Overview
Rover Nexus connects your robot to the cloud through a lightweight on-robot agent.
The robot runs the rover-agent on a Linux computer. Your robot software exchanges messages with the agent over a local Zenoh bus using Cap'n Proto serialization. The agent relays those messages to and from the Rover Nexus cloud over mTLS (also Zenoh + Cap'n Proto). You never talk to the cloud directly — you talk to the agent.
See Architecture for the full picture.
Message directions
- Uplink (robot → cloud): telemetry, faults/events, mission feedback, detected objects.
- Downlink (cloud → robot): mission commands, teleop, mode/velocity commands, settings, spatial directives, and feature/asset updates.
Integration paths
Rover Nexus exposes three integration surfaces, in order of directness:
- Zenoh — primary, native surface. Your robot software exchanges Cap'n Proto messages with the agent directly over the local Zenoh bus. This is the most direct path and what custom integrations use.
- ROS 2 Bridge — via an external bridge. A bridge translates ROS 2 (DDS) topics to and from the Zenoh messaging the agent consumes.
- REST API — coming soon. A planned HTTP surface for cloud-side / backend integrations. It is not yet available.
| Path | Best for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Zenoh messaging | Native / non-ROS robots that can embed Zenoh + Cap'n Proto | Your software publishes/subscribes the local Zenoh topic contract directly. The most direct path; see Custom Integrations. |
| ROS 2 Bridge | Robots already running ROS 2 | An external bridge translates ROS 2 (DDS) topics ↔ the local Zenoh Cap'n Proto topics the agent consumes. |
| REST API (coming soon) | Cloud-side or backend integrations | A planned HTTP surface for fleet/mission data. Not yet available. |
!!! note "Client libraries" Native C++/Rust client libraries are on the roadmap. Today, integrate via Zenoh (primary) or the ROS 2 bridge.
How to choose
- Custom controller, no ROS 2? Implement the Zenoh topic contract directly — the primary, native surface. See Custom Integrations.
- Running ROS 2 already? Use the ROS 2 Bridge — it requires no message-level coding.
- Integrating from a server / dashboard? The REST API is coming soon; until it ships, integrate via Zenoh or the ROS 2 bridge.
What you provide
- A Linux computer on the robot to host the agent (see Supported Platforms).
- Robot configuration and declared capabilities.
- A mapping from your robot's data onto the agent's telemetry and command messages.
Next steps
- Review Supported Platforms.
- Read the Architecture.
- Configure the robot (config, capabilities, cameras).
- Wire up messaging via your chosen path.