Bambu-Run
Richer data, powerful customization for your Bambu Lab 3D printer.
Bambu-Run is a self-hosted web dashboard that gives you:
- Real-time monitoring and logging (temperatures, fan speeds, print progress, and more)
- Automatic filament inventory tracking and usage monitoring (AMS required)
All running on hardware you own.
What You'll Need
Any always-on device works — a Raspberry Pi (3B+, 4, or 5) is ideal: beginner-friendly, runs Raspberry Pi OS out of the box, and quiet enough to tuck behind a desk. An old PC or laptop with Linux works too.
It runs quietly in the background 24/7, capturing every print, filament change, and AMS update the moment it happens. And the power bill? A Raspberry Pi 4 under light load draws about 5W. That's roughly 43.8 kWh per year, or the cost of three cups of coffee. ☕☕☕ Tuck it out of sight and forget it's there.
Table of Contents
- Native Setup (Recommended for Raspberry Pi)
- Docker Setup
- Batch Importing Filament Colors and Filament Types
Native Setup (Recommended for Raspberry Pi)
No Docker required. Works on any Raspberry Pi (including 32-bit Pi Model B) running Raspberry Pi OS with Python 3.10+.
What You'll Need
- Raspberry Pi on your local network (Python 3.10+ — ships with Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm by default)
- Bambu Lab printer on the same local network
- Bambu Lab account email and password
Step 1: Clone and run setup.sh
git clone https://github.com/RunLit/Bambu-Run.git
cd Bambu-Run
bash setup.sh
The script is fully interactive and idempotent (safe to re-run). It:
- Checks Python >= 3.10 and installs
python3-venvif missing - Creates
.venv, stubs opencv to avoid slow ARM compilation, and runspip install ".[standalone]" - Prompts for credentials and auto-generates
DJANGO_SECRET_KEY— writes.env - Runs
manage.py migrate - Runs
bambu_collector --oncefor Bambu Cloud email verification (see Step 3) - Runs
manage.py createsuperuserfor your dashboard login - Runs
collectstatic - Optionally imports the bundled Bambu filament color catalog
- Writes and enables
systemduser services, callsloginctl enable-lingerso they survive SSH disconnect, and starts them
Step 2: Credentials and .env
If .env doesn't exist, the script prompts for:
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
BAMBU_USERNAME |
Bambu Lab account email |
BAMBU_PASSWORD |
Bambu Lab account password |
TIMEZONE |
e.g. America/New_York (default: UTC) |
DJANGO_SECRET_KEY is auto-generated. To edit later: nano .env, then ./native/bambu-run.sh restart.
Step 3: Bambu Cloud authentication
Bambu Lab requires email verification on first login:
- The script runs
bambu_collector --once— a 6-digit code is sent to your email - Enter the code when prompted
- A
BAMBU_TOKENis printed — paste it when the script asks, and it's appended to.env
Future restarts skip verification automatically. To re-authenticate, remove BAMBU_TOKEN from .env and re-run the script.
Step 4: Dashboard login
The script runs manage.py createsuperuser — choose a username and password for the web dashboard.
Step 5: Services start automatically
Two systemd user services are installed and started:
| Service | Role |
|---|---|
bambu-run-web |
gunicorn on port 8000 (1 worker <1 GB RAM, 2 workers otherwise) |
bambu-run-collector |
MQTT poller, restarts on failure |
Both auto-start on boot via loginctl enable-linger. Open http://<pi-ip>:8000 from any device on your network.
Managing Bambu-Run
./native/bambu-run.sh status # service status
./native/bambu-run.sh logs # tail live logs (Ctrl+C to stop)
./native/bambu-run.sh restart # restart both services
./native/bambu-run.sh stop # stop everything
./native/bambu-run.sh update # git pull + pip install + migrate + restart
Troubleshooting (Native)
Services die when SSH disconnects: sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER
Services not starting: ./native/bambu-run.sh status and ./native/bambu-run.sh logs
Auth errors / token expired: Remove BAMBU_TOKEN from .env and re-run bash setup.sh
Uninstall:
systemctl --user disable --now bambu-run-web bambu-run-collector
rm ~/.config/systemd/user/bambu-run-{web,collector}.service
systemctl --user daemon-reload
Docker Setup
Requires Docker and Docker Compose installed. Assumes you already know how to get there.
