Hats Off To HYDROS

[13rodo]

For months I've been toiling, comparing, and waffling between hydros, apex, and building my own automation. I ran across this today: https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/threads/new-api-is-almost-here.3126/ (also https://www.coralvuehydros.com/api/)!

I just wanted to tip my hat for opening the ecosystem. If this is the direction y'all are going, then it'll be what tips the scale for me! Please, please, please allow personal users to have API access and the ability to integrate DIY components. Build out the API and make the system as open as possible! People don't want closed ecosystems in 2026 :) I bet a lot of homebrew products will eventually become mainstream products that y'all can then charge API access to. Provide the platform and developers will build!

@Connor At CoralVue

 

[mcarroll]

I'm not sure what you are talking about. Can you explain why this matters/why you care in some more detail?

 

[13rodo]

I'm not sure what you are talking about. Can you explain why this matters/why you care in some more detail?

It allows programmatic access to telemetry and control of the hydros devices. Basically it allows an entire ecosystem of 3rd party developers to write their own control/monitoring interfaces.

The current API is pretty basic (it’s a v1). This seems targeted to capitalize on allowing farms/servicers to monitor many systems. However it also allows us plebs to implement custom control/monitoring too. I’m mainly excited that this is a clear recognition by CoralVue that there is value in moving from proprietary, closed ecosystems where everything is internally developed towards an open ecosystem where they provide the platform, infrastructure, and APIs and the user facing side is driven by external developers (like a marketplace with plugins for example). My hope is that this will encourage them to even further open things that allow all of us to integrate 3rd party devices on the command bus without having to reverse engineer the protocols.

 

[mcarroll]

It allows programmatic access to telemetry and control of the hydros devices. Basically it allows an entire ecosystem of 3rd party developers to write their own control/monitoring interfaces.

The current API is pretty basic (it’s a v1). This seems targeted to capitalize on allowing farms/servicers to monitor many systems. However it also allows us plebs to implement custom control/monitoring too. I’m mainly excited that this is a clear recognition by CoralVue that there is value in moving from proprietary, closed ecosystems where everything is internally developed towards an open ecosystem where they provide the platform, infrastructure, and APIs and the user facing side is driven by external developers (like a marketplace with plugins for example). My hope is that this will encourage them to even further open things that allow all of us to integrate 3rd party devices on the command bus without having to reverse engineer the protocols.

I'm sure it will if encourage them as long as the added costs translate to more revenue.

What potential downsides or hidden costs do you imagine come with "opening" a system?

 

[13rodo]

I'm sure it will if encourage them as long as the added costs translate to more revenue.

What potential downsides or hidden costs do you imagine come with "opening" a system?

The best analogy for all of this is coralvue is your iPhone and they are releasing an app store. Anyone can now make a hydros widget. So it’s not “open” in the sense of open source, but it is in the sense that others can now play in an official way.

Security is the first thing imo. One use case for the API is allowing an LFS to monitor/manage their clients’ tanks. Now lets say a disgruntled employee wants to trash the LFS. They can crash their clients’ tanks with a button click. So going back to the app store… you have to trust what you install.

From Hydros’s perspective there is also the issue of quality. If a 3rd party developer lets a bug through and it crashes someone’s tank then that looks bad on CoralVue even though it wasn’t really their fault. This is why Apple’s app store has been called a walled garden… they control what goes in so it doesn’t reflect poorly on them.

Anyways I’m sure I’ll think of others. Just an exciting new direction for this hobby imo.