🔴 Intermediate 🌍 Type: OSINT Dashboard / Real-Time Intelligence Platform 💸 Free & Open Source (AGPL-3.0) ⭐ 9.1k GitHub Stars
What is ShadowBroker?
ShadowBroker is a free, open-source intelligence dashboard that pulls together 60+ live data feeds from around the world and displays them all on one interactive dark-themed map — right in your browser, running entirely on your own computer.
In plain terms: it’s a real-time global tracking screen. You can watch commercial and military aircraft move across the sky, track ships crossing the ocean, see satellites orbit overhead, monitor earthquake activity, detect GPS jamming zones, browse live CCTV feeds, follow geopolitical conflict updates, and much more — all at the same time, on one screen.
All of this data is already publicly available, but it’s scattered across dozens of separate websites and services. ShadowBroker aggregates it into one polished, unified interface that looks like something out of a movie, but runs on your laptop at zero ongoing cost.
You can also connect an AI agent to it to automatically analyse the data streams and find patterns or correlations that would be impossible to spot manually. Right-click any point on Earth to get a country dossier, look up the head of state, and pull the latest satellite photo of that location from Sentinel-2.
It runs on Docker (a simple container system) — meaning the installation is the same on Mac, Windows, and Linux, and you don’t need to configure anything complex.
Who is it for?
- OSINT researchers and journalists who want to track real-world events across multiple data sources without switching between a dozen different websites
- Aviation and maritime enthusiasts who want to see aircraft and ships worldwide, including private jets, military flights, and cargo vessels
- Geopolitics and current events followers who want a live visual picture of what’s happening around the world
- Security researchers who want to correlate GPS jamming events, conflict zones, and military movements in one view
- Developers and AI builders who want to connect an AI agent to a live multi-domain intelligence stream and experiment with automated analysis
- Privacy advocates and self-hosters who want a powerful intelligence tool that runs locally, collects no user data, and has no accounts or telemetry
- Curious people who’ve always wanted to see a real-time picture of global activity — flights, ships, satellites, quakes, and conflicts — in one place
What makes it special?
- 60+ live data layers in one place — aircraft (ADS-B), ships (AIS), satellites (TLE orbital data), earthquakes (USGS), GPS jamming, CCTV networks, conflict zones, geopolitical news, police scanners, mesh radio nodes, internet-connected devices, and more — all on a single map
- 35+ toggleable layers — turn individual data streams on or off so you can focus on what you care about without visual overload
- Tracks things nobody else does in one tool — track Air Force One, private jets of billionaires, military tanker aircraft, ISR surveillance planes, and US aircraft carrier estimated positions using automated news scraping
- Multiple visual modes — switch between DEFAULT, SATELLITE, FLIR (thermal), NVG (night vision green), and CRT (retro terminal) display modes
- Right-click any point on Earth — instantly get a country/region dossier, the current head of state, and the latest Sentinel-2 satellite photo of that exact location
- AI agent integration — connect an AI to parse through the live data feeds and automatically surface correlations and patterns that humans would miss
- Decentralised InfoNet communications — a built-in experimental encrypted mesh communications layer using Tor and Reticulum, with no accounts or identities required. Send and receive messages through the network just by running the dashboard
- 100% self-hosted and private — no accounts, no sign-up, no telemetry, no data sent anywhere. The dashboard runs in your browser against your own local backend
- Runs on Docker — same on every OS — Mac, Windows, Linux all use the same two commands to get running
- Completely free with no paywalled layers — everything is open, no premium tiers gating the good data
Requirements before you start
- Docker Desktop — the only major thing you need to install. Docker is a free tool that runs the project in isolated containers, the same way on every computer. Download it at docker.com/products/docker-desktop — it’s free. After installing, make sure Docker Desktop is running before you continue
- Git — to download the project. Download here. Check if you already have it by typing
git --versionin your terminal - A terminal / command prompt — Mac: use Terminal. Windows: use PowerShell or Command Prompt. All the setup steps happen here
- 4 GB free RAM — Docker needs memory to run the backend and frontend containers. Most modern computers are fine
- 3 GB free disk space — for the Docker images and project files
- A stable internet connection — ShadowBroker streams live data continuously, so a decent broadband connection is recommended
- Free API keys for full functionality (optional but recommended):
- AIS vessel tracking — free key at aisstream.io
- Satellite tracking — free key at n2yo.com
- Shodan (internet-connected devices) — optional, free tier at shodan.io
💡 Good news: Most data layers — aircraft tracking, earthquakes, conflict zones, CCTV, GPS jamming, geopolitical news — work with zero API keys. The free API keys above just unlock the remaining layers (ship tracking and satellite detail). The tool is very usable without them.