Clone and configure:
git clone https://github.com/RunLit/Bambu-Run.git
cd Bambu-Run
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env: set BAMBU_USERNAME, BAMBU_PASSWORD, TIMEZONE
First-time auth (Bambu Lab sends a 6-digit verification code to your email):
docker compose build
docker compose run --rm bambu-run python standalone/manage.py migrate --noinput
docker compose run --rm bambu-run python standalone/manage.py bambu_collector --once
# Paste the printed token into .env as BAMBU_TOKEN=...
Start and create your dashboard login:
docker compose up -d
docker compose exec bambu-run python standalone/manage.py createsuperuser
Dashboard is at http://<host-ip>:8000.
Common operations:
docker compose logs -f # live logs
docker compose down # stop (data preserved in volume)
git pull && docker compose up -d --build # update
Troubleshooting: Auth errors → remove BAMBU_TOKEN from .env and re-run the auth step. No data → check docker compose logs -f for MQTT connection errors.
Batch Importing Filament Colors and Filament Types
Bambu-Run ships with a full Bambu Lab color catalog under docs/Bambu_Color_Catalog/ (one .txt file per filament sub-type, e.g. PLA Basic.txt, PETG HF.txt). Importing these populates the Filament Colors database so the dashboard shows proper color names instead of raw hex codes.
Adding your own colors
Need a filament type that isn't in the bundled catalog? Create your own .txt file and point the importer at it.
File naming — the filename determines the filament type and sub-type:
PLA Basic.txt → type: PLA, sub-type: PLA Basic
PETG HF.txt → type: PETG, sub-type: PETG HF
ABS.txt → type: ABS, sub-type: ABS
File format — list each color on its own line, either as two rows (name then hex) or on the same line:
Jade White
Hex:#FFFFFF
Black Walnut #4F3F24
Bambu Lab's website filament pages and their downloadable PDF catalogs are a reliable source — both list color names alongside hex codes you can copy directly.
When to run this
Run the import once after first setup to seed the full color catalog in one go, rather than adding colors one by one. Run it again any time you want to add colors for a new filament type. Re-running is always safe — duplicates are detected and skipped automatically.
Import all colors (recommended)
If the container is already running (docker compose up -d):
docker compose exec bambu-run python standalone/manage.py bambu_import_colors docs/Bambu_Color_Catalog/
If the container is not running yet:
docker compose run --rm bambu-run python standalone/manage.py bambu_import_colors docs/Bambu_Color_Catalog/
Import a file from your computer
If your .txt color file lives on your Mac, Pi, or any machine running Docker (i.e. not inside the repo), copy it into the container first, then run the importer:
# Step 1 — copy the file from your machine into the container
docker compose cp /path/to/your/PLA\ Basic.txt bambu-run:/tmp/
# Step 2 — run the importer against the copied path
docker compose exec bambu-run python standalone/manage.py bambu_import_colors /tmp/PLA\ Basic.txt
To import a whole folder of files at once:
# Step 1 — copy the folder
docker compose cp /path/to/your/color_catalog/ bambu-run:/tmp/color_catalog/
# Step 2 — import everything in it
docker compose exec bambu-run python standalone/manage.py bambu_import_colors /tmp/color_catalog/
macOS tip: You can drag a file from Finder into the terminal to paste its full path.
Import a single filament type
To import only one sub-type from the bundled catalog (e.g. just PLA Basic):
docker compose exec bambu-run python standalone/manage.py bambu_import_colors "docs/Bambu_Color_Catalog/PLA Basic.txt"
Preview before importing (dry run)
Check what would be added without writing anything to the database:
docker compose exec bambu-run python standalone/manage.py bambu_import_colors docs/Bambu_Color_Catalog/ --dry-run
What the output means
Processing: PLA Basic.txt → type='PLA' sub_type='PLA Basic'
Parsed 40 color(s).
+ 'Bambu Green' #009F87 (PLA / PLA Basic)
+ 'Jade White' #FFFFFF (PLA / PLA Basic)
...
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Created: 40
Skipped (duplicate): 0
- Created — new color entries added to the database
- Skipped (duplicate) — already existed, not changed
- Skipped (no type) — only shown if
--no-auto-create-filament-typeis used and the filament type isn't in the database yet
