UDS (Unix Domain Socket) input options

UDS source

UDS input lets SkyView play a stream delivered over a Unix domain socket on the same host. For playback, SkyView runs a UDS client that connects to an existing server socket path and reads the incoming MPEG-TS (or data) stream.

UDS is local IPC only. The socket lives on the filesystem, so the producer and SkyView must run on the same machine.

Advantages of Unix Domain Sockets

  • Low latency: UDS avoids the overhead of the network stack, making it ideal for high-speed local inter-process communication.
  • No network exposure: Traffic stays within the local machine, there is no risk of data traversing the network.
  • File system permissions: Socket access can be controlled using standard Unix file permissions, providing a natural security model.
  • Efficient for local streams: For scenarios where producer and consumer run on the same host, UDS offers superior performance compared to TCP/IP sockets.
  • Simplified configuration: No need to allocate and manage ports - the socket path serves as a simple, human-readable identifier.

Create a UDS stream

UDS source

  1. Open Streams in the administration interface and add a new stream or edit an existing one.
  2. In the General tab, set Type to UDS. The URL prefix changes to uds:// and the UDS tab appears.
  3. Enter the socket path in URL (examples below).
  4. Select the UDS tab and choose Socket mode (Connection or Datagram).
  5. Save the stream once the form validates.

Connection vs. datagram modes

Connection mode (stream)

  • Default mode.
  • SkyView opens a stream socket and connects to the UDS server path.
  • The server must already be listening and accepting connections.
  • SkyView reports connected/disconnected events and uses timeouts to detect loss of the stream.

Datagram mode

  • SkyView uses a datagram socket instead of a stream socket.
  • Each write from the producer is received as a discrete packet.
  • Use this when the producer emits datagrams (packetized payloads) instead of a byte stream.

Client and server behavior

  • SkyView does not create the server socket for playback. It always connects as a client to the socket path you configure.
  • The producer is responsible for creating and listening on the socket path.
  • Multiple clients can connect to the same server socket if the producer supports it. SkyView does not take exclusive ownership of the socket path.

Socket path naming convention

UDS paths must be valid absolute Unix paths. The UI enforces the same constraints for both inputs and outputs:

  • Absolute path starting with /.
  • Maximum length: 107 characters.
  • No whitespace, NULL bytes, or shell-special characters (for example: spaces, ;, &, |, $, <, >, backticks, quotes, *, ?, !, parentheses, or brackets).

Recommended naming pattern:

  • /tmp/<platform>.<stream>.sock for inputs
  • /tmp/<platform>.<stream>.<target>.sock for outputs

The UI accepts either a plain absolute path or a URL with the uds:// scheme. All of the following are valid examples:

  • /tmp/skyview.camera1.sock
  • uds:///tmp/skyview.camera1.sock
  • uds:/tmp/skyview.camera1.sock