Running WeeWX from a git repository

Because WeeWX is pure-Python and does not need to be compiled, it can be run directly from a git repository without "installing" it first. This approach is perhaps most appropriate for developers, but it is also useful on older operating systems or on platforms with tight memory and/or storage constraints.

This technique can also be used to run from a source directory expanded from a zip/tar file.

Although you do not need root privileges to run WeeWX this way, you will need them to set up a daemon and, perhaps, to change device permissions.

Install pre-requisites

Before starting, you must install the pre-requisite Python and Python modules.

1. Ensure that Python 3.6 or later is installed.

2. Ensure that pip and venv are installed.

3. Create and activate a virtual environment in your home directory:

   python3 -m venv ~/weewx-venv
   source ~/weewx-venv/bin/activate
   

4. Install the minimum WeeWX dependencies:

   python3 -m pip install CT3
   python3 -m pip install configobj
   python3 -m pip install Pillow
   

5. If you are running Python 3.6, you must install a backport to allow importation of package resources:

   # for Python 3.6 only:
   python3 -m pip install importlib-resources
   

6. Depending on your situation, you may want to install these additional dependencies:

   # If your hardware uses a serial port
   python3 -m pip install pyserial
   # If your hardware uses a USB port
   python3 -m pip install pyusb
   # If you want extended celestial information:
   python3 -m pip install ephem
   # If you use MySQL or Maria
   python3 -m pip install "PyMySQL[rsa]"
   

Get the code

Use git to clone the WeeWX repository into a directory called weewx in your home directory:

git clone https://github.com/weewx/weewx ~/weewx

Note

For systems with very little space, you may want to create a shallow clone:

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/weewx/weewx ~/weewx

Note

Of course, the directory you clone into does not have to be ~/weewx. It can be any directory. Just be sure to replace ~/weewx with your directory's path in the rest of the instructions.

Provision a new station

Now that you have the prerequisites and the WeeWX code, you can provision a new station:

# If necessary, activate the WeeWX virtual environment
source ~/weewx-venv/bin/activate
# Provision a new station
python3 ~/weewx/src/weectl.py station create

The tool weectl will ask you a series of questions, then create a directory weewx-data in your home directory with a new configuration file. It will also install skins, utilitiy files, and examples in the same directory. The database and reports will also go into that directory, but only after you run weewxd, as shown in the following step.

Run weewxd

The program weewxd does the data collection, archiving, uploading, and report generation. You can run it directly, or as a daemon.

When you run weewxd directly, it will print data to the screen. It will stop when you log out, or when you terminate it with control-c.

# If necessary, activate the WeeWX virtual environment
source ~/weewx-venv/bin/activate
# Run weewxd
python3 ~/weewx/src/weewxd.py

To run weewxd as a daemon, install an init configuration that is appropriate to your operating system, e.g., systemd service unit, SysV init script, or launchd control file. Be sure to use the full path to the Python interpreter and weewxd.py - the paths in the virtual environment. Examples are included in the directory ~/weewx-data/util.

Verify

After about 5 minutes (the exact length of time depends on your archive interval), copy the following and paste into a web browser. You should see your station information and data.

~/weewx-data/public_html/index.html

Note

Not all browsers understand the tilde ("~") mark. You may have to substitute an explicit path to your home directory, for example, file:///home/jackhandy instead of ~.

If you have problems, check the system log. See the Troubleshooting section of the User's guide for more help.

Customize

To enable uploads, or to enable other reports, modify the configuration file ~/weewx-data/weewx.conf using any text editor such as nano:

nano ~/weewx-data/weewx.conf

The reference Application options contains an extensive list of the configuration options, with explanations for what they do. For more advanced customization, see the Customization Guide, as well as the reference Skin options.

To install new skins, drivers, or other extensions, use the extension utility.

The executable weewxd must be restarted for the changes to take effect.

Upgrade

Update the code by pulling the latest:

cd ~/weewx && git pull

Then restart weewxd

Uninstall

Before you uninstall, be sure that weewxd is not running.

Then simply delete the git clone:

rm -rf ~/weewx

If desired, delete the data directory:

rm -r ~/weewx-data