AutoPi Cloud
Advanced CAN Bus Management
for automotive data loggers

DBC files

Upload your DBC files directly to the AutoPi CAN-FD Pro from the AutoPi Cloud CAN Bus Management. Click and select signals to decode. Add pass filters based on your DBC files and selected filters, to make sure you only receive the data that is necessary for your use case.

The intuitive design of the AutoPi Cloud CAN Bus Management allows you to only receive the exact data that you require and thereby save costs on 4G/LTE connectivity.

DBC files (CAN Database files) contain descriptions of CAN bus messages and signals. They define message IDs, signal lengths, positions, data types, scaling, and units. These files are commonly used to decode raw CAN bus data into meaningful information. Typically, DBC files are created by vehicle or equipment manufacturers and serve as a standard reference to ensure consistent interpretation of CAN messages. DBC files streamline integration, testing, and diagnostics processes in automotive and industrial applications.

CAN Bus channel detection

Easily setup the correct channel configuration for your loggers. Select one or more methods to detect the CAN bus and the active protocol(s). A passive method will only listen for broadcast traffic. An active method will attempt to send a request and then wait for a valid response.

The intuitive software of the AutoPi Cloud CAN Bus Management will automatically detect if your vehicle is 12V/24V compatible and can be configured to support J1939 channels. With the advanced settings you can setup CAN Bus termination, setup the CAN-FD Pro to permit sending sending data on the CAN Bus.

Additionally, you can configure both standard CAN and CAN-FD bit rates to match your vehicle’s communication speed. The software supports automatic baud rate detection for simplified configuration. These settings help ensure compatibility with a wide range of vehicles and machinery, making your setup faster and more reliable.

CAN Bus decoding

Add advanced decoders to your data to ensure data translation directly on the CAN-FD Pro. A decoder will make sure the raw CAN Bus data from the vehicle is translated into human readable format. The decoders in the AutoPi Cloud CAN Bus Management is based on DBC files. So, use the importer to upload DBC files and select your signals to decode.

The decoder interface supports standard decoders with output formats in CSV, JSONL, or LOG. CSV is widely used for spreadsheet analysis, JSONL is ideal for structured logging and programmatic integration, and LOG files suit quick textual review and troubleshooting. It is also possible to use advanced ASAM decoders, which output data in MDF4 format. MDF4 is optimized for professional automotive diagnostics, advanced data analysis, and is compatible with industry-standard tools such as CANalyzer, CANape, and CANoe.

CAN Bus filters

Use the AutoPi CAN-FD Pro to log all raw data on your interface or use our advanced filter setup to get just the data you need for your application. With our filters you can allow/disallow certain frame types or identifier bits in the raw CAN Bus data stream. It's possible to setup certain pass filters to only allow certain data types to be stored.

Filters can distinguish between normal frames containing standard data payloads, error frames indicating communication faults, and remote frames used to request data from other nodes. You can configure filters based on standard 11-bit identifiers or extended 29-bit identifiers, allowing precise control over logged messages. Selectively filtering these frames reduces unnecessary logging, optimizes storage, and improves data clarity.

In combination with our DBC file decoders, it is possible to setup pass filters based on signal selected from the DBC files.

CAN Bus frame listeners

Our frame listeners represent the most advanced feature of the AutoPi CAN-FD Pro and the AutoPi Cloud CAN Bus Management. This functionality enables you to fully customize the AutoPi solution to your project's specific requirements.

Based on a particular CAN frame detected by the frame listener, you can activate custom code directly on your device. This code can perform virtually any action—from triggering specific device functions to sending processed data or messages to an external server using AutoPi's Cloud returners concept.

AutoPi allows extensive device customization through several advanced concepts. With custom services, you can define and deploy your own Python-based services that execute tasks or commands directly on your AutoPi device. These custom services can perform complex logic, data manipulation, or interact with external systems.

Additionally, custom workers can be configured to run continuously as background processes, monitoring or handling incoming CAN Bus data, maintaining persistent device state, or periodically executing tasks. This provides enhanced flexibility in managing ongoing device operations.

To automate execution, AutoPi also offers custom triggers, allowing you to define conditions or events that automatically activate your custom code or services. Triggers can respond to specific CAN Bus frames, system events, or other defined criteria, ensuring your device reacts precisely when needed.

The integration with custom returners lets you specify how processed data or results from your custom code are delivered back to your external infrastructure or cloud platforms. You can easily forward data to third-party servers or cloud applications for advanced analysis or centralized storage.

A typical use case of frame listeners involves listening for a specific CAN data frame that indicates an error or fault condition within your machinery. Once the frame listener detects this error frame, it automatically triggers a function to upload all raw CAN Bus data recorded within the previous 30 minutes. With this targeted dataset, you can perform detailed debugging and precisely analyze potential issues in your machinery, optimizing both maintenance and troubleshooting processes.

Output control

With our output control, you can manage both the destination and format of your data, giving you full control over how information is stored, structured, and transmitted. This includes detailed configuration of how raw and decoded CAN Bus data is stored locally on the 32 GB internal storage of the AutoPi CAN-FD Pro device, as well as how it's uploaded to external cloud platforms like AWS S3.

For local data storage, you can choose from a variety of file formats tailored to different workflows and tools. Supported formats include ASC, which is the Vector ASCII format commonly used with tools like CANoe and CANalyzer for post-processing and protocol analysis. BLF is a binary and space-efficient format designed for storing large volumes of CAN traffic while minimizing disk usage. CSV is ideal for structured, tabular data analysis in spreadsheets or simple data tools. DB can be used for integration with structured storage systems, while JSONL offers a line-delimited JSON format suitable for modern logging pipelines and easy parsing. LOG provides a straightforward plain-text format useful for quick debugging and inspection.

You can define local storage parameters such as maximum file size and the maximum age of files, allowing the system to rotate logs automatically and prevent storage overflow. This is especially important for long-running deployments where constant data collection must not exceed available storage.

When sending data to the cloud, the AutoPi Cloud CAN Bus Management lets you configure AWS S3 as a remote destination. You can enter your AWS access credentials, including access key ID and secret key, and specify a target bucket and folder path where files will be uploaded. This allows you to securely offload data to your own infrastructure for further processing, backup, or integration with cloud analytics platforms.

With flexible storage and export options, the output control system ensures that your data pipeline is efficient, scalable, and tailored to your exact requirements—whether you're working with raw frame dumps, decoded signal values, or both.

Tailscale integration

Our AutoPi CAN-FD Pro supports native integration with Tailscale, allowing you to securely access your devices over a private, encrypted network—no matter where they are in the world. Tailscale creates a mesh VPN using WireGuard, enabling direct, point-to-point communication between your AutoPi device and your laptop, desktop, or internal systems without the need for port forwarding, static IPs, or complex firewall rules.

Once enabled, your AutoPi device becomes part of your Tailscale network, allowing secure SSH access from anywhere, just as if the device were on your local network. This is especially useful for remote diagnostics, configuration, and development, reducing the need for physical access or custom remote access setups.

Tailscale integration is fully managed from the AutoPi Cloud interface. The setup process is simple and quick, requiring only a one-time authentication via your Tailscale account.

This feature is ideal for distributed fleets, lab setups, or developers working with remote or embedded systems. By leveraging Tailscale, you gain a highly secure, peer-to-peer connection channel that simplifies operations and enhances security—without exposing your devices to the public internet.