Lager
Lager (Lager Data) is a Brooklyn-based open-source company that provides self-hosted infrastructure — CLI, Python library, and MCP server — for embedded software engineers to flash firmware, control bench instruments, and run hardware-in-the-loop CI tests over a network, with AI-agent integration via Model Context Protocol.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Lager does
Lager (legal entity: Lager Data) is a privately held, Brooklyn-based company that builds open-source infrastructure for embedded software development, also known as firmware or device software. The platform lets engineering teams flash firmware, control bench instruments, and run automated hardware-in-the-loop tests against real devices over a network, turning physical lab benches into programmable, versioned, and reproducible surfaces wired into CI. Its core components are lager-cli (a Python-installable command-line interface and library), Lagerbox (a self-hosted Linux-based hardware hub), and the Lager MCP Server (a Model Context Protocol server that exposes 165+ tools across 21 modules to AI assistants). The software supports instruments from Rigol, Keysight, Keithley, J-Link, LabJack, FT232H, Aardvark, Nordic PPK2, MikroTik, and others, covering power supplies, oscilloscopes, debug probes, and protocol adapters for SPI, I2C, GPIO, BLE, WiFi, USB, ADC, and DAC.
The company distributes the core under Apache 2.0 with no per-seat pricing, no telemetry, and no SaaS dependency; customers self-host on their own infrastructure. Lager makes money indirectly by listing independent third-party providers (e.g., Stout Data) on a Professional Services page, with explicit disaffiliation, so commercial support, deployment, RBAC, SSO, and fleet management are fulfilled by external vendors rather than Lager itself. The go-to-market is product-led growth: developers install via `pip install lager-cli`, self-onboard through documentation, and adopt through GitHub and PyPI distribution channels. Customers are embedded software engineers, hardware-in-the-loop testing teams, and distributed hardware organizations that need shared remote access to physical devices.
The company is small (1–10 employees) and privately held, with Akbar Dhanaliwala (CEO) and Evan Haas (Cofounder/CTO) identified in leadership data. Only one capital event is recorded ($0 from Notation Capital in 2020), and revenue is not disclosed. Operating signals are strong: 100+ software versions released between November 2025 and June 2026, an active blog, a continuously updated GitHub repository, and an expanding instrument and AI-agent roadmap that positions Lager as a candidate default hardware substrate for agentic firmware development.
Lager firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lager
- Legal name
- Lager Data
- Website
- https://lagerdata.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Lager (Lager Data) is a Brooklyn-based open-source company that provides self-hosted infrastructure — CLI, Python library, and MCP server — for embedded software engineers to flash firmware, control bench instruments, and run hardware-in-the-loop CI tests over a network, with AI-agent integration via Model Context Protocol.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lager industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Embedded Software Testing
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Platform Engineering & Internal Developer Platforms (IDP) (BPAEAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Managed DevOps / Platform Operations (Run & Operate) (BPAEAKAO), Observability, Monitoring & AIOps (BPAEAKAG)
Keywords
Where Lager is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Lager business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Open Source (Apache 2.0): Core Lager software is open source under Apache 2.0 license. Free to use, self-hosted, no per-seat pricing, no telemetry, no lock-in.
- Professional Services: Independent companies offer commercial support, deployment, and integration services for Lager. Providers listed on Lager website but are not affiliated with the Lager project.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Open Source - Free |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Lager product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lager provides open-source infrastructure for embedded software development, consisting of a command-line interface (lager-cli), a Python library, and a self-hosted Docker-based "Lagerbox" hardware hub. The platform turns a physical hardware bench into a programmable, network-accessible surface for flashing firmware, controlling instruments (power supplies, oscilloscopes, debug probes, UART, I2C, SPI, GPIO), and running automated hardware-in-the-loop tests as part of CI/CD pipelines such as GitHub Actions. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server exposes the same capabilities to AI agents for grounded hardware experimentation.
Product overview
Lager is an open-source infrastructure platform for embedded software development, consisting of three core components: lager-cli (the command-line interface and Python library), Lagerbox (a self-hosted Linux-based hardware hub), and the Lager MCP Server (an AI agent integration layer). The platform enables engineers to flash firmware, control instruments, and run automated hardware-in-the-loop tests against real embedded devices. Instruments supported include power supplies (Keysight, Keithley, EA, Rigol), oscilloscopes (Pico, Rigol), debug probes (J-Link, SEGGER), and protocol adapters for SPI, I2C, GPIO (LabJack, FT232H, Aardvark). The platform is licensed under Apache 2.0, self-hosted with no SaaS dependency, and integrates with GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipelines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- lager-cli Open source command-line interface and Python library for embedded software development. Installed via pip on Linux, macOS, or Windows. Drives power supplies, oscilloscopes, debug probes, UART, I2C, SPI, and GPIO through a single CLI and Python library, and integrates with GitHub Actions for hardware-in-the-loop CI/CD testing. For embedded software engineers and firmware development teams.
- Lagerbox Self-hosted Linux machine (Docker container) that serves as the hardware abstraction layer and network-accessible hub for bench instruments and devices. Provisioned via `lager install` on any Linux machine on the network. Self-hosted, no SaaS, no telemetry, no data leaving the network. For embedded engineering teams that need shared, remote, and reproducible access to bench hardware.
- Lager MCP Server Model Context Protocol server running on the Lager Box on port 8100 (FastMCP, streamable-http) that enables AI assistants and agents to control Lager hardware. Provides 165+ tools across 21 modules covering all CLI functionality. For engineering teams building AI-driven hardware diagnostics and agentic test workflows.
- Lager Terminal Interactive shell for running Lager commands integrated directly into lager-cli, with tab completion for all commands and subcommands, command history navigation with up/down arrows, auto-suggestions from history, and colored output with success/error indicators. For engineers who want a guided, interactive REPL-style interface to the bench.
Quantifiable outcome
- Run automated tests against real devices on every commit
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Lager
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lager technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
AI capability6 records
Feature7 records
Lager partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Stout DatacoreCommercial control plane for Lager fleets offering organizations, RBAC, SSO, audit logging, scheduling, and managed install across multiple boxes, teams, and sites. Listed on Lager professional services page as a recommended vendor.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lager competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Arduino: Open source hardware/software platform for embedded and IoT development with a large developer community. Comparable as an open source ecosystem targeting embedded developers, though focused on prototyping rather than HIL CI testing.
- IAR Systems: Provider of commercial embedded development tools (IAR Embedded Workbench) widely used for firmware compilation, debugging, and testing. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the embedded tooling space where Lager is building its open source alternative.
- National Instruments (Emerson): Long-standing test, measurement, and control platform (LabVIEW, TestStand) used for automated hardware test and validation. Comparable as an incumbent providing software-defined test orchestration for engineering teams.
- Keysight Technologies: Major test and measurement instrument vendor whose power supplies (E36200, E36300 series) Lager integrates. Comparable as an incumbent in the broader hardware-instrument ecosystem whose hardware Lager's software orchestrates.
- SEGGER Microcontroller: Established vendor of embedded tools including J-Link debug probes (which Lager integrates), Ozone debugger, and Embedded Studio. Comparable as an established embedded development tooling company whose hardware/software stack overlaps with Lager's instrument control scope.
Others
- Zephyr RTOS: Open source real-time operating system for resource-constrained embedded devices, governed by the Linux Foundation. Comparable as an adjacent open source project within the embedded developer ecosystem where Lager's user base operates.
- Total Phase (Aardvark): Vendor of I2C/SPI protocol adapters and debug tools integrated by Lager. Comparable as an enabling hardware instrument maker whose products become more valuable when orchestrated by software like Lager.
- GitHub Actions: Hosted CI/CD platform that Lager integrates with for hardware-in-the-loop testing. Comparable as the broader CI/CD substrate within which Lager operates as a specialized testing layer.
Direct peers
- PlatformIO: Open source ecosystem for embedded development with cross-platform build system, library manager, and unit testing. Most directly comparable to Lager as a developer-facing open source platform targeting the same firmware/hardware engineer persona.
Emerging players
- Renode: Open source simulation framework for embedded and IoT systems by Antmicro. Comparable as an emerging open source player in the embedded testing space, focused on simulation rather than real-hardware HIL.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lager social profiles
Digital presenceLager financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lager leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Lager funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lager M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lager
What does Lager do?
Lager provides open-source infrastructure for embedded software development, consisting of a command-line interface (lager-cli), a Python library, and a self-hosted Docker-based "Lagerbox" hardware hub. The platform turns a physical hardware bench into a programmable, network-accessible surface for flashing firmware, controlling instruments (power supplies, oscilloscopes, debug probes, UART, I2C, SPI, GPIO), and running automated hardware-in-the-loop tests as part of CI/CD pipelines such as GitHub Actions. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server exposes the same capabilities to AI agents for grounded hardware experimentation.
Is Lager a public or private company?
Lager is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Lager founded?
Lager was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Lager based?
Lager is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lager make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Open Source (Apache 2.0) is the primary driver. The others are professional Services.
Who are Lager's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Arduino, IAR Systems, National Instruments (Emerson), Keysight Technologies and SEGGER Microcontroller. Others are Zephyr RTOS, Total Phase (Aardvark) and GitHub Actions. PlatformIO is listed as a direct peer. Renode is listed as an emerging player.
Does Lager have an API?
Yes. Lager exposes its hardware control capabilities via a Python API (imported as `from lager import Net, NetType`) and a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server with 165+ tools across 21 modules covering power supplies, batteries, electronic loads, I2C, SPI, UART, BLE, WiFi, USB, ADC, DAC, GPIO, oscilloscope, debug, robotic arm, webcam, and more. The MCP server runs on the Lager Box on port 8100 (FastMCP, streamable-http) and enables AI assistants to discover a bench and understand how its nets are wired to the DUT. The MCP tools are auto-generated from driver introspection at Docker image build time. The Python API supports power supply, battery, electronic load, and hardware net operations with return values. API is available via `pip install lager-cli` and MCP via `pip install "lager-cli[mcp]"` with entry point `lager-mcp`. Developer documentation is at docs.lagerdata.com.
What industry is Lager in?
Lager's product category is Embedded Software Testing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAKAC, Platform Engineering & Internal Developer Platforms (IDP), with a secondary code of BPAEAKAO, Managed DevOps / Platform Operations (Run & Operate). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7372.