Platform Reference

Viam is a complete software platform for smart machines that runs on any 64bit Linux or macOS, supporting a wide variety of popular systems, including:

The open-source executable binary that runs on a Viam-powered machine is called viam-server. viam-server runs and manages everything on your machine, including communications between hardware, software, and the cloud.

What a machine is

A machine is any computer (SBC, server) running viam-server or any microcontroller running viam-micro-server, plus any hardware attached to that computer.

How machines are structured, configured and organized

Learn more about the structure and configuration of machines:

The things that make up a machine

On your machine, you configure components and services. Some are built-in, and many more are available in the registry. You can also write your own and add them to the registry.

You can configure the following components:

Arm

Base

Board

Camera

Encoder

Gantry

Generic

Gripper

Input Controller

Motor

Movement Sensor

Power Sensor

Sensor

Servo

And you can use the following platform capabilities and services to make your machines smarter and better:

Data Management

Machine Learning

Motion

Navigation

SLAM

Computer Vision

Generic Service

Frame System

Ways to control a machine

You can control your machine using the SDKs that call standardized API endpoints for each component and service. You can also use your machine’s Viam app CONTROL tab that uses those same endpoints, or you can use the CLI.

SDKs

Program and control your machines in the languages you already know like Python, Go, TypeScript, C++, and Flutter.

CLI

Manage and control your machines from the command line.

Control Interface

Use the Viam app control tab or the Viam mobile app to monitor and remotely operate your machines.