ESPConfig Designer is a schema-driven visual editor for building, organizing, validating, compiling, and installing ESPHome configurations. The same Vue frontend, Flask backend, and schema catalog power three deployment variants:
- a Home Assistant add-on with ingress;
- a standalone Docker service;
- a Windows Desktop application with an unsigned public Windows x64 release.
| Area | Home Assistant add-on | Standalone Docker | Windows Desktop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Supported | Supported; image availability depends on publication | Unsigned public release for Windows 11 x64 |
| Access | Home Assistant ingress | Direct HTTP, port 8099 by default |
Local Tauri window and loopback backend |
| Authentication | Home Assistant ingress session | Basic Auth by default or an external trusted layer | Local application |
| Project storage | /config/ecd or /config/esphome |
/config/ecd or /config/esphome in the bind mount |
Local workspace; %USERPROFILE%\Documents\ecd_workspace by default |
| Validate, compile, OTA, logs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Existing ESPHome storage import | Yes | Yes | No |
| Server-connected serial adapter | Yes | Yes, with the serial Compose override | No |
| Browser-local WebSerial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Home Assistant host integration | Yes | No | No |
All variants use the capability contract exposed by the shared backend. The UI hides unsupported operations, and the backend enforces the same boundaries.
Add this repository to the Home Assistant add-on store:
https://github.com/sokolsok/ESPConfig-Designer
Install ESPConfig Designer, start it, and open its ingress UI. See the Home Assistant installation guide for storage and serial-device details.
The default Linux setup uses the common Compose file plus host networking:
cp docker/.env.example docker/.env
# Change ECD_AUTH_PASSWORD in docker/.env before startup.
docker compose -f docker/compose.yaml -f docker/compose.host.yaml up -dIf the configured image tag has not been published, build it locally first as described in the Docker installation guide. The guide also covers bridge networking, storage, serial devices, authentication, updates, and Watchtower.
ESPConfig Designer 1.4.0 is available as an unsigned public release for Windows 11 x64. Windows may display an Unknown Publisher warning because the installer is not Authenticode-signed. Verify the published SHA-256 before installation.
Open the Windows 1.4.0 release or download the Windows x64 installer directly.
Public availability: YES
Release type: Unsigned public release
Hosted installation and smoke: PASS
Windows 11 clean-machine firmware online/offline/cancel: PASS
Authenticode: NotSigned
The exact clean-machine firmware result covers Windows 11 Home 25H2 x64 build
26200.8973. Full Windows 10 support is not declared. Windows ARM64 is outside
the release scope. See the Windows installation guide,
the Desktop development guide, and
Known Issues.
- Dashboard with virtual project folders and device status.
- Schema-driven Builder with live ESPHome YAML preview.
- Display Configurator for display-oriented components.
- Asset Manager for images, fonts, and audio.
- Local YAML import and project persistence.
- Validation, clean, compile, OTA, serial, logs, and firmware workflows where supported by the selected runtime.
- Runtime and device diagnostics with bounded, passive network checks.
- Custom component catalogs and schema-driven actions and conditions.
esp-config-designer/
backend/ shared Flask backend
frontend/ shared Vue 3 and Vite frontend
shared/schema-catalog/ canonical schemas and catalogs
CHANGELOG.md Home Assistant projection of the product changelog
config.json Home Assistant add-on metadata
Dockerfile Home Assistant add-on image
Dockerfile.standalone standalone image
desktop/
python/ Desktop runtime adapter
src-tauri/ Tauri shell and Windows package
docker/ standalone Compose files
docs/ installation, development, and authoring
scripts/ repository contracts and shared gates
VERSION canonical product version
CHANGELOG.md canonical product changelog
Generated frontend dist, Desktop resources, portable runtime, Cargo target,
dependency directories, and local Docker state are not source trees.
The root CHANGELOG.md is the only changelog source. After editing it, run
node scripts/sync-changelog.mjs to update the tracked Home Assistant projection.
The version contract requires both files to be byte-for-byte identical so the
Supervisor can display release notes without creating a second maintained
changelog.
- Home Assistant installation
- Docker installation
- Windows installation status
- Desktop development
- Schema authoring quick guide
- Extended schema authoring reference
- Changelog
- Code signing policy
Do not expose the standalone service directly to the Internet. Change the default Basic Auth password before using it on a LAN, or put the application behind another trusted authentication layer.
The public Windows installer is not signed. Windows may identify it as Unknown Publisher. No trusted Authenticode certificate, timestamp, SmartScreen publisher result, or auto-updater is configured. Windows updates are manual; verify the SHA-256 published with each installer before running it.
See the project Code signing policy.
ESPConfig Designer is applying for free code signing provided by SignPath.io, certificate by SignPath Foundation. The currently published Windows 1.4.0 release remains unsigned.
ESPConfig Designer is an independent visual configuration tool for ESPHome. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or maintained by the ESPHome or Home Assistant projects. Generated output is standard ESPHome YAML; refer to the official ESPHome documentation for component behavior and compatibility.
ESPConfig Designer is released under the MIT License. ESPHome, Home Assistant, and third-party dependencies remain governed by their own licenses and trademark policies.