Building an OCPP 1.6 Charging Platform A Practical Demo Guide for API, Dashboard, and Real EV Stations

Modern EV charging platforms aren’t just about plugging in chargers—they’re about real‑time control, observability, and automation. This guide walks through a complete OCPP 1.6 demo environment that combines a web dashboard, backend APIs, and live charger communication.

The goal of this guide is simple: show a working, production‑ready charging backend, not just slides or mockups.

Try the Live Demo

You can try the live demo system used in this guide. These are real, running services connected to OCPP simulators and test charge points.

Demo Endpoints

Web Dashboard: https://ocpp-dashboard.simplico.net
FastAPI Backend: https://ocpp-fastapi.simplico.net
FastAPI Docs (Swagger UI): https://ocpp-fastapi.simplico.net/docs
OCPP Control API: https://ocpp-ocpp.simplico.net/api
OCPP WebSocket (CSMS): wss://ocpp-ocpp.simplico.net/

⚠️ These endpoints are for demo and evaluation purposes only. Availability and data may be reset periodically.

Quick Start (5 minutes)

Open the dashboard: https://ocpp-dashboard.simplico.net
Login with demo credentials:
- Username: admin2
- Password: p@ssw0rd
Navigate to Control → Active Connections
Select a connected Charge Point ID
Trigger Remote Start or Remote Stop and watch live OCPP messages

This hands-on flow helps you understand how a real CSMS behaves in production.

System Overview

The platform is composed of four main interfaces:

Web Dashboard – operator and admin UI
FastAPI Backend – authentication and core services
OCPP Control API – remote charger commands
OCPP WebSocket Server – live charger communication

Together, these components form a complete Charging Station Management System (CSMS) compliant with OCPP 1.6.

Web Dashboard Demo (Operator View)

The Web Dashboard is usually the first thing customers see during a demo.

Key Screens

Dashboard – system KPIs and charger status
Control – remote charger actions
Legacy Control – classic single‑page control UI
Messages – raw OCPP message logs
Sessions – active and historical charging sessions

One important demo screen is Active Connections, where operators can:

See which charge points are online
Select a Charge Point ID
Execute remote commands
Observe live OCPP message flow

This immediately demonstrates real‑time system control.

Remote Charger Actions (OCPP Control)

From the Control page, operators can issue standard OCPP 1.6 commands:

Remote Start Transaction
Remote Stop Transaction
Reserve / Cancel Reservation
Firmware Update
Get Diagnostics
Unlock Connector

Each action maps directly to OCPP message flows and works with both simulators and real EV chargers.

API Authentication (FastAPI)

For developers and integrators, the system provides a clean authentication API built with FastAPI.

Authentication Flow

User logs in with username and password
Backend returns an access_token
Subsequent requests use Bearer authentication

This allows secure integration with:

Mobile applications
Partner platforms
Automation scripts

OCPP Control API

All charger operations available in the dashboard are also exposed via HTTP APIs.

Typical use cases include:

Starting or stopping charging from a mobile app
Reserving chargers programmatically
Triggering firmware updates in bulk
Fetching diagnostics for maintenance

This API‑first design ensures long‑term scalability and easy integration.

WebSocket Communication & Charger Simulator

For demos and development, the system supports a charge point simulator using:

OCPP over WebSocket
Secure TLS (WSS)

The simulator allows teams to:

Test charger behavior without physical hardware
Validate message flows
Debug OCPP commands safely

It is also suitable for CI and automated testing environments.

Testing with a Real EV Charging Station

The same system works seamlessly with real EV chargers.

Example Charger Configuration (Real Station)

Use the following as a reference configuration when setting up a real charge point to connect to this CSMS demo.

Note: exact menu names differ by vendor (Delta / ABB / Autel / Wallbox / etc.), but the fields are usually the same.

OCPP Version

OCPP 1.6 (or 1.6J if the charger UI calls it that)

Central System URL (CSMS / Backend URL)

wss://ocpp-ocpp.simplico.net/<charge_point_id>

Charge Point ID (CP ID / Station ID)

Example: CP-TH-BKK-001
This must match what you put in the WebSocket path (the <charge_point_id> part).

Security / Transport

Transport: WebSocket Secure (WSS)
Port: 443
TLS: Enabled

Heartbeat Interval

Example: 60 seconds (typical)

Meter Values (if supported)

SampledValue enabled for: Energy.Active.Import.Register, Power.Active.Import, Current.Import, Voltage
Interval: 10–60 seconds (demo-friendly)

Authorization (if charger supports Local Auth List / whitelist)

Mode: Central (CSMS decides)
Optional test RFID(s): TEST-RFID-0001

Typical Demo Steps

Configure the charger with the Central System URL above.
Reboot the charger (many chargers only reconnect on reboot).
Watch for messages:
- BootNotification
- Heartbeat
- StatusNotification
Confirm the charger appears in Control → Active Connections.
Trigger:
- Remote Start Transaction (select connector + idTag/RFID)
- Remote Stop Transaction
Verify the session appears in Sessions and confirm meter values are updating.

Seeing a real charger respond in real time is often the strongest proof of system readiness.

Data Model Overview

The backend tracks all critical entities required for a production CSMS:

Users and roles
Charging stations and connectors
Charging sessions
Vehicles
Payments and wallets
Raw OCPP messages
Status history and audit logs

This supports billing, compliance, debugging, and analytics.

Why This Architecture Works

This demo architecture reflects real‑world deployment needs:

Clear separation of UI, API, and OCPP layers
API‑first design
Real‑time observability
OCPP‑compliant workflows
Hardware‑agnostic charger support

It scales cleanly from pilot projects to large‑scale deployments.

Conclusion

A successful EV charging demo is built on live systems, not static presentations.

By combining a responsive dashboard, robust APIs, and real‑time OCPP communication, this platform demonstrates a production‑ready EV charging backend suitable for real customers and real hardware.

This guide provides a practical reference for teams planning to build or customize an OCPP‑based charging system.