GPS(1) GPSD Documentation GPS(1)

# [NAME](#NAME)

gps - Overview of gpsd clients and helpers

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

Clients:

**cgps** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gegps** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gps2udp** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gpscsv** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gpspipe** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gpsplot** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gpsprof** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gpsrinex** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gpssubframe** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gpxlogger** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**lcdgps** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**ubxtool** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**xgps** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**xgpsspeed** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**zerk** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

Helpers:

**gpscat** \[OPTIONS] file-or-serial-port

**gpsctl** \[OPTIONS]

**gpsdctl** action device

**gpsdecode** \[OPTIONS]

**gpsdebuginfo**

**gpsfake** \[OPTIONS]

**gpsinit** \[OPTIONS]

**ntpshmmon** \[OPTIONS]

**ppscheck** \[OPTIONS] device

# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

**gpsd** is a daemon for managing GPS receivers, GNSS receivers, AIS receivers, and more. Over time it has agglomerated a number of diverse clients that communicate with **gpsd** for various tasks.

## [CLIENTS](#CLIENTS)

Each of the **gpsd** clients connects to a **gpsd** daemon to use the data in various ways. See the sections ARGUMENTS and OPTIONS for more information on the clients.

**cgps**

curses terminal client for gpsd

**gegps**

Google Earth client for gpsd

**gps**

Overview of gpsd clients and helpers

**gpscsv**

dump the JSON output from gpsd as CSV

**gpsdecode**

decode GPS, RTCM or AIS streams into a readable format

**gpspipe**

tool to connect to gpsd and retrieve sentences

**gpsplot**

tool to dynamically dump plot data from gpsd

**gpsprof**

profile a GPS and gpsd, plotting latency information

**gpsrinex**

Read data from gpsd convert to RINEX3 and save to a file.

**gpssubframe**

tool to dump subframe sentences from gpsd

**gpxlogger**

Tool to connect to gpsd and generate a GPX file

**lcdgps**

LCD client for gpsd

**xgps**

X client for gpsd

**xgpsspeed**

X speedometer for gpsd

## [HELPERS](#HELPERS)

The **gpsd** helpers can be used for administration of **gpsd** systems.

**gps2udp**

feed the take from gpsd to one or more aggregation sites

**gpscat**

dump the output from a GPS

**gpsctl**

control the modes of a GNSS receiver

**gpsdctl**

tool for sending commands to gpsd over its control socket

**gpsdebuginfo**

Generate a gpsd debug dump of your host.

**gpsfake**

test harness for gpsd, simulating a GNSS receiver

**gpsinit**

initialize CAN kernel modules for GPSD

**ntploggps**

log gpsd data

**ntpshmmon**

capture samples from gpsd or other ntpd refclock sources

## [LIBRARIES](#LIBRARIES)

Programmers can find additional information on the **gpsd** here:

**gpsd\_json**

gpsd request/response protocol

**libgps**

C service library for communicating with the GPS daemon

**libgpsmm**

C++ and QT class wrappers for the GPS daemon

**libQgpsmm**

C++ and QT class wrappers for the GPS daemon

# [OPTIONS](#OPTIONS)

The **gpsd** clients share a few common options:

**-?**, **-h**, **--help**

Print a summary of options and then exit.

**-V**, **--version**

Print the package version and exit.

# [ARGUMENTS](#ARGUMENTS)

By default, clients collect data from the local **gpsd** daemon running on localhost, using the default GPSD port 2947. The optional argument to any client may override this behavior:

**\[server\[:port\[:device]]]**

**server**

The optional host name, IPv4 address, or IPv6 address of the **gpsd** daemon to connect to. If the server specification contains square brackets, the part inside them is taken as an IPv6 address and port/device suffixes are only parsed after the trailing bracket. The default is localhost.

**port**

The optional TCP port of the daemon to connect to. The default is 2947.

**device**

The optional device name to be watched.

Some possible cases look like this:

example.com

Connect to the default port 2497 on example.com, trying both IPv4 and IPv6.

example.com:2317

Look at port 2317 on example.com, trying both IPv4 and IPv6.

localhost::/dev/ttyS1

Look at the default port, 2947, of localhost, trying both IPv4 and IPv6 and watching output from serial device 1.

71.162.241.5:2317:/dev/ttyS3

Look at port 2317 at the specified IPv4 address, collecting data from attached serial device 3.

\[FEDC:BA98:7654:3210:FEDC:BA98:7654:3210]:2317:/dev/ttyS5

Look at port 2317 at the specified IPv6 address, collecting data from attached serial device 5.

# [ENVIRONMENT](#ENVIRONMENT)

Most of the **gpsd** clients check for the environment variables **GPSD\_UNITS**, **LC\_MEASUREMENT**, and **LANG**. Maybe more.

**GPSD\_UNITS** is checked if no unit system is specified on the command line. It may be set to 'i'. 'imperial', 'm', 'metric', or 'n', 'nautical'.

**LC\_MEASUREMENT** and then **LANG** are checked if no unit system has been specified on the command line, or in **GPSD\_UNITS**. If the value is 'C', 'POSIX', or begins with 'en\_US' the unit system is set to imperial. The default if no system has been selected is metric.

# [RETURN VALUES](#RETURN_VALUES)

The **gpsd** clients return simple success or failure codes:

**0**

on success.

**1**

on failure

# [SEE ALSO](#SEE_ALSO)

[**gegps**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gegps.1), [**gpsctl**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gpsctl.1), [**gpsdebuginfo**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gpsdebuginfo.1), [**gpsprof**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gpsprof.1), [**gpsfake**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gpsfake.1), [**gpscat**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gpscat.1), [**gpspipe**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gpspipe.1), [**xgps**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/xgps.1). [**xgpsspeed**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/xgpsspeed.1)

[**libgps**(3)](/man/os/gpsd/libgps.3), [**libgpsmm**(3)](/man/os/gpsd/libgpsmm.3)

[**gpsd**(8)](/man/os/gpsd/gpsd.8)

# [RESOURCES](#RESOURCES)

**Project web site:** <https://gpsd.io/>

# [COPYING](#COPYING)

This file is Copyright 2013 by the GPSD project  
SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-clause

2026-08-30 GPSD Version 3.27.5

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Document: gps(1) from gpsd 3.27.5-r4 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://gitlab.com/gpsd/gpsd