- About
- Mission Statement
- Screenshots
- Features
- Running in Production
- Configuration
- Contributing
- Communication
- Contributors
- Copyright and License
Apus is a social media wall for conferences.
The name Apus is based on Apus Apus, Latin for common swift. This is a bird species that is extremely adapted to a life in the air and can stay in the air for around ten months almost without interruption and can reach speeds of more than 200 km/h during flight maneuvers. This bird breeds in a wall, flies reliably for extremely long periods without crashing and is also extremely fast. Hopefully all of this also applies to Apus: fast execution, uninterrupted and reliable operation!
See:
🇬🇧
Apus connects conference attendees in real time: Our application displays the up-to-date program with current and upcoming presentations as well as live-shared impressions from social networks. We provide orientation, foster interaction, and turn every event into a connected experience.
🇩🇪
Apus bringt Konferenzteilnehmer in Echtzeit zusammen: Unsere Anwendung zeigt das aktuelle Programm mit laufenden und bevorstehenden Vorträge sowie live geteilte Eindrücke aus sozialen Netzwerken. So schaffen wir Orientierung, fördern Interaktion und machen jede Veranstaltung zu einem vernetzten Erlebnis.
Apus supports localization. Screenshots are in different languages.
Apus screenshot with default theme
Apus screenshot with BaselOne theme
Apus screenshot with Java Forum Stuttgart theme
Apus screenshot with JavaLand theme
Apus screenshot with Voxxed Days theme
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| BlueSky | SUPPORTED |
| Mastodon | SUPPORTED |
| Event | Plugin |
|---|---|
| BaselOne | SessionizePlugin |
| CloudLand | DoagPlugin |
| CyberLand | DoagPlugin |
| Devoxx | DevoxxPlugin |
| Java Forum Nord | SessionizePlugin |
| Java Forum Stuttgart | JavaForumStuttgartPlugin |
| JavaLand | DoagPlugin |
| KI Navigator | DoagPlugin |
| Voxxed Days | DevoxxPlugin |
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Running text with updates | - TODO - |
| Show sponsor information | SUPPORTED |
| Use event based styling | SUPPORTED |
It is highly recommended to use Docker or Podman to run Apus in production. Here follows a very short explanation of the example commands below. Consult the Docker or Podman documentation for more information about all available options for running an image.
| Option | Explanation |
|---|---|
| --name apus | Specify the name for the running instance. |
| -p 80:8080 | Make Apus available on host port 80 |
| -e KEY=value | Configure Apus using environment variables. |
| -d | Run Apus in daemon mode (background). |
| --rm | Remove the container when stopping Apus. |
| mcpringle/apus | The Docker image to be started. |
Modify the following commands according to your needs and consult the configuration section below for more information about how to configure Apus. The Docker image of Apus will be pulled from Docker Hub automatically when not available locally.
docker run \
--name apus \
-p 80:8080 \
-e APUS_SOCIAL_HASHTAGS=java \
-e APUS_TIMEZONE=Europe/Zurich \
-d \
--rm \
mcpringle/apusThe parameters are the same like in in the Docker example, but the image must be prefixed with docker.io/:
podman run \
--name apus \
-p 80:8080 \
-e APUS_SOCIAL_HASHTAGS=java \
-e APUS_TIMEZONE=Europe/Zurich \
-d \
--rm \
docker.io/mcpringle/apusApus can be started without any specific configuration. All configuration options have working default values.
