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Installation and Configuration

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Daniel Heinen edited this page Mar 27, 2026 · 5 revisions

Installation and Configuration

Docker (recommended)

The Docker image is published to ghcr.io/django1982/ankerctl. It includes ffmpeg for timelapse support and runs as a single static binary.

Quick Start

docker run -d \
  --name ankerctl \
  --network host \
  -v ~/.ankerctl:/root/.ankerctl \
  -e ANKERCTL_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  ghcr.io/django1982/ankerctl:latest

Docker Compose

services:
  ankerctl:
    image: ghcr.io/django1982/ankerctl:latest
    container_name: ankerctl
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - ~/.ankerctl:/root/.ankerctl
      - captures:/captures
    env_file: .env

volumes:
  captures:

Copy .env.example to .env, adjust the values, then run docker compose up -d.

Important: network_mode: host is required because the PPPP protocol uses UDP peer-to-peer communication on the local network. Bridge networking will not work.

Updating

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Binary Download

Download the latest release for your platform from Releases.

Available binaries:

  • ankerctl-linux-amd64
  • ankerctl-linux-arm64
  • ankerctl-darwin-amd64 (Intel Mac)
  • ankerctl-darwin-arm64 (Apple Silicon)
  • ankerctl-windows-amd64.exe
# Linux / macOS
chmod +x ankerctl-linux-amd64
./ankerctl-linux-amd64 webserver --listen 0.0.0.0:4470

Note: For timelapse support, install ffmpeg separately (apt install ffmpeg, brew install ffmpeg, etc.).

From Source

Requires Go 1.22 or later.

git clone https://github.com/Django1982/ankerctl_go_remake.git
cd ankerctl_go_remake

# Download vendor assets — required before building, otherwise blank web UI!
# Linux/macOS:
bash scripts/prepare-web-vendor.sh
# Windows (PowerShell):
# .\scripts\prepare-web-vendor.ps1

go build -o ankerctl ./cmd/ankerctl/
./ankerctl webserver

Printer Setup

Login with Anker Account (recommended)

The simplest way to set up your printer is to log in with your AnkerMake account credentials.

Via Web UI:

  1. Start ankerctl (binary, Docker, or source)
  2. Open http://localhost:4470
  3. On the Setup tab, enter your AnkerMake email and password

Via CLI:

./ankerctl config login DE

You will be prompted for email and password. Replace DE with your country code.

Note: Legacy alternative -- if you already have a login.json file from the AnkerMake desktop app, you can import it via CLI as a backup method:

./ankerctl config import path/to/login.json

The login.json file can be found at:

Platform Path
macOS ~/Library/Application Support/AnkerMake/AnkerMake_64bit_fp/login.json
Windows %APPDATA%\Roaming\eufyMake Studio Profile\cache\offline\user_info
Linux (Wine) ~/.wine/drive_c/users/<name>/AppData/Roaming/eufyMake Studio Profile/cache/offline/user_info

API Key

API key authentication protects all write operations (uploading files, sending G-code, controlling the printer). Read operations (status, video stream) remain public.

# Generate a random key (printed to stdout — save it!)
./ankerctl config set-password

# Set a specific key (minimum 16 characters, [a-zA-Z0-9_-])
./ankerctl config set-password my-secret-key

# Remove key (disable authentication)
./ankerctl config remove-password

Note: When running set-password without an argument, a random key is generated and printed once to stdout. Copy it immediately — it is not shown again.

For Docker, set ANKERCTL_API_KEY in your .env file.

Using the key with slicers: In PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer, or similar, configure a printer with host localhost, port 4470, and enter the key as the API Key. The slicer sends it as X-Api-Key header.

Using the key in the browser: Append ?apikey=your-key to the URL once. A session cookie is set automatically.

Environment Variables

See .env.example for a complete template with comments. All variables are optional -- ankerctl works with sensible defaults.

Server

Variable Default Description
ANKERCTL_HOST / FLASK_HOST 127.0.0.1 Bind address
ANKERCTL_PORT / FLASK_PORT 4470 Listen port
FLASK_SECRET_KEY (auto) Session cookie secret
PRINTER_INDEX 0 Active printer index (0-based, only needed for multi-printer setups)

Upload

Variable Default Description
UPLOAD_MAX_MB 2048 Max upload size in MB
UPLOAD_RATE_MBPS 10 Upload speed (Mbit/s): 5, 10, 25, 50, 100

Security

Variable Default Description
ANKERCTL_API_KEY (unset) API key for write operations
ANKERCTL_DEV_MODE false Enable debug endpoints
ANKERCTL_LOG_DIR (unset) Log file directory

Notifications (Apprise)

Variable Default Description
APPRISE_ENABLED false Enable push notifications
APPRISE_SERVER_URL (unset) Apprise API server URL
APPRISE_KEY (unset) Notification key/ID
APPRISE_TAG (unset) Tag filter
APPRISE_EVENT_PRINT_STARTED true Notify on print start
APPRISE_EVENT_PRINT_FINISHED true Notify on print finish
APPRISE_EVENT_PRINT_FAILED true Notify on print failure
APPRISE_EVENT_GCODE_UPLOADED true Notify on G-code upload
APPRISE_EVENT_PRINT_PROGRESS true Notify on progress updates
APPRISE_PROGRESS_INTERVAL 25 Progress interval (%)
APPRISE_PROGRESS_INCLUDE_IMAGE false Attach camera snapshot
APPRISE_SNAPSHOT_QUALITY hd Snapshot quality: sd, hd, fhd
APPRISE_SNAPSHOT_FALLBACK true Use G-code preview if live fails
APPRISE_SNAPSHOT_LIGHT false Turn on light for snapshot

Print History

Variable Default Description
PRINT_HISTORY_RETENTION_DAYS 90 Days to keep history
PRINT_HISTORY_MAX_ENTRIES 500 Max history entries

Timelapse

Variable Default Description
TIMELAPSE_ENABLED false Enable timelapse capture
TIMELAPSE_INTERVAL_SEC 30 Seconds between frames
TIMELAPSE_MAX_VIDEOS 10 Max videos to keep
TIMELAPSE_SAVE_PERSISTENT true Save videos persistently
TIMELAPSE_CAPTURES_DIR /captures Video storage directory
TIMELAPSE_LIGHT (unset) Light mode: snapshot or session

Home Assistant

Variable Default Description
HA_MQTT_ENABLED false Enable HA MQTT Discovery
HA_MQTT_HOST localhost MQTT broker host
HA_MQTT_PORT 1883 MQTT broker port
HA_MQTT_USER (unset) MQTT username
HA_MQTT_PASSWORD (unset) MQTT password
HA_MQTT_DISCOVERY_PREFIX homeassistant HA discovery prefix
HA_MQTT_TOPIC_PREFIX ankerctl State topic prefix

Slicer Setup (PrusaSlicer / OrcaSlicer)

  1. In your slicer, add a new printer or edit the physical printer settings
  2. Set the printer type to "OctoPrint" or generic HTTP
  3. Enter:
    • Host: localhost (or your server IP)
    • Port: 4470
    • API Key: your configured key (if set)
  4. Use "Send and Print" to upload and immediately start printing

ankerctl implements the OctoPrint-compatible /api/files/local endpoint for file uploads.

Multiple Printers

If you have multiple AnkerMake printers configured, you can select the active one with PRINTER_INDEX. Defaults to 0 (first printer), so this is only needed if you want to use a different printer.

  • Environment variable: PRINTER_INDEX=1
  • CLI flag: ./ankerctl webserver --printer-index 1
  • Web UI: Use the printer selector in the top navigation

ankerctl Wiki

Links

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