Concepts
Core EV charging terms: CPO, eMSP, OCPP, OCPI, and how OCPPLab fits the stack.
Use this page as the shared vocabulary for the rest of the docs.
Roles
| Role | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CPO | Charge Point Operator — owns/operates the physical charging infrastructure |
| eMSP | e-Mobility Service Provider — serves drivers with access, billing, and apps |
| Hub | Roaming intermediary that connects multiple CPOs and eMSPs |
OCPPLab is infrastructure for CPOs and platforms: OCPP field connectivity, OCPI roaming exchange, multi-backend routing, and Dashboard operations. It is a gateway layer, not a full CPMS by default — keep your billing or legacy CSMS and route traffic through OCPPLab, or migrate backends without changing charger firmware.
OCPP vs OCPI
| Protocol | Connects | Typical OCPPLab surface |
|---|---|---|
| OCPP | Charger ↔ central system | OCPP gateway — sessions, meter values, remote commands |
| OCPI | Operator ↔ operator / hub | OCPI layer — locations, tokens, tariffs, CDRs |
They solve different seams. Most production fleets need both: OCPP for the field, OCPI for roaming partners.
Versions you will see
- OCPP: 1.6 (JSON) and 2.0.1 are the main production targets in these docs
- OCPI: 2.1.1 and 2.2.1 modules are documented under OCPI
Mixed fleets (1.6 + 2.0.1 chargers, dual OCPI versions) are normal. Prefer parallel support over a single-version big-bang cutover.
OCPPLab product surfaces
| Surface | Purpose |
|---|---|
| OCPP gateway | Terminate charger WebSockets, normalize lifecycle, route to backends |
| OCPI | Credentials, locations, sessions, CDRs with partners |
| Proxy / multi-backend | Stable field URL; dual-run and cutover across CPMS backends |
| Dashboard | Operator UI — maps, chargers, sessions, observability |
| Webhooks | Push domain events to your systems |
Details: Platform · Architecture · Multi-backend routing.
Recommended path
Run the Quickstart
Complete Quickstart so a station boots and a test session appears in the Dashboard.
Connect production-like hardware
Follow Connect a charger for a real charge point or hardened simulator checklist.
Deep-dive the OCPP version you run
Open OCPP overview, then 1.6 or 2.0.1 actions and test cases for your fleet.
Roam if needed
Complete OCPI credentials, then roaming go-live.
Day-2 operations
Use Dashboard for maps, sessions, and observability after chargers are online.
The left sidebar lists Overview, Actions, and Test cases only (not every message). Open the index pages below or use ⌘K search — hit labels include the protocol version (for example · OCPP 1.6) so same-named actions stay distinct.