Intro

Welcome to Rondo documentation!

What is Rondo?

Rondo is a lightweight automation tool that triggers HTTP API calls from a physical button press. It can be deployed at scale across multiple devices using Ansible and Docker.

The core idea

It’s simple: A Raspberry Pi sits at the edge, listens for a button press, and fires and API request to whatever endpoint you point it at. Out of the box, Rondo ships configured for remote door unlocking, passing a door_id and user_id to an API, but the payload and heads are fully configurable, making it adaptable to any use case that benefits from a physical trigger.

How it works

When the button is pressed, Rondo’s Python application reads your config.yml and fires a POST request to your configured api_url, using the headers and body variables you’ve defined. The entire flow, from button press to API call, runs inside a Docker container on the Pi, deployed and managed by an Ansible playbook.

For managing deployments across many devices, Rondo integrates well with Ansible Semaphore, giving you a UI to handle inventory, variables, and job runs without touching a terminal.

What you’ll need

• A Raspberry Pi (tested on RPi 3)
• A momentary push button (such as a computer power button)
• An ansible control node (or Semaphore instance)
• An HTTP API endpoint to call

Where to go next

If you’re setting up for the first time, head to Getting Started to walk through hardware wiring and deployment.

If you’re already up and running and want to customize your headers, payload or GPIO pins, jump to Configuration.

If you’re managing multiple Pis through Semaphore, the Semaphore section covers per-host and global variable setup.