To modify the default configuration values, just specify environment variables with the following names:
| Environment Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| APUS_BLUESKY_HASHTAG_URL | [1] | The URL of the BlueSky API to get the posts containing a hashtag (empty = disabled). |
| APUS_BLUESKY_INSTANCE | api.bsky.app | The BlueSky instance used to read the posts from (empty = disabled). |
| APUS_BLUESKY_MENTIONS_URL | [2] | The URL of the BlueSky API to get the posts mentioning a profile (empty = disabled). |
| APUS_BLUESKY_POST_LIMIT | 30 | The limit for the number of BlueSky posts when accessing the API. |
| APUS_BLUESKY_PROFILE | The profile (without the @) of a BlueSky user to get the mentions (empty = disabled). | |
| APUS_DEMO | false | Enable (true) or disable (false) the demo mode to show demo data only. |
| APUS_DEVOXX_EVENT_API | [3] | The URL of the Devoxx API to read the conference agenda. |
| APUS_DEVOXX_EVENT_ID | The ID of the Devoxx event to read the conference agenda. | |
| APUS_DEVOXX_WEEKDAY | The day of the week of the Devoxx event to read the conference agenda. | |
| APUS_DOAG_EVENT_API | [4] | The URL of the DOAG event API to read the conference agenda. |
| APUS_DOAG_EVENT_ID | 0 | The ID of the DOAG event to read the conference agenda (0 = disabled). |
| APUS_EVENT_DATE_ADJUST | P0D | Adjust the date of the event, ISO-8601 formatted (P0D = disabled). |
| APUS_EVENT_IMAGE_URL | The URL of the image to be shown below the event agenda (empty = no image). | |
| APUS_EVENT_NEXT_SESSION_TIMEOUT | 60 | Number of minutes a session is shown before it starts (0 = disabled). |
| APUS_EVENT_SHOW_EMPTY_ROOMS | true | Show (true) or hide (false) empty event rooms. |
| APUS_EVENT_SHOW_LEGEND | true | Show (true) or hide (false) the event room legend. |
| APUS_EVENT_TIME_ADJUST | PT0D | Adjust the time of the event, ISO-8601 formatted (PT0D = disabled). |
| APUS_EVENT_UPDATE_FREQUENCY | 5 | How often (in minutes) to update event data (0 = disabled). |
| APUS_JFS_DB_URL | The URL of the database file for Java Forum Stuttgart. | |
| APUS_LANGUAGE | en | Language code of the language used for the UI. |
| APUS_MASTODON_ACCESS_TOKEN | The Mastodon access token. Only needed for the notification API. | |
| APUS_MASTODON_INSTANCE | ijug.social | The Mastodon instance used to read the posts from (empty = disabled). |
| APUS_MASTODON_LIMIT | 30 | The limit for the number of results when accessing the Mastodon API. |
| APUS_MASTODON_NOTIFICATION_API | [5] | The URL of the Mastodon API to read the notifications (empty = disabled). |
| APUS_MASTODON_POST_API | [6] | The URL of the Mastodon API to read the posts (empty = disabled). |
| APUS_PASSWORD | The hashed password to get admin access (empty = disabled). | |
| APUS_SOCIAL_FILTER_LENGTH | 500 | Hide social media posts which exceed this length (0 = disabled). |
| APUS_SOCIAL_FILTER_REPLIES | true | Hide social media posts which are replies. |
| APUS_SOCIAL_FILTER_SENSITIVE | true | Hide social media posts which contain sensitive information. |
| APUS_SOCIAL_FILTER_WORDS | Hide social media posts which contain these words. | |
| APUS_SOCIAL_COLUMNS | 3 | How many columns to be used for social media posts. |
| APUS_SOCIAL_HASHTAGS | A list of comma separated hashtags for social media posts (empty = disabled). | |
| APUS_SOCIAL_HEADLINE | Overwrite the headline for social media posts (empty = don't overwrite). | |
| APUS_SOCIAL_IMAGE_LIMIT | 1 | Limit number of images per social media post (0 = no limit). |
| APUS_SOCIAL_IMAGES_ENABLED | true | Enable or disable images in social media posts. |
| APUS_SESSIONIZE_EVENT_API | [7] | The URL of the Sessionize API to read the conference agenda. |
| APUS_SESSIONIZE_EVENT_ID | 0 | The ID of the Sessionize event to read the conference agenda (0 = disabled). |
| APUS_SESSIONIZE_SPEAKER_API | [8] | The URL of the Sessionize API to read the speaker information. |
| APUS_STYLES | Inject custom styles into the user interface (see explanations below). | |
| APUS_TIMEZONE | Europe/Zurich | The timezone used for date and time calculations. |
The environment variables will override the default values. Some default values might be too long to be displayed in this table. They are marked with a number in square brackets and can be looked up in the following list:
https://${instance}/xrpc/app.bsky.feed.searchPosts?q=%23${hashtag}&tag=${hashtag}&limit=${limit}https://${instance}/xrpc/app.bsky.feed.searchPosts?q=%40${profile}&mentions=${profile}&limit=${limit}https://${event}.cfp.dev/api/public/schedules/${weekday}https://meine.doag.org/api/event/action.getCPEventAgenda/eventId.${event}https://${instance\/api/v1/notifications?types[]=mention&limit=${limit}https://${instance}/api/v1/timelines/tag/${hashtag}?limit=${limit}https://sessionize.com/api/v2/${event}/view/Sessionshttps://sessionize.com/api/v2/${event}/view/Speakers
