Developers and licensing
OpenXPlay is built from independent components: inputs that receive a projection session, outputs that deliver it to software on the head unit, and relay shells that wire the two together. Components talk to each other only through the OXP-Stream model. The code is open source under AGPL-3.0, and organisations that can’t use AGPL-3.0 can ask for an exemption at support@openxplay.org.
Architecture
Every component is an input, an output or a relay shell, and no component depends on another:
| Part | Role | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Input | Receives the session from the phone. The CarPlay input is the relay’s CarPlay receiver. | OpenXPlay-DiPlay (Android app); the Rust CarPlay receiver openxplay-relay with the carplay-iap2 and carplay-airplay crates (Linux relay) |
| OXP-Stream model | The shared session model: video, audio, touch and keys. Components use it in process or over the Stream wire protocol. | core in OpenXPlay-Stream |
| Output | Delivers the session to software the head unit already has: browser (web), Carlink (clink) and screen casting (cast). | OpenXPlay-Stream |
| Relay shell | Wires an input to outputs and translates between them. | OpenXPlay-Relay: the Android app and the Linux relay |
Because outputs talk only to the OXP-Stream model, the same outputs serve every relay. The model and the outputs are implemented three times — Kotlin/JVM for the Android app, Rust for the Linux relay and TypeScript for the browser — and shared protocol test vectors keep the three in step.
The web output sends H.264 video over a secure WebSocket; the head-unit browser decodes it with WebCodecs and returns touch to the iPhone. On the Linux relay, the Rust outputs run as a separate oxp-relay process next to the openxplay-relay CarPlay receiver.
Repositories
| Repository | Role | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| OpenXPlay | Project entry: README and diagrams | — |
| OpenXPlay-Relay | OpenXPlay Relay: the Android app and the Linux relay, with the web admin page both share | AGPL-3.0-only; files derived from DiPlay and xcertplay stay GPL-3.0-only |
| OpenXPlay-Stream | Outputs to head-unit receivers — browser, Carlink and screen casting — and the shared model | AGPL-3.0-only |
| OpenXPlay-DiPlay | The CarPlay receiver used by the Android relay, forked from DiPlay | GPL-3.0 |
| OpenXPlay-Hardware | Support files for relay devices, one directory per device, such as UFI003/ | AGPL-3.0-only; Linux kernel parts stay GPL-2.0-only |
| OpenXPlay-Web-Plugins | Optional plugins for the web receiver: spec, SDK, host, tools and official plugins | Apache-2.0 OR MIT |
Build and test
| Part | Requirements | Commands |
|---|---|---|
| Web receiver (Stream) | Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+ | cd web && npm ci && npm test && npm run build |
| Kotlin outputs (Stream) | JDK 17 | cd kotlin && ./gradlew test |
| Rust outputs (Stream) | Rust stable | cd rust && cargo test --workspace |
| Admin page (Relay) | Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+ | cd admin-web && npm ci && npm test && npm run build |
| Android app (Relay) | JDK 17, Android SDK; the admin page and Stream’s web/dist built first | cd android && ./gradlew testDebugUnitTest assembleDebug |
| Linux relay (Relay) | Rust stable | cd rust && cargo test |
| aarch64 Linux builds (Stream and Relay) | rustup target add aarch64-unknown-linux-musl, llvm-tools, clang | rust/scripts/build-aarch64.sh |
| Plugins (Web-Plugins) | Node 22 | npm ci && npm run build && npm test |
The relays package Stream’s web/dist, so build the web receiver before a relay. The Android build includes DiPlay and Stream as Gradle composite builds and expects them next to OpenXPlay-Relay (../OpenXPlay-DiPlay, ../OpenXPlay-Stream); -Pdiplay.dir=PATH and -Pstream.dir=PATH point elsewhere.
Licensing
- AGPL-3.0-only. OpenXPlay-Stream, OpenXPlay-Relay and OpenXPlay-Hardware are licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0, version 3 only.
- Attribution. Additional terms under AGPL-3.0 section 7 apply to OpenXPlay-Stream and OpenXPlay-Relay: modified versions must keep the notice “Powered by OpenXPlay.” and a visible link to the original project in their legal notices and in any prominent about, legal, footer or attribution location of their user interface. See their NOTICE files.
- Network use. Relay builds include OpenXPlay-Stream, so the relay offers its source to everyone who uses it over a network, including through the head-unit browser.
- GPL-derived parts. The CarPlay protocol crates
rust/carplay-iap2andrust/carplay-airplay, and a few files inrust/direlay-linux/src/network/, are derived from DiPlay and xcertplay and stay GPL-3.0-only; GPLv3 section 13 permits combining them with the AGPL project. OpenXPlay-DiPlay is GPL-3.0. Files taken from or built from the Linux kernel in OpenXPlay-Hardware keep GPL-2.0-only. - Plugins. OpenXPlay-Web-Plugins is Apache-2.0 OR MIT, at your option. Some plugin assets have their own licences; see Plugins.
- No Apple identity. The repositories and their builds contain no Apple accessory (MFi) identity; a working setup needs one supplied by the user.
Commercial exemptions
If your organisation’s policies don’t permit AGPL-3.0 software, or you want to avoid the obligations of AGPL-3.0, contact support@openxplay.org. Exemptions cover the code OpenXPlay owns; the parts derived from DiPlay and xcertplay stay under GPL-3.0.
Contributing
| Repository | How contributions are accepted |
|---|---|
| OpenXPlay-Stream, OpenXPlay-Relay, OpenXPlay-Hardware | Under each repository’s individual Contributor License Agreement (CLA.md). The CLA Assistant check on every pull request records your acceptance. To contribute on behalf of an organisation, contact support@openxplay.org for a corporate agreement first. |
| OpenXPlay-DiPlay | Sign off every commit under the Developer Certificate of Origin (git commit -s). The fork stays close to upstream DiPlay, so keep changes minimal and generic. |
| OpenXPlay-Web-Plugins | Under Apache-2.0 OR MIT, the repository’s own licence. |
This project did not reverse-engineer commercial CarPlay boxes. Parts of the Android receiver reuse code from DiPlay and xcertplay; thanks to the upstream projects and their contributors.
Plugins
Plugins add small, offline extras to the web receiver. They are optional and off by default: with plugins off, the reference receiver creates no plugin frame and makes no plugin requests, and the relay’s plugin routes and channels refuse access. Stream and Relay implement the plugin contract (oxp-web-plugin/0) themselves and never depend on OpenXPlay-Web-Plugins. Reviewed plugin packages run without network access under sandbox, CSP and guard layers. Turn plugins on in the relay admin page; they run in the head-unit browser and don’t affect CarPlay.
| Official plugin | What it does | Licence |
|---|---|---|
Cozy Cats (cats) | Four pixel cats with gentle daily routines and a play room while parked | Code Apache-2.0 OR MIT; cat art CC0 1.0 |
Pocket Playroom (games) | Offline tap games for parked moments | Apache-2.0 OR MIT |
Quiet Lights (visuals) | Song progress, album glow, a local-time sky and a parked fireplace | Apache-2.0 OR MIT |
Whale Girl (whale-girl) | An optional, non-commercial community character companion | Code Apache-2.0 OR MIT; art CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 and 大肥鱼项目署名许可 1.0 |
Whale Girl attribution. 鲸鱼娘 by 上善无形 (source), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Maid design by ZipZipPipe (source), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Sprite atlas by YunYueSama (codex-deepseek-pet), 大肥鱼项目署名许可 1.0. Modified by OpenXPlay.org on 2026-10-16 (apron emblem removed, rows relabelled) and released under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. The character is a community fan character, not affiliated with or endorsed by DeepSeek, and its assets may not be used commercially.
Cozy Cats attribution. Pet Cats Pack by LuizMelo (source), CC0 1.0, recoloured by OpenXPlay.org.
To build your own plugin, start with the simulator: npm run dev -- --enable in OpenXPlay-Web-Plugins loads the official plugins at http://localhost:5173. npm run validate checks a package and npm run pack builds one; the repository README covers the rest.
Trademarks
CarPlay and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc. OpenXPlay is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed or certified by Apple or by any head-unit or box maker. Third-party code, dependencies and assets keep their own licences; see the licence and notice files in each repository.
This website
The code of this website is licensed under MIT and its written content under CC BY 4.0. Images taken from the OpenXPlay repository keep their own terms. The source is in the site directory of OpenXPlay.