Placefile API

Bolt publishes live spotter feeds in both text and JSON formats. You can generate account-specific URLs from the Placefile Access page or call the base endpoints directly.

Base endpoints

• Text feed: https://bolt.lightni.ng/placefile/spotters.txt
• JSON feed: https://bolt.lightni.ng/placefile/spotters.json
• Add ?ak=KEY1,KEY2 to scope the feed to specific organization access keys.
• Append &public=0 to remove unaffiliated devices from the response.
• Use &labels=1 when you want callsigns rendered as labels inside compatible radar clients.

Example: https://bolt.lightni.ng/placefile/spotters.txt?public=0&ak=ABCD1234EFGH5678&labels=1

HTTP behavior

• Placefiles declare their own refresh interval; most clients respect this and poll every 60 seconds.
• Responses are not meant to be treated as long-lived static files.
• All URLs are HTTPS only. If a viewer cannot handle TLS, fetch the file with curl or a small proxy and point the tool at the local copy.

Using the access page

The Placefile Access page builds TXT and JSON URLs for you. It lets you toggle whether public spotters are included and whether specific organization access keys should be added.

Integrating with custom tools

• Plain HTTP clients work: curl "https://bolt.lightni.ng/placefile/spotters.txt?labels=1"
• Use the JSON endpoint if your tool wants structured spotter data instead of Gibson Ridge placefile text.