Local-First Architecture

Zenso is built from the ground up on the principle of data sovereignty. Your photos, schedules, and device telemetry remain strictly within your local home network unless you explicitly configure external services.

Local-First & Cordless Independence

Unlike typical commercial smart displays that become paperweights when remote servers go down, Zenso treats your local network as the primary source of truth. The frame can communicate directly with your self-hosted Docker instance on your home server or NAS.

Open Ecosystem & Transparent Model

We provide official, free-to-use Docker images for the complete backend stack. Meanwhile, the microcontroller firmware (GPLv3), public schemas (Apache 2.0), Vite development plugin (MIT), and starter templates (MIT) are fully open source.

Architecture Stack

The architecture comprises three functional layers:

1. Core Services: High-performance backend handling device sessions, layout rendering, and image quantization.
2. Web Panel: Responsive configuration interface accessible via browser on desktop and mobile.
3. Firmware & Widgets: Microcontroller runtime and Liquid-based widget templates.