Step-by-step installation
Step 1 — Install Docker Desktop
Go to docker.com/products/docker-desktop and download the version for your operating system (Mac, Windows, or Linux). Install it like any normal application.
After installing, open Docker Desktop and let it fully start up — you should see the Docker whale icon in your taskbar or menu bar. Wait until it shows “Docker Desktop is running” before continuing.
Check it’s working by opening your terminal and running:
docker --versionYou should see something like Docker version 27.x.x.
Step 2 — Clone the ShadowBroker repository
This downloads all the project files to your computer. Open your terminal and run:
git clone https://github.com/BigBodyCobain/Shadowbroker.git
cd ShadowbrokerStep 3 — Create your environment file
ShadowBroker reads your optional API keys from a file called .env. Create it from the example template:
cp .env.example .envOpen the .env file in any text editor (Notepad, VS Code, TextEdit). You’ll see fields for optional API keys. If you have free keys from aisstream.io or n2yo.com, paste them in now. If not, you can leave the defaults — most layers will still work.
Step 4 — Start ShadowBroker
This single command builds and launches the entire platform:
./compose.sh up -dOn Windows, if the ./compose.sh script doesn’t work, use this instead:
docker compose up -dDocker will download the required images and start the backend and frontend containers. This may take 2–5 minutes the first time as it downloads everything. You’ll see output scrolling by — that’s normal.
Step 5 — Open ShadowBroker in your browser
Once the containers are running, open your browser and go to:
http://localhost:3000You’ll see the ShadowBroker dark map interface load. The data layers start activating progressively — aircraft appear within about 20 seconds, satellites within about 60 seconds. Give it a minute to fully populate.
Step 6 — Explore the data layers
In the top-right corner of the map, you’ll find the layer controls. Click to toggle individual data streams on or off:
- ✈️ Aircraft — commercial flights, military planes, private jets, Air Force One
- 🚢 Ships — cargo vessels, military ships, tankers (requires AIS API key for full data)
- 🛰️ Satellites — live orbital positions of hundreds of satellites
- 🌍 Earthquakes — live USGS seismic activity with magnitude data
- 📡 GPS Jamming — zones of active GPS signal interference worldwide
- 📷 CCTV — publicly accessible camera feeds
- 🔥 Conflict Zones — active conflict and geopolitical event overlays
- 📻 Police Scanners — live radio feeds
- And many more — experiment with the toggles
Step 7 — Right-click any point on Earth
Right-click anywhere on the map to open the location dossier panel. This pulls up:
- Country and region information
- Current head of state
- Latest Sentinel-2 satellite photo of that exact location
Step 8 — Change your visual mode
Look for the visual mode switcher in the interface. You can switch between:
- DEFAULT — standard dark map
- SATELLITE — satellite imagery base map
- FLIR — thermal/heat-signature style display
- NVG — night vision green display
- CRT — retro terminal aesthetic
Step 9 — (Optional) Connect an AI agent
ShadowBroker supports connecting an AI agent (via the OpenClaw skills system) to automatically parse through the live data streams and surface correlations. Follow the instructions in the openclaw-skills/shadowbroker folder in the project for setup details. You’ll need an API key for Claude or another LLM to enable this.
