User Guide Overview¶

Welcome to the LIFX Emulator User Guide. This guide helps you understand the emulator's features and use them effectively.

Prerequisites¶

Before reading this guide, you should have:

Completed the Getting Started section
Successfully run the emulator at least once
Basic understanding of LIFX devices (optional but helpful)

Learning Path¶

Read these guides in order for the best learning experience:

Overview (below) - High-level concepts
Device Types - What devices you can emulate
Products and Specs - Product registry system
Web Interface - Visual monitoring and management
Integration Testing - Using in test suites
Testing Scenarios - Simulating errors and edge cases
Best Practices - Tips for effective testing

What is LIFX Emulator?¶

LIFX Emulator creates virtual LIFX devices that behave like real hardware. It implements the complete LIFX LAN protocol, allowing you to:

Test Without Hardware¶

No need to purchase physical devices. Create as many virtual devices as you need for testing.

Simulate Real-World Conditions¶

Normal operations (power, color, brightness)
Network issues (packet loss, delays)
Edge cases (malformed packets, invalid data)
Error conditions (timeouts, unhandled packets)

Integrate with CI/CD¶

Run automated tests in continuous integration pipelines without physical device dependencies.

Common Use Cases¶

Testing Your LIFX Library¶

The emulator allows you to test your LIFX library without physical devices:

import asyncio
from lifx_emulator import EmulatedLifxServer, create_color_light

async def test_my_library():
    device = create_color_light("d073d5000001")
    server = EmulatedLifxServer([device], "127.0.0.1", 56700)

    async with server:
        # Test your library here
        pass

CI/CD Integration¶

Run tests in continuous integration pipelines:

# Start emulator in background
lifx-emulator --bind 127.0.0.1 --port 56701 &
EMULATOR_PID=$!

# Run tests
pytest tests/

# Clean up
kill $EMULATOR_PID

Protocol Development¶

Experiment with LIFX protocol features:

# Start with verbose logging to see all packets
lifx-emulator --verbose

Next Steps¶

Choose a topic from the list above to dive deeper into specific features.