The stack trace finally showed the truth: the error was in our own decodeKrpcType, not in protobufjs. The kRPC server omits the `return_type` field for procedures that have no return value (e.g. AddStream, RemoveStream, all the setters). protobufjs decodes missing message fields as null. Our cache then called `decodeKrpcType(null)`, which did `null.code` and threw. The null.code error message was a red herring all along — it looked like protobufjs was looking up an enum descriptor, but it was actually just our code accessing .code on a null parameter. The protobufjs fixes (uint32 instead of nested-enum, adding the game_scenes field) were real and needed — but they weren't the cause of THIS particular failure mode. Fix: - decodeKrpcType accepts null/undefined and returns a NONE type (code 0) in that case - Added a regression test in services.test.ts that builds a fake ServiceCache with a procedure whose returnType is null
Kerbal RT
A real-time web mirror of a no-warp Kerbal Space Program multiplayer server: mission hub + 3D live solar system map.
Status: Phase 1 — data pipeline working end-to-end. Mock telemetry publisher drives the API, the API stores snapshots, the hub debug page and the live map both consume the WebSocket. Real KSP bridge (Phase 1c) is documented and ready to plug in once you have KSP.
See kerbalrealtime-clone-plan.md for the
full implementation plan.
Stack
| Layer | Tech |
|---|---|
| Hub | Next.js 14 (App Router) + TypeScript |
| Live map | Vite + React + Three.js + TypeScript |
| API | Hono on Node 22 + WebSocket (ws) + Zod |
| Shared | @kerbal-rt/shared-types, @kerbal-rt/orbital-math, @kerbal-rt/ui |
| Data (Phase 1) | Postgres 16 + TimescaleDB, Redis 7, MinIO (S3) |
| Package mgr | pnpm workspaces |
| Linter | Prettier (ESLint coming per-app) |
Layout
.
├── apps/
│ ├── hub/ # Next.js — marketing + calendar + media + /debug
│ ├── live-map/ # Vite + Three.js — 3D solar system viewer
│ ├── api/ # Hono — REST + WS gateway
│ └── tools/
│ └── mock-telemetry/ # Node script that drives the pipeline with fake KSP state
├── packages/
│ ├── shared-types/ # TS types + Zod schemas for every API boundary
│ ├── orbital-math/ # Pure keplerian propagation, occultation, transfers
│ ├── db/ # Postgres+Timescale+Redis wrapper, StateStore interface
│ └── ui/ # Shared React components (Pill, Card, …)
├── ksp/ # KSP-side bridge (Phase 1c) — see ./ksp/README.md
├── infra/ # docker-compose, nginx, grafana, init SQL
└── scripts/ # dev.sh and friends
Quick start
# 1. Install deps
pnpm install
# 2. Run the three apps in parallel
pnpm dev
# hub: http://localhost:3000
# live-map: http://localhost:3001
# api: http://localhost:4000
# Or run them individually
pnpm dev:hub
pnpm dev:map
pnpm dev:api
The
devscript forlive-mapproxies/api/*to:4000, so the live map's WebSocket and REST calls work out of the box.
Tests
pnpm test
Build
pnpm build
Data tier (Phase 1)
The API starts in-memory (in-process StateStore) for development. To wire
up the real data tier:
docker compose -f infra/docker-compose.yml up -d
This brings up:
- TimescaleDB on
:5432(with the full KSP body catalog pre-seeded) - Redis on
:6379 - MinIO on
:9000(S3-compatible object store for media) - pgAdmin on
:5050(only if you start with--profile dev)
CI
GitHub Actions runs format:check → typecheck → test → build on every
push / PR to main. See .github/workflows/ci.yml.
Phases
See kerbalrealtime-clone-plan.md for the
roadmap. Quick map:
- Phase 0 — monorepo, skeletons, docker-compose, CI
- Phase 1a — persistence layer (Postgres+Timescale+Redis) with in-memory fallback
- Phase 1b — mock telemetry publisher + WebSocket fan-out + hub /debug page
- Phase 1c — real kRPC bridge (see
ksp/README.md) - Phase 2 — Live map 3D scene (time controls, focus, eclipses, overpass)
- Phase 3 — Mission calendar, media, crew, YouTube/Twitch embeds
- Phase 4 — Spacenomicon tools (delta-v, transfer calculator, etc.)
- Phase 5 — Admin panel + polish
- Phase 6 — Production deploy
Verifying the Phase 1 pipeline
# Terminal 1: API
cd apps/api && PORT=4000 USE_IN_MEMORY=1 pnpm start
# Terminal 2: mock publisher
cd apps/tools/mock-telemetry && MOCK_API_URL=http://localhost:4000 pnpm start
# Terminal 3: hub
cd apps/hub && PORT=3000 pnpm start
# → open http://localhost:3000/debug to see the live state
For the WebSocket version, open the hub /debug page or use wscat:
npx wscat -c ws://localhost:4000/api/v1/live
License
This project is unaffiliated with Kerbal Space Program, Intercept Games, or Private Division. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.