The APUS_EVENT_DATE_ADJUST option uses the ISO-8601 period formats PnYnMnD and PnW. Examples:
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
P5D | +5 days |
P3M | +3 months |
P2Y | +2 years |
P4W | +4 weeks |
P1Y2M3D | +1 year, +2 months, +3 days |
P1Y2M3W4D | +1 year, +2 months, +25 days (3 weeks and 4 days) |
P-1Y2M | -1 year, +2 months (minus is valid for the year only) |
-P1Y2M | -1 year, -2 months (minus is valid for the whole expression) |
The APUS_EVENT_TIME_ADJUST option uses the ISO-8601 duration formats PTnHnMnS. Examples:
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
PT5H | +5 hours |
PT3M | +3 minutes |
PT2S | +2 seconds |
PT1H2M3S | +1 hour, +2 minutes, +3 seconds |
PT-1H2M | -1 hour, +2 minutes (minus is valid for the hours only) |
-PT1H2M | -1 hour, -2 minutes (minus is valid for the whole expression) |
You can modify the styles of the user interface using CSS variables. The CSS variables must be set using the environment variable APUS_STYLES in key and value pairs. The key is the variable to be set and must start with two dashes (--). Keys and values must be separated by a colon (:). Multiple key and value pairs are separated by a semicolon (;). Example:
--name-of-variable-one:value1;--name-of-variable-two:value2
The following table contains the CSS variables you can modify to change the user interface and their default values:
| CSS Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| --event-background-color | #e7eaee | The color for the background of the event agenda. |
| --event-title-color | #262626 | The color for the title of the event agenda. |
| --event-text-color | #262626 | The color for the text of the event agenda. |
| --event-running-session-color | #ffffff | The color for the background of rooms with running sessions. |
| --event-next-session-color | #eeeeee | The color for the background of rooms with sessions starting next. |
| --event-closed-room-color | #cccccc | The color for the background of closed rooms. |
| --event-room-border | 1px solid #909090 | The border for the event room. |
| --event-image-position-bottom | 10px | The position of the optional event image relative to the bottom. |
| --event-image-position-left | 10px | The position of the optional event image relative to the left. |
| --event-image-width | auto | The width of the optional event image. |
| --event-image-height | auto | The height of the optional event image. |
| --social-background-color | #e7eaee | The color for the background of the social wall. |
| --social-title-color | #262626 | The color for the title of the social wall. |
| --social-text-color | #262626 | The color for the text of the social wall. |
| --social-post-background-color | #ffffff | The color for the background of social posts. |
| --social-post-border | 1px solid #909090 | The border for the social posts. |
| --speaker-avatar-background-color | transparent | The color for the background of speaker avatars. |
| --speaker-avatar-border | none | The border for the speaker avatars. |
Note
Default values may change in newer versions of Apus. Compare your custom styles before and after an update.
--event-background-color: #9a1445;
--event-title-color: #ffffff;
--event-text-color: #ffffff;
--event-running-session-color: #7248f0;
--event-next-session-color: #7248f0;
--event-closed-room-color: #7248f0;
--event-room-border: 1px solid #000000;
--event-image-border: 1px solid #000000;
--event-image-width: 250px;
--event-image-height: 250px;
--social-background-color: #7248f0;
--social-title-color: #ffffff;
--social-text-color: #000000;
--social-post-background-color: #ffffff;
--social-post-border: 1px solid #000000;
--speaker-avatar-background-color: transparent;
--speaker-avatar-border: none;
--event-background-color: #fcb913;
--event-title-color: #000000;
--event-text-color: #000000;
--event-running-session-color: #fff8dd;
--event-next-session-color: #fff8dd;
--event-closed-room-color: #fff8dd;
--event-room-border: 1px solid #000000;
--social-background-color: #fff8dd;
--social-title-color: #000000;
--social-text-color: #000000;
--social-post-background-color: #ffffff;
--social-post-border: 1px solid #fcb913;
--event-background-color: #000000;
--event-title-color: #ffffff;
--event-text-color: #262626;
--event-running-session-color: #79fffe;
--event-next-session-color: #00f1ef;
--event-closed-room-color: #00c2c1;
--event-room-border: none;
--social-background-color: #272727;
--social-title-color: #ffffff;
--social-text-color: #262626;
--social-post-background-color: #ffa8a8;
--social-post-border: none;
--event-background-color: #4c4f53;
--event-title-color: #8ed1fc;
--event-text-color: #000000;
--event-running-session-color: #ebfffc;
--event-next-session-color: #ebfffc;
--event-closed-room-color: #ebfffc;
--event-room-border: none;
--event-image-position-bottom: 10px;
--event-image-position-left: 10px;
--event-image-width: 425px;
--social-background-color: #58c3f0;
