Pi RGB controler with Python over the web using PHP and SSH. It is good idea?

Iam made Python script that can control my BLE RGB strip, also I made web page with php that connect to Pi via ssh and run Python script. My question is, is there a better way ?

I will mark my favorite answer in few days. I hope someone will see this and get same inspiration like me.

Thanks for all comments.

My PHP code.

?php

$mode = htmlspecialchars($_GET["mode"]);
$color = htmlspecialchars($_GET["color"]);

function color_name_to_hex($color_name)
{
    // standard 147 HTML color names
    $colors  =  array(
        'aliceblue'=>'F0F8FF',
        'antiquewhite'=>'FAEBD7'
         ...;

    $color_name = strtolower($color_name);
    if (isset($colors[$color_name]))
    {
        return ('#' . $colors[$color_name]);
    }
    else
    {
        return ($color_name);
    }
}
$connection = ssh2_connect('*ip*', 22);
ssh2_auth_password($connection, '*login*', '*passsword*');

switch ($mode) {
  case 'on':
      $stream = ssh2_exec($connection, 'python on.py');
    break;
  case 'off':
      $stream = ssh2_exec($connection, 'python off.py');
    break;
  case 'color':

        $stream = ssh2_exec($connection, 'python color.py ''.color_name_to_hex($color).''');

    break;
  default:
      ssh2_disconnect ($connection);
    break;
}


ssh2_disconnect ($connection);

Answer

I would use Python/Flask to run this web page. And I would run it directly on Pi so I wouldn’t need to use login/password

This is (more or less) PHP converted to Flask to run directly on PI (without SSH)

I used port 8080 because standard port 80 would need root privileges.

from flask import Flask, request
import subprocess

app = Flask(__name__)

def color_name_to_hex(color_name):
    # standard 147 HTML color names
    colors = {
        'aliceblue': '#F0F8FF',
        'antiquewhite': '#FAEBD7',
        # ...
    }
    
    color_name = color_name.lower()
    
    # get `colors[color_name]` (first `color_name` in get()) or use `color_name` (second `color_name` in get())
    color_hex = colors.get(color_name, color_name)
    
    return color_hex

@app.route('/')
def index():
    mode = request.args.get('mode')
    color = request.args.get('color')

    if mode == 'on':
        subprocess.run('python on.py')
    elif mode == 'off':
        subprocess.run('python off.py')
    elif mode == 'color':
        color_hex = color_name_to_hex(color)
        subprocess.run(f"python color.py '{color_hex}'")

    return 'OK'

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run('0.0.0.0', port=8080, debug=True)

---

Eventually I would create separated URLs for every command

http://ip_of_raspberry:8080/turn/on
http://ip_of_raspberry:8080/turn/off
http://ip_of_raspberry:8080/color/red

And later I would use Python to build desktop GUI (tkinter, PyQt, PyGTK, wxPython) or mobile App (Kivy).

---

from flask import Flask, request
import subprocess

app = Flask(__name__)

def color_name_to_hex(color_name):
    # standard 147 HTML color names
    colors = {
        'aliceblue': '#F0F8FF',
        'antiquewhite': '#FAEBD7',
        # ...
    }
    
    color_name = color_name.lower()
    
    # get `colors[color_name]` (first `color_name` in get()) or use `color_name` (second `color_name` in get())
    color_hex = colors.get(color_name, color_name)
    
    return color_hex

@app.route('/')
def index():
    return 'HELLO WORLD'
    
@app.route('/turn/on')
def turn_on():
    subprocess.run('python on.py')
    return 'OK turn on'
    
@app.route('/turn/off')
def turn_off():
    subprocess.run('python off.py')
    return 'OK turn off'

@app.route('/color/<color_name>')
def color(color_name):
    color_hex = color_name_to_hex(color_name)
    subprocess.run(f"python color.py '{color_hex}'")
    return f'OK color {color_name}'


if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run('0.0.0.0', port=8080, debug=True)

---

I use subprocess to run your on.py, off.py, color.py but I would rather use import on, import off, import color and execute function from imported modules but it would need to put code in function in on.py, off.py, color.py (which probably you didn’t)

---

BTW: this way you would build something similar to Home Assistant which also use Python code