OverZeeAir-Binary-Hub

OverZeeAir-Binary-Hub is an OTA (Over-The-Air) firmware distribution server for ESP32 projects built with OverZeeAir.

OverZeeAir is an ESP32 OTA framework — it equips your ESP32 project with the ability to receive and apply firmware updates Over-The-Air.

This repository serves as the centralized public endpoint where firmware builds from all OverZeeAir-powered projects are published and delivered to devices. Once a new firmware build is ready, it gets published here. ESP32 devices running OverZeeAir check this repository at runtime, compare versions, and pull the latest binary directly via GitHub Pages.

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Repository Structure

OverZeeAir-Binary-Hub/
└── projects/
    └── OverZeeAir/
        ├── update.json       ← version metadata (devices read this)
        ├── CHANGELOG.md      ← release history
        └── release/
            └── firmware.bin  ← compiled binary

This repository contains only compiled binaries and release metadata — no source code or build tooling.

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OTA Update Flow

When a device boots, it reaches out to this repository (via GitHub Pages) rather than the development repository to check for and download firmware updates.

Update sequence on device boot:

flowchart LR
    A[Device Boots] --> B[Connect to WiFi]
    B --> C[Fetch latest.json at regular intervals]
    C --> D[Compare with current firmware version]

    D --> E{Newer version available?}

    E -- No --> F[Continue normal execution]

    E -- Yes --> G[Download firmware.bin]
    G --> H[Flash OTA partition]
    H --> I[Reboot into updated firmware]

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GitHub Pages serves this repository as a static file host, providing a stable and always-on firmware endpoint without the need for a dedicated server.

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Version Metadata (update.json)

Each project maintains a update.json file that devices use to determine whether an update is available and where to download it from.

{
  "version": "1.1.0",
  "firmware_url": "https://<org>.github.io/OverZeeAir-Binary-Hub/projects/OverZeeAir/release/firmware.bin"
}

The device reads this file, compares the version string against its own, and decides whether to update. The binary URL is resolved dynamically — no hardcoded paths in firmware.

Future fields may include:

{
  "version": "1.2.0",
  "firmware_url": "...",
  "sha256": "...",
  "channel": "stable",
  "mandatory": false
}

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Release process

New firmware is published here from the private/public source repository (OverZeeAir) after a successful build.

Steps:

1. New firmware compiled → .bin generated in source repo
2. Binary pushed to projects/OverZeeAir/releases/
3. update.json updated with new version and URL
4. CHANGELOG.md updated
5. Changes pushed → GitHub Pages updates automatically
6. ESP32 Devices discover the update by periodically checking the update.json file and pull the new firmware

flowchart LR
    A[Develop New Firmware] --> B[Compile Binary]
    B --> C[Publish firmware.bin]
    C --> D[Update latest.json]
    D --> E[Update CHANGELOG]
    E --> F[Push to GitHub]
    F --> G[GitHub Pages Deploys]
    G --> H[Firmware Ready to be fetched<br> by ESP32 devices]

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---

Architecture

flowchart LR
    subgraph Development
    A[Private/Public Source Repo<br>Ex:SmartHome] --> B[Build Firmware .bin]
    end

    subgraph Distribution
    B -- Publish--> C[OverZeeAir-Binary-Hub Repo]
    C -- Firmware hosted--> D[GitHub Pages<br>Hosting]
    D -- Fetched--> E[ESP32 OTA Clients]
    end

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This separation ensures that source code remains private while only the compiled release artifacts are exposed to devices.

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Multi-Project Support

The projects/ directory is designed for multiple firmware channels:

projects/
├── OverZeeAir/
├── SmartHome/
└── ChemFlow-Vending Machine/

Each project directory manages its own update.json, binary releases, and changelog — all served from this same distribution infrastructure.