--social-title-color: #ffffff;
--social-text-color: #000000;
--social-post-background-color: #ebf7ff;
--social-post-border: none;
--speaker-avatar-background-color: transparent;
--speaker-avatar-border: none;
For security reasons the password is not stored in cleartext. Apus requires the password to be hashed using bcrypt. Of course, Apus can do this for you. Start the JAR file providing the parameter -p followed by the password you want to create a hash for. The output will show you two lines of code. The first line contains the hashed password and the second line contains the same hashed password, but with the dollar signs escaped ready to copy and paste it into a docker-compose.yaml. Examples:
java -jar apus.jar -p 12345
Hashed password for environment variable: $2a$10$nybQbl/iY8SRJkfHJVncS.L5.OC3KJ6VRBYVAID7qnUqwylmn/BtK
Hashed password for Docker Compose file: $$2a$$10$$nybQbl/iY8SRJkfHJVncS.L5.OC3KJ6VRBYVAID7qnUqwylmn/BtK
docker run mcpringle/apus java -jar /usr/app/app.jar -p 12345
Hashed password for environment variable: $2a$10$nybQbl/iY8SRJkfHJVncS.L5.OC3KJ6VRBYVAID7qnUqwylmn/BtK
Hashed password for Docker Compose file: $$2a$$10$$nybQbl/iY8SRJkfHJVncS.L5.OC3KJ6VRBYVAID7qnUqwylmn/BtK
podman run docker.io/mcpringle/apus java -jar /usr/app/app.jar -p 12345
Hashed password for environment variable: $2a$10$nybQbl/iY8SRJkfHJVncS.L5.OC3KJ6VRBYVAID7qnUqwylmn/BtK
Hashed password for Docker Compose file: $$2a$$10$$nybQbl/iY8SRJkfHJVncS.L5.OC3KJ6VRBYVAID7qnUqwylmn/BtK
All configuration files are completely optional and stored in an .apus subdirectory of the home directory of the user running Apus.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
blockedProfiles | This file contains blocked profiles, one per line. |
hiddenPostIds | This file contains IDs of hidden posts, one per line. |
If you are running Apus in a Docker or Podman container and want to keep your configuration files between restarts, you can bind the .apus directory of the running container to an existing directory on your host system. Important: The directory on your host system must exist and must be writeable by the Apus user inside the container (which is user ID 1000 and group ID 1000). Consult the documentation of your host operating system if you need information about how to set the correct access rights.
Examples for binding the .apus directory of the running container to an existing directory on your host system using the -v option of Docker or Podman:
docker run \
--name apus \
-p 80:8080 \
-v $HOME/mydir:/home/apus/.apus \
-e APUS_SOCIAL_HASHTAGS=java \
-e APUS_TIMEZONE=Europe/Zurich \
-d \
--rm \
mcpringle/apuspodman run \
--name apus \
-p 80:8080 \
-v $HOME/mydir:/home/apus/.apus \
-e APUS_SOCIAL_HASHTAGS=java \
-e APUS_TIMEZONE=Europe/Zurich \
-d \
--rm \
docker.io/mcpringle/apusTo find possible tasks for your first contribution to Apus, we tagged some of the hopefully easier to solve issues as good first issue.
If you prefer to meet people in real life to contribute to Apus together, we recommend to visit a Hackergarten event. Apus is often selected as a contribution target in Lucerne, Zurich, and at the JavaLand conference.
Please join our developer community using our Matrix chat to get support and help for contributing to Apus.
It is important to sign-off every commit. That is a de facto standard way to ensure that you have the right to submit your content and that you agree to the DCO (Developer Certificate of Origin).
You can find more information about why this is important and how to do it easily in a very good blog post by Josef Andersson.
We love to add an emoji to the beginning of every commit message which relates to the nature of the change. You can find a searchable list of possible emojis and their meaning in the overview on the gitmoji website. If you prefer, you can also install one of the plugins that are available for almost all common IDEs.
In this project we use JSpecify together with NullAway and Error Prone to eliminate possible NullPointerExceptions. To make this work, each package must contain a package-info.java file with the following content:
/** * LICENSE HEADER */@NullMarkedpackageswiss.fihlon.apus.PACKAGE;
importorg.jspecify.annotations.NullMarked;Please use the same license header as in each other Java file. The annotation @NullMarked comes from JSpecify and ensures that all reference types within a package are treated as @NonNull by default, unless they are explicitly annotated with @Nullable.
Please make extensive use of the @Nullable and @NotNull annotations in the while Apus code base. Annotate every method, method parameter, and return type with the appropriate annotation.As a result, every major IDE will warn you if you access something that can be null without checking it first. As additional protection, the Error Prone Plugin ensures that the build fails with a corresponding error.
