A small self-hosted web application and IEC 61850 server simulator implemented in C# / ASP.NET Core (.NET 10) using the iec61850dotnet library.
The application loads an IEC 61850 model from configuration files, starts an IEC 61850 MMS server, builds and binds simulated devices to model points, and continuously publishes simulated values in the background.
This project is useful for:
- Testing IEC 61850 client applications against a simulated server
- Validating IEC 61850 model/configuration files
- Running a lightweight self-hosted simulator for development and integration scenarios
- Experimenting with simulated device behavior and periodic value publication
- .NET 10 SDK
- MZ-Automation IEC 61850 libraries
- Iec 61850 cfg file (created by jar package)
- Iec 61850 icd file
From the repository root:
dotnet build src/Iec61850Sim.Web/Iec61850Sim.Web.csprojDev Environment:
dotnet run --project src/Iec61850Sim.Web/Iec61850Sim.Web.csprojBy default, the application runs on http://localhost:8080. The IEC 61850 MMS server starts on port 102.
To stop the application, press Ctrl+C.
Docker
Build an image:
docker build -f Docker/Dockerfile -t iec61850sim:latest .Execute a container:
docker run -p 5000:8080 -p 102:102 leokporto/iec61850sim -rWarning
To build an image you will need to create a ThirdPartyRefs folder in the same level as docker and .net project folders and add libiec61850.so, libiec61850.so.1.6.1 and iec61850dotnet.dll files to it. You can create those files following MZ-Automation's github repo.
Self-hosted blazor app
Execute the publish command:
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained trueAfter publishing, you can execute the Iec61850.Web.exe file to run the application without using any IDE.
./Iec61850.Web.exe -IEC_MODEL:"./Config/Demo_Ed2.icd"Warning
IEC_MODEL parameter is needed to run the application. It tells the application where to find the SCL or cfg file to be used.
Wpf with WebView2 (Windows only)
The project Iec61850Sim.Desktop is a Wpf project containing just a window with WebView2 control.
It is possible to publish it by running the following command:
dotnet publish src/Iec61850Sim.Desktop -c Release -r win-x64To run it, navigate to the folder where Iec61850.Desktop.exe resides and use the following comand to run it:
./Iec61850.Desktop.exe -IEC_MODEL:"./Config/Demo_Ed2.icd"Warning
IEC_MODEL parameter is needed to run the application. It tells the application where to find the SCL or cfg file to be used.
This project should be treated as a self-hosted web application, not a console application.
The runtime behavior is centered on the Iec61850Sim.Web project:
- ASP.NET Core hosts the application
- A background hosted service runs the simulation loop
- The IEC 61850 server is started during application startup
- Model points are scanned, registered, bound to devices, and periodically published
OpenAPI support is enabled and mapped in the Development environment.
The simulator loads the IEC 61850 model from a config file called Demo_Ed2.cfg by default.
The IEC 61850 model and related files are stored under:
src/Iec61850Sim.Web/Config/Demo_Ed2.cfgsrc/Iec61850Sim.Web/Config/Demo_Ed2.icdsrc/Iec61850Sim.Web/Config/rfc1006.cfg
These files are copied to the output directory during build.
By default, the application loads:
Demo_Ed2.cfg
The model file is resolved from the application base directory at runtime.
If you want to use a different config file:
Update the filename passed to ConfigFileParser.CreateModelFromConfigFile(...) in Program.cs. Ensure the .cfg file is available in the working directory when running the app. The companion .icd file (Demo_Ed2.icd) is included for tools that need it.
You can also use SCL files and convert them to .cfg using getconfig.jar tool in "Modelos" folder using this command prompt:
java -jar getconfig.jar Demo_Ed2.scl Demo_Ed2.cfg
The application sets the IED name to:
Demo
<IED name="Demo" type="S61850 for PC" manufacturer="IEC61850Sim" configVersion="1.0" originalSclVersion="2007" originalSclRevision="B" originalSclRelease="4">
...
</IED>Altough currently Ied Name is hard coded, there is already an item on backlog to geit it from configuration and pass it to IedServer instance.
Iec61850Sim.slnx # Solution file
README.md
ConfigFiles/ # Config files folder (.cfg and SCL files)
Docker/ # Docker files
src
Iec61850Sim.Core/ # Core functionalities, use cases
Iec61850Sim.Desktop/ # Wpf Webview2 project
Iec61850Sim.Web/ # Blazor Server App
ThirdPartyRefs/ # Mz-Automation libraries (iec61850dotnet.dll and iec61850.dll). *This folder was added to .gitignore file (licensing).*
linux/ # Mz-Automation libraries (libiec61850.so and libiec61850.so.1.6.1)
tests/
Iec61850Sim.UnitTests/ # Unit tests for CoreWhen the application starts, it performs the following high-level flow:
- Creates the ASP.NET Core web host
- Loads the IEC 61850 model from
Demo_Ed2.cfg - Registers core services in dependency injection
- Scans the model for relevant points
- Builds device abstractions from the discovered points
- Starts a hosted background service
- Starts the IEC 61850 server on port
102 - Periodically advances the simulation and publishes updated values
The simulation loop runs continuously in the background with a timed delay between publish cycles.
The web UI includes a live model tree panel that mirrors the IEC 61850 object hierarchy:
IED → Logical Device → Logical Node → Data Object → Data Attribute
Selecting a node at the Logical Node level or below displays a live point table (Reference, FC, Value, Timestamp) that auto-refreshes every 2 seconds while the simulation is running. Values are read directly from PointRegistry — the single source of truth for all point values.
- Web hosting
- Wpf hosting with WebView2 (Windows only)
- IEC 61850 server
- Model scanning and binding
- Device simulation
- Background simulation loop
- Configuration file loading
- Parse scl files automatically
- COMTRADE support
This application uses:
Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web- ASP.NET Core hosting model
- Dependency Injection
- Hosted background services
Although the simulator’s core job is to host an IEC 61850 server, it now runs inside a web application host, which makes it easier to extend with HTTP APIs, diagnostics, health checks, or operational endpoints later.
A nice little upgrade from “just runs in a console” to “lives like a proper service.”
- Add FC Filter over devices point panel
- This is a lightweight simulator intended for testing and experimentation
- It is not a complete IEC 61850 platform implementation
- The current implementation source of truth is
Iec61850Sim.Core - Older console-oriented documentation is deprecated.
This project is licensed under the GNU GPL v3 license.
This project uses the library libiec61850: https://github.com/mz-automation/libiec61850
libiec61850 is licensed under the GNU GPL v3.