Step 10 — Stopping and updating ShadowBroker
To stop the platform when you’re done:
./compose.sh downTo update to the latest version with new features:
./compose.sh pull
./compose.sh up -dCommon errors and fixes
| Error | What it means | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
docker: command not found | Docker Desktop is not installed or not running | Download and install Docker Desktop from docker.com. Make sure Docker Desktop is open and running before trying again |
permission denied: ./compose.sh | The script file doesn’t have execute permission on Mac/Linux | Run chmod +x compose.sh first, then try again. On Windows, use docker compose up -d instead |
| localhost:3000 shows blank page or won’t load | The containers are still starting up, or a port conflict exists | Wait 2–3 minutes and refresh. If still blank, check that nothing else is using port 3000 — close other local web servers and restart Docker |
| Map loads but no data layers appear | The backend is still initialising and fetching initial feeds | Wait 1–2 minutes. Aircraft appear in ~20 seconds, satellites in ~60 seconds. Check logs with docker compose logs -f if it takes longer |
| Ship tracking layer is empty | AIS API key is missing from your .env file | Get a free key from aisstream.io, add it to your .env file as AISSTREAM_API_KEY=your_key, then restart: ./compose.sh down && ./compose.sh up -d |
| Docker runs out of memory or crashes | Not enough RAM allocated to Docker | Open Docker Desktop → Settings → Resources → Memory. Increase it to at least 4 GB. Apply and restart Docker |
.env.example not found | The clone was incomplete or files are missing | Delete the folder and re-clone: git clone https://github.com/BigBodyCobain/Shadowbroker.git |
| Map loads slowly or feels laggy | Too many layers are active at once, or your browser GPU is under load | Turn off layers you don’t need using the layer toggles. Chrome and Edge handle the WebGL map best — try switching browsers if Firefox feels slow |
Free vs Paid comparison
ShadowBroker itself is completely free and open source. Below is how it compares to running it yourself versus paid commercial OSINT and tracking platforms.
| Feature | ShadowBroker (Free / Self-hosted) | Paid OSINT / Tracking Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 | $10–$500+/month |
| Aircraft tracking | ✅ Yes — commercial + military + private jets | ✅ Yes (e.g. Flightradar24 Pro) |
| Ship tracking | ✅ Yes (free AIS key needed) | ✅ Yes (often paywalled) |
| Satellite tracking | ✅ Yes (free N2YO key needed) | Rarely included |
| Earthquakes + seismic data | ✅ Yes — no key needed | Rarely included |
| GPS jamming detection | ✅ Yes — no key needed | Very rare, expensive |
| Conflict zones + geopolitical news | ✅ Yes — no key needed | Sometimes included |
| AI agent integration | ✅ Yes (BYOK) | Rarely, only on enterprise plans |
| Privacy — no data collected | ✅ Fully private — self-hosted, zero telemetry | ❌ Your queries and sessions are on their servers |
| Number of simultaneous data layers | 35+ toggleable layers at once | Usually specialised in 1–3 domains |
| Requires technical setup | ⚠️ Yes — Docker + terminal (2 commands) | ❌ No — browser only, sign up and go |
Bottom line: No paid platform gives you this many data domains combined in one screen for free. The trade-off is a short technical setup (Docker + 2 commands). If you can get through that, you get a more powerful and private tool than anything you could pay for at this level.
Alternatives — 3 similar tools
1. Flightradar24
The most popular aircraft tracking platform in the world. Clean interface, great historical playback, and excellent alert features. Free tier for basic tracking, paid plans from $10/month for advanced features. Only tracks aircraft — no multi-domain intelligence. Best if you want a polished, no-setup flight tracker without caring about ships or satellites.
2. OSINT Framework
A free, open-source web directory of OSINT tools and resources organised by category. Not a dashboard — it’s a curated map of where to find data. Think of it as the directory of directories. Good complement to ShadowBroker for finding specific OSINT sources and tools beyond real-time tracking.
3. Shodan
A search engine for internet-connected devices — servers, webcams, industrial systems, and more. Free to search with limited results; paid plans unlock deeper access. ShadowBroker can actually connect to Shodan as one of its data layers, so the two tools work well together. Best for digging into specific devices or networks rather than geographic event tracking.
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