This way, no more NullPointerExceptions should be thrown at runtime.
AI generated source code is based on real existing source code, which is copied in whole or in part into the generated code. The license of the original source code with which the AI was trained is not taken into account. It is not clear which license conditions apply and how these can be complied with. For legal reasons, we therefore do not allow AI-generated source code at all.
Apus uses Maven to build the project. Please use standard Maven commands to build what you need:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
./mvnw | compile and run the app |
./mvnw clean | cleanup generated files and build artefacts |
./mvnw compile | compile the code without running the tests |
./mvnw test | compile and run all tests |
./mvnw package | compile, test, and create a JAR file to run it with Java directly |
./mvnw verify | compile, test, package, and run analysis tools |
There is no need to run the install or deploy tasks. They will just run longer, produce unnecessary output, burn energy, and occupy your disk space. Don't just blindly run mvn clean install...
Note
Apus comes with a complete dockerized build for production use. It is not recommended to use the self-contained build for development purposes.
To run from the command line, run ./mvnw and open http://localhost:8080 in your browser.
- Locate the
Application.javaclass in the project view. It is in thesrcfolder, under the main package's root. - Right-click on the
Applicationclass - Select "Debug 'Application.main()'" from the list
After the server has started, you can view the UI at http://localhost:8080/ in your browser. You can now also attach breakpoints in code for debugging purposes, by clicking next to a line number in any source file.
- Locate the
Application.javaclass in the package explorer. It is insrc/main/java, under the main package. - Right-click on the file and select
Debug As-->Java Application.
Do not worry if the debugger breaks at a SilentExitException. This is a Spring Boot feature and happens on every startup.
After the server has started, you can view it at http://localhost:8080/ in your browser. You can now also attach breakpoints in code for debugging purposes, by clicking next to a line number in any source file.
You can use Maven to build Apus for production. Just specify the production profile. Example:
./mvnw clean package -PproductionOnce completed successfully, you will find the artifact in the target directory. The file is named apus-VERSION.jar.
To create a production build for Apus it is highly recommended to use Docker or Podman. Apus comes with a complete dockerized self-contained build. You don't need to have Maven or Java installed, Docker or Podman is enough. The Docker build file contains everything needed, just start a standard Docker build with the following command:
docker build -t apus .This might run for a while and will produce a Docker image tagged apus on your local system.
Apus uses a simple plugin technology to import the agenda of various events. Plugins are currently available for the following events:
| Plugin | Supported Events |
|---|---|
EventDemoPlugin | Creates fake session data for demo purposes. |
DevoxxPlugin | Devoxx and Voxxed Days conferences |
DoagPlugin | CloudLand, CyberLand, JavaLand, KI Navigator |
JavaForumStuttgartPlugin | Java Forum Stuttgart |
SessionizePlugin | BaselOne, Java Forum Nord |
Apus uses a simple plugin technology to import posts from various social media services. Plugins are currently available for the following services:
| Plugin | Supported Services |
|---|---|
BlueSkyPlugin | BlueSky Social |
MastodonPlugin | Mastodon |
SocialDemoPlugin | Creates fake social posts for demo purposes |
Everyone is welcome to contribute a plugin themselves. The implementation is very simple. There are two types of plugins: EventPlugin and SocialPlugin. For a new plugin, a new package is created under swiss.fihlon.apus.plugin.event or swiss.fihlon.apus.plugin.social, based on the plugin type. The implementation is carried out in this new package. Implement one of these two interfaces depending on the plugin type you want to contribute and annotate the class with @Service.
If your implementation requires a configuration, implement the configuration as a record in your new plugin package. Take the configuration of one of the existing plugins as a template. Default settings belong in the file application.properties and the corresponding schema is stored in additional-spring-configuration-metadata.json. Finally, add the configuration class of your new plugin to the AppConfig class and modify this README.md accordingly.
There is a channel at Matrix for quick and easy communication. This is publicly accessible for everyone. For developers as well as users. The communication in this chat is to be regarded as short-lived and has no documentary character.
You can find our Matrix channel here: @project-apus:ijug.eu
We use the corresponding GitHub function for discussions. The discussions held here are long-lived and divided into categories for the sake of clarity. One important category, for example, is that for questions and answers.
Discussions on GitHub: https://github.com/McPringle/apus/discussions
Questions and Answers: https://github.com/McPringle/apus/discussions/categories/q-a
Special thanks for all these wonderful people who had helped this project so far (emoji key):
Copyright (C) Marcus Fihlon and the individual contributors to Apus.
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License along with this program. If not, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/.