Architecture overview

The stack, top to bottom

flowchart TB
  TAG["TigerTag chip<br/>(open NDEF payload on the spool)"]
  CONNECT["Tiger NFC Connect<br/>(mobile — NFC scan & encode)"]
  CLOUD["Firebase<br/>(accounts + Firestore + cdn.tigertag.io)"]
  STUDIO["Tiger Studio<br/>(desktop — inventory, devices, printers)"]
  PRINTERS["Printer integrations<br/>(Bambu Lab · Creality · Elegoo · FlashForge · Snapmaker · Anycubic)"]
  THIRD["Third-party apps & APIs<br/>(SDKs, Home Assistant, Spoolman, ESP32…)"]
  WEB["TigerHub<br/>(tigersystem.io — ecosystem site, wishlists, sharing)"]

  TAG --> CONNECT
  TAG --> STUDIO
  CONNECT <--> CLOUD
  STUDIO <--> CLOUD
  STUDIO --> PRINTERS
  CLOUD --> WEB
  CLOUD <--> THIRD

Layers

Layer	Role	Canonical docs
TigerTag chip	Portable, open identity of the physical spool	Chip format
Tiger NFC Connect	The smartphone bridge: scan, encode, browse	Product page
Firebase	One shared database — accounts, inventory, sync; the interoperability point of the sandbox	Inventory & cloud sync
TigerHub	The ecosystem’s web home: showcase, wishlists, friends, sharing	Product page
Tiger Studio	Desktop workbench: inventory, racks, sensors, printers	Product page
Printer integrations	Live LAN links to six printer brands	Compatibility
Third-party APIs	SDKs + documented Firestore surface for anyone	Developers

The full map — every element and its connections

Accessories, apps, cloud, printers, slicers and third-party integrations, on one picture:

flowchart TB
  subgraph SP["The spool"]
    TAG["TigerTag chip"]
  end
  subgraph ACC["Accessories"]
    POD["TigerPOD<br/>dual reader stand"]
    ACR["ACR122U<br/>USB NFC reader"]
    SCALE["TigerScale"]
    TD1S["TD1S color sensor"]
  end
  subgraph APPS["Apps"]
    CO["Tiger NFC Connect"]
    ST["Tiger Studio"]
    WEB["TigerHub<br/>tigersystem.io"]
  end
  CLOUD[("Your TigerSystem account<br/>(Firebase)")]
  subgraph PRT["Printing"]
    SLICER["Your slicer<br/>(OrcaSlicer, vendor slicers…)"]
    PRN["Printers<br/>Anycubic · Bambu Lab · Creality<br/>Elegoo · FlashForge · Snapmaker"]
  end
  THIRD["Third-party<br/>Home Assistant · Spoolman · ESP32 · your app"]

  TAG -- "NFC tap" --> CO
  TAG -- "scan" --> POD --> ST
  TAG -- "scan" --> ACR --> ST
  TD1S -- "measured color" --> ST
  SCALE -- "live weight" --> CLOUD
  CO <--> CLOUD
  ST <--> CLOUD
  CLOUD -- "public share links" --> WEB
  CLOUD <--> THIRD
  ST -- "filament data to slots" --> PRN
  PRN -- "live telemetry, job, camera" --> ST
  SLICER -- "print job" --> PRN

Read it left to right: the chip identifies the spool; accessories capture reality (scans, weight, color); the apps and cloud keep it all in sync; the printer receives the filament data and reports back live. Your slicer keeps its job — TigerSystem doesn’t slice, it makes sure everyone (you, the machine, the apps) knows exactly which filament is where.

Design principles

1. The chip is self-sufficient. A spool identifies itself with no cloud, no account, no network — the payload is complete and open.
2. The cloud is the user’s, not the system’s. All state lives under the user’s account; server-side security rules — not client code — enforce access.
3. Every layer is optional. Phone-only, desktop-only, chip-only, or API-only usage all work; components add value but never gate each other.
4. Integrations speak the printer’s native protocol. No firmware mods, no cloud detours: Tiger Studio talks MQTT/WebSocket/HTTP directly on the LAN (see data flow).

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Related: Products, Developers