Feature Request / Proposal: Lakka Web Management Portal (Add-on)

[MidllerRios]

Hello Lakka Team,

First of all, thank you for the amazing work on Lakka! It's a fantastic and lightweight OS that I use heavily.

I recently developed a Web Management Portal tailored specifically for Lakka, designed to make everyday management (like ROM transfers, basic configurations, and system monitoring) much easier for users who prefer a GUI in their browser over SSH command lines.

Since Lakka philosophy is to remain as lightweight as possible, I understand that bundling a web server natively might bloat the base system. Therefore, I’m proposing this as an optional add-on or package that users can enable if they want browser-based management.

Features of the Web Portal:
Lightweight Python Backend: Runs a minimal HTTP server without heavy dependencies.
Responsive Frontend: Clean HTML/CSS/JS interface accessible from PC or Mobile.
Easy Deploy: Currently deployable via a simple PowerShell script for Windows users, which uses SCP/SSH to push the portal to /storage/webportal.
Repository link:
You can check out the source code, screenshots, and architecture here: 👉 https://github.com/MidllerRios/lakka-retroarch-custom

My Question:
Would the Lakka/LibreELEC team be interested in integrating something like this into the official Lakka add-on repository? I would love to adapt the installation script into a proper Lakka Package (package.mk) if there is interest from the community.

Thanks for your time!

[gouchi]

Hi,

Thank you for this feature.

@Ntemis @ToKe79 @RobLoach What do you think should we integrate it into Lakka or keep it external using a script to deploy ?

[Ntemis]

If is an addon am ok with it personally.

[RobLoach]

That's really cool. Hadn't thought of having something like this. While I haven't tested it, I do think it's worth looking further into. What are some of your goals for the project?

[MidllerRios]

Hi Rob,

Thanks! The main goal of the project is to make Lakka easier to manage for users who don't have technical knowledge or don't feel comfortable working with command-line tools or SSH.

The idea is to provide a simple web interface that can be accessed from a phone or computer, as long as the device is on the same network as the Lakka console.

One example is audio volume control. I faced some difficulties implementing full volume control because I don't yet fully understand every part of Lakka's audio architecture. However, the idea is that if the user is playing a game and the volume is too loud, they could simply take their phone, open the web interface and lower the volume without having to leave the game.

Another important goal is ROM management.

I experimented with a ROM search and download integration as a proof of concept. The experiment was successful and demonstrated that it is technically possible to search for a game, send a download command to the Lakka device and have the console download the file directly.

However, this was only an experimental feature to demonstrate the possibilities of the web interface. I don't see third-party ROM sources as a requirement for the official Lakka add-on, and I understand that this part would need to be evaluated separately regarding licensing, copyright and the project's guidelines.

The idea is also to give the user two possible ways to manage a game:

Have Lakka download the file directly.
Download the file to their phone or computer and upload it manually to Lakka through the web interface.

In the second case, the user could browse the folders on the Lakka device through the web interface and upload or manage files directly from their phone or computer.

I also tried to implement a way to rescan the system and automatically detect newly installed games so they would appear in the game library. I ran into some limitations because I don't yet fully understand Lakka's internal architecture, so I left this more as part of the project's vision for now.

I would also like the interface to provide basic system management and monitoring, such as:

Restarting RetroArch if it becomes unresponsive
Rebooting or shutting down the console
Monitoring CPU/system temperature
Monitoring fan speed, when available
Monitoring storage usage
Viewing basic system information

Ultimately, my goal is not to replace Lakka's existing interface. I see this as an optional management layer that makes Lakka more accessible and convenient, especially for users who simply want to use their console without having to understand Linux, SSH or command-line tools.

I know there are parts of the project that still need improvement and that I don't yet fully understand the Lakka architecture. That's actually one of the reasons I opened the issue.

If the team is interested, I would be happy to adapt the project to Lakka's architecture and guidelines, and work together on the parts that need to be redesigned or implemented differently.

Thanks again for taking the time to look at it!