StreamLocal - Local Media Streaming Server

A minimal Quart-based web application for streaming media (video, image) files from a local directory to devices on the same network, with Windows/Linux service support.

Features

• Cross-Platform Support: Runs as native service on both Windows and Linux
• Simple Management: Unified commands for both platforms (install, start)
• Auto-Detection: Automatically detects OS and applies appropriate service manager
• Production Ready: Uses Waitress WSGI server with configurable threads
• Persistent: Runs in background and survives reboots (when installed as service)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/koushikEng/minimal-video-stream.git
   cd minimal-video-stream

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

   Platform-specific dependencies:

   # Windows only
   pip install pywin32
   
   # Linux only
   sudo apt-get install systemd

Usage

Server Management

Command	Windows	Linux
Install service	python service.py install	sudo python service.py install
Start service	python service.py start	sudo python service.py start
Check status	Services MMC	sudo systemctl status stream_local
View logs	Event Viewer	journalctl -u stream_local

Configuration Options

# Install with custom port and threads
python service.py install --port 8080 --threads 8

# Available parameters:
#   --port     Server port (default: 80)
#   --threads  Worker threads (default: 4)

Direct Server Execution

# Development mode
python main.py [directory_path]

# Production mode
python main.py [directory_path] --prod

# Set host and port (default to 0.0.0.0 80)
python main.py [directory_path] -host [host] -port [port]

Service Details

Windows Service

• Installs via Windows Service Control Manager
• Runs under Local System account
• Automatic recovery on failure
• Managed through services.msc

Linux Service

• Creates systemd unit file at /etc/systemd/system/stream_local.service
• Runs under current user account
• Automatic restart on failure
• Logs via journald

File Structure

stream_local/
├── main.py                 # Main application
├── server.py               # Server and routes
├── service.py              # Cross-platform service manager
├── templates/
│   └── index.html          # Web interface
├── README.md               # This document
└── requirements.txt        # Dependencies

Troubleshooting

Service fails to start:

1. Check logs (Windows: Event Viewer, Linux: journalctl -u stream_local)
2. Verify port is available (netstat -tulnp | grep <port>)
3. Check firewall rules

Permission issues on Linux:

# Set proper permissions
sudo chmod 644 /etc/systemd/system/stream_local.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Missing dependencies:

# Windows
pip install pywin32

# Linux
sudo apt install python3-systemd

Security Notes

1. The server binds to all interfaces (0.0.0.0) by default
2. For production use:
   • Consider adding authentication
   • Use HTTPS with reverse proxy (Nginx/Apache)
   • Restrict access to local network

License

MIT License - Free for personal and commercial use