Menuraq Bridge , Desktop App

Does your setup need the bridge? Only if your printers connect via USB, Bluetooth, or a local TCP/IP socket (the network connection type). Wi-Fi printers with vendor HTTP APIs (Epson/Star/Bixolon) can be delivered directly from a browser tab with no bridge at all. Cloud-connected printers (Epson ePOS, Star CloudPRNT) and Menuraq-hosted pull printers are delivered by Menuraq's server — no bridge, works from iPads and phones. See the full Printing guide for the full picture.

What is it?

A desktop application you download as a single .exe (Windows), .app (Mac), or binary (Linux). Double-click to run. No Node.js, no Python, no terminal knowledge required.

It runs in the background on any computer on your restaurant's local network and acts as a middleman between Menuraq (in the cloud) and your physical printers.

How mobile devices (phone, iPad, Android) connect to printers

This is the most important thing to understand:

  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  YOUR RESTAURANT NETWORK                                  │
  │                                                           │
  │  ┌──────────┐        ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────┐   │
  │  │ Printer  │◄───────│ Bridge App   │     │ Printer  │   │
  │  │ (USB)    │        │ (runs on a   │     │(Network) │   │
  │  └──────────┘        │  local PC)   │     └──────────┘   │
  │                      │              │                     │
  │  ┌──────────┐        │  • Scans for │     ┌──────────┐   │
  │  │ Printer  │◄───────│    printers  │     │ Printer  │   │
  │  │ (BT)     │        │  • Polls job │     │(Network) │   │
  │  └──────────┘        │    queue     │     └──────────┘   │
  │                      │  • Sends to  │                     │
  │                      │    printer   │                     │
  │                      └──────┬───────┘                     │
  │                             │                             │
  └─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┘
                                │ (internet)
                                ▼
                       ┌─────────────────┐
                       │  Menuraq Cloud   │
                       │  (your account)  │
                       └────────┬────────┘
                                │ (internet)
              ┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┐
              │                 │                   │
              ▼                 ▼                   ▼
      ┌────────────┐   ┌────────────┐   ┌────────────────┐
      │  iPhone    │   │  iPad      │   │  Android Tab   │
      │  (server)  │   │  (counter) │   │  (self-order)  │
      └────────────┘   └────────────┘   └────────────────┘

Your phone/iPad/Android tablet NEVER connects to printers directly.

They connect to Menuraq's cloud over the internet (WiFi or cellular). When you place an order on your phone:

1. Phone → sends order to Menuraq Cloud over the internet
2. Menuraq Cloud → queues a print job (receipt, kitchen ticket, etc.)
3. Bridge App (running on a computer on your network) → polls the cloud every few seconds → sees the new job → claims it
4. Bridge App → sends the job to your local printer via USB, network, or Bluetooth

What if I ONLY have a phone / tablet and no computer?

You still need something on your local network to run the bridge app — unless your printers support one of these paths that work from any device with no bridge:

If none of those apply, you need the bridge. That "something" can be small and cheap:

Do I need the computer to be ON all the time?

Yes , the bridge needs to be running to receive and print jobs. A Raspberry Pi uses about as much electricity as a phone charger ($5/year).

Download & Install

Option 1: Download the compiled app (recommended)

1. Go to GitHub Releases: https://github.com/your-org/menura/releases
2. Download the file for your system:

• Windows: menuraq-bridge-win-x64.exe
• Mac (Intel): menuraq-bridge-mac-x64
• Mac (Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3): menuraq-bridge-mac-arm64
• Linux / Raspberry Pi: menuraq-bridge-linux-x64

1. Double-click the downloaded file.

Option 2: Run from source (if you have Node.js)

node scripts/mnrq-setup.mjs       # First-time setup
node scripts/discover-printers.mjs # Find printers on your network
node scripts/menuraq-print-bridge.mjs --config menuraq-print-bridge.config.json

Quick Start

Step 1 , Setup

Open the app and type:

menuraq setup

It will ask for three things (all found in your Menuraq Dashboard → Settings → Print Bridge):

• Your Menuraq URL (e.g. https://my-restaurant.menuraq.com)
• Branch ID , a long ID like a1b2c3d4-...
• Bridge Token , a secret key starting with mnrq_print_

Choose "Scan network for printers" when asked , the app will find your printers automatically. No IP typing needed.

Step 2 , Start the bridge

menuraq run

This starts the bridge AND opens a dashboard at http://localhost:3999 showing:

• Bridge status (Running / Offline)
• Discovered printers on your network
• Jobs processed
• Quick actions (Re-scan, Health Check)

Step 3 , Install as background service (optional)

menuraq service

The bridge will now start automatically when your computer boots. Runs silently in the background.

Step 4 , Configure printers in the dashboard

Open Menuraq Dashboard → Settings → Printers. You'll see your discovered printers listed. Click Add to configure each one.

Commands

How printer discovery works

On startup and every 5 minutes, the bridge automatically scans your local network for:

• Network/WiFi printers , probes ports 9100, 515, 631 on every IP in your subnet
• USB printers , checks for connected USB devices (Linux: /dev/usb/lp*)
• Bluetooth printers , scans for paired RFCOMM devices

Found printers are reported to your Menuraq dashboard. Open Settings → Printers and click Add next to any discovered printer.

Troubleshooting