Simple Video Server (Rust)

A lightweight HLS video streaming server built with Rust, featuring automatic video ID generation and web-based streaming.

Features

• HLS Video Streaming: Serves .m3u8 playlists and .ts video segments
• Clean URLs: Watch videos at /watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• Random Video IDs: Automatically generates 11-character video IDs
• FFmpeg Integration: Convert any video format to HLS using the built-in converter
• High Performance: Built with Rocket web framework for fast HTTP serving

Project Structure

simple-video-server-rs/
├── Cargo.toml           # Workspace configuration
├── server/              # HTTP video server
│   ├── Cargo.toml
│   └── src/main.rs
├── cm3u8/               # Video-to-HLS converter
│   ├── Cargo.toml
│   └── src/main.rs
└── videos/              # Video storage
    └── <VIDEO_ID>/      # Video ID folders
        ├── <VIDEO_ID>.m3u8    # HLS playlist
        ├── <VIDEO_ID>0.ts     # Video segments
        ├── <VIDEO_ID>1.ts
        └── ...

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Rust (1.85.0)
• FFmpeg (for video conversion)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/ywjno/simple-video-server-rs
cd simple-video-server-rs

2. Build the project:

cargo build --release

Usage

1. Convert Videos to HLS

Use the cm3u8 tool to convert your video files:

# Convert a video - automatically generates video ID
cargo run --release -p cm3u8 -- -i input_video.mp4

# Example output:
# Video ID: Xe5NCiPrw5s
# Playlist: ./Xe5NCiPrw5s/Xe5NCiPrw5s.m3u8

This automatically:

• Generates a random 11-character video ID
• Creates a directory with the video ID
• Converts the video to HLS format with 10-second segments

2. Move Videos to Server Directory

# Move the generated video folder to the videos directory
mkdir -p videos
mv Xe5NCiPrw5s videos/

3. Start the Server

# Start with default port (8080)
cargo run --release -p simple-video-server

# Or set a custom port
PORT=3000 cargo run --release -p simple-video-server

The server will start at http://localhost:8080.

4. Watch Videos

Open your browser or media player and navigate to:

http://localhost:8080/watch?v=Xe5NCiPrw5s

VLC Media Player:

1. Open VLC
2. Go to "Media" → "Open Network Stream"
3. Enter: http://localhost:8080/api/watch?v=Xe5NCiPrw5s
4. Click "Play"

API Reference

GET /watch?v=<video_id>

Serves the HLS playlist for the specified video.

Parameters:

• v: Video ID (11-character string)

Example:

GET /watch?v=Xe5NCiPrw5s
→ videos/Xe5NCiPrw5s/Xe5NCiPrw5s.m3u8

GET /<video_segment>

Serves video segments (.ts files) referenced by the playlist.

Parameters:

• video_segment: Video segment filename (must end with .ts)

Example:

GET /Xe5NCiPrw5s0.ts
→ videos/Xe5NCiPrw5s/Xe5NCiPrw5s0.ts

Security: Only .ts files are served through this endpoint.

Configuration

Environment Variables

• PORT: Server port (default: 8080)

Server Settings

The server is configured with:

• Bind address: 0.0.0.0 (all interfaces)
• Default port: 8080
• Log level: Normal (debug) / Critical (release)
• Route prefix: /

Video ID Generation

Video IDs are generated using:

• Length: 11 characters
• Character set: A-Z, a-z, 2-9 (excluding confusing characters like 0, O, I, l, 1)
• Example: dQw4w9WgXcQ

This ensures unique, readable video identifiers.

FFmpeg Conversion Settings

The converter uses these FFmpeg settings:

• Segment duration: 10 seconds
• Video codec: H.264 (libx264)
• Audio codec: AAC
• Hardware acceleration: Auto-detected
• Playlist type: HLS with unlimited segments

Development

Build Commands

# Build all components
cargo build

# Build server only
cargo build -p simple-video-server

# Build converter only
cargo build -p cm3u8

# Run in development mode
cargo run -p simple-video-server

Dependencies

Server:

• rocket - Web framework

Converter:

• clap - Command-line argument parsing
• rand - Random video ID generation

File Organization

Videos are organized as follows:

videos/
├── Xe5NCiPrw5s/
│   ├── Xe5NCiPrw5s.m3u8     # Playlist
│   ├── Xe5NCiPrw5s0.ts      # Segment 0
│   ├── Xe5NