ardupilot-docker

A Docker container for running SITL testing with support for multiple simulation instances & mavp2p mavlink forwarding.

Features

• Run multiple ArduPilot SITL instances with independent configurations
• Select specific ArduPilot releases per instance (e.g., Rover-4.6.3, ArduCopter-4.5.0)
• Creates timestamped log directories for each session at /ardupilot/logs/<timestamp>
• Integrated mavp2p MAVLINK forwarding

Usage

Basic Usage

Start a single ArduPilot SITL instance using docker-compose:

docker-compose up

The container will automatically:

• Start ArduPilot SITL and mavp2p and forward all output to the console
• Create a timestamped log directory at /ardupilot/logs/<timestamp> (e.g., /ardupilot/logs/20241215_143022)

Environment Variable Configuration

Configuration is done through environment variables.

Manager Config

These variables control the behavior of the SITL launcher.

• ARDUPILOT_NUM_INSTANCES - Number of simulator instances to spawn (default: 1)

Shared Config

Prefix with ARDUPILOT_:

• ARDUPILOT_RELEASE - ArduPilot release tag to use (e.g., Rover-4.6.3).
• ARDUPILOT_VEHICLE - ArduPilot vehicle type (default: Rover)
• ARDUPILOT_LAT - Starting latitude (default: 42.3898)
• ARDUPILOT_LON - Starting longitude (default: -71.1476)
• ARDUPILOT_ALT - Starting altitude (default: 0)
• ARDUPILOT_DIR - Starting heading (default: 0)
• ARDUPILOT_MODEL - Frame/model type (default: +)
• ARDUPILOT_SPEEDUP - Simulation speedup factor (default: 1)
• ARDUPILOT_SITL_MAVLINK_OUTPUT_ADDRESS - MAVLink output address (default: udp:127.0.0.1:14550 for instance 0)
• ARDUPILOT_MAVP2P_OUTPUT - mavp2p output address (default: udp:127.0.0.1:14560 for instance 0)

Instance-Specific Config

Prefix with ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_ where <X> is the instance ID (0, 1, 2, etc.):

• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_RELEASE - ArduPilot release tag for this specific instance
• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_VEHICLE - Vehicle type for this instance
• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_LAT - Starting latitude for this instance
• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_LON - Starting longitude for this instance
• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_ALT - Starting altitude for this instance
• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_DIR - Starting heading for this instance
• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_MODEL - Frame/model type for this instance
• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_SPEEDUP - Simulation speedup for this instance
• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_SITL_MAVLINK_OUTPUT_ADDRESS - MAVLink output address for this instance
• ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_MAVP2P_OUTPUT - mavp2p output address for this instance

Instance-specific variables override global variables for that instance. If not specified, instances use defaults based on their instance ID (e.g., port numbers increment: instance 0 uses port 14550, instance 1 uses 14551, etc.).

Spinning up Multiple Instances

To run multiple simulator instances, set ARDUPILOT_NUM_INSTANCES:

environment:
  ARDUPILOT_NUM_INSTANCES: 3

Each instance will:

• Use incrementing port numbers (instance 0: 14550, instance 1: 14551, etc.)
• Have its own log output prefixed with [SITL <id>]
• Can be configured independently using instance-specific environment variables

Example with different configurations per instance:

environment:
  ARDUPILOT_NUM_INSTANCES: 2
  ARDUPILOT_VEHICLE: ArduCopter
  ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_0_VEHICLE: ArduCopter
  ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_0_LAT: 42.3898
  ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_0_LON: -71.1476
  ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_1_VEHICLE: Rover
  ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_1_LAT: 42.3900
  ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_1_LON: -71.1478

Selecting ArduPilot Release

To use a specific ArduPilot release, set the ARDUPILOT_RELEASE environment variable:

environment:
  ARDUPILOT_RELEASE: Rover-4.6.3

This will use /ardupilot/builds/Rover-4.6.3/Tools/autotest/sim_vehicle.py.

You can also specify different releases per instance:

environment:
  ARDUPILOT_NUM_INSTANCES: 2
  ARDUPILOT_RELEASE: Rover-4.6.3
  ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_0_RELEASE: Rover-4.6.3
  ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_1_RELEASE: ArduCopter-4.5.0

Log Directory

The SITL Manager automatically creates a timestamped log directory at /ardupilot/logs/<timestamp> (format: YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS) when it starts. All programs (ArduPilot SITL and mavp2p) run with this directory as their working directory, so any files they create (logs, data files, etc.) will be saved there.

MAVP2P Configuration

mavp2p is automatically started for each instance to allow multiple MAVLink connections. By default:

• Input: Connects to the SITL MAVLink output
• Output: udp:127.0.0.1:14560 (for instance 0, incrementing for additional instances)

You can customize the mavp2p output using ARDUPILOT_MAVP2P_OUTPUT or ARDUPILOT_INSTANCE_<X>_MAVP2P_OUTPUT.

Developer Setup

TODO