSON snapshot Offline graph viewing and export; used automatically on Windows and when ROS is unavailable
Headless mode Linux, ROS 2 Jazzy, packaged backend, and production frontend assets Browser-accessible graph viewer on a trusted network
Capture mode Linux and ROS 2 Jazzy One portable graph JSON snapshot

Install the Linux release

The installer downloads the latest Linux x86-64 or ARM64 AppImage, stores it in ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/ros2-node-map/, and links node-map in ~/.local/bin:

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/HowardWhile/ros2-node-map/develop/scripts/install-node-map.sh | bash
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
node-map

Use the app with ROS 2 Jazzy available for live discovery. Without ROS, the app starts in File-only Mode and prompts you to open a snapshot.

For a local AppImage already in app/release, run:

./scripts/install-node-map.sh --offline

Open and share snapshots

In the app, select Open JSON or drag one .json graph snapshot onto the window. Snapshot files preserve the complete graph; active display filters are applied only while rendering. The export menu can write:

  • PNG of the current graph view
  • Complete graph JSON
  • Mermaid Markdown for the visible topology

The JSON format is documented in Graph JSON schema.

Run a backend during development

On a Linux ROS 2 Jazzy host, source ROS before running the backend:

cd backend
source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash
uv run ros2-node-map-backend serve

The Electron app can connect to the default WebSocket endpoint at ws://127.0.0.1:8766. See Development and packaging for environment setup and backend command options.

Windows

Windows releases are File-only applications: they do not bundle or start ROS discovery. Build the portable EXE locally with:

cd app
npm install
npm run dist:win

The portable EXE uses ZIP compression to favour startup extraction time over a smaller download. Open or drag graph JSON snapshots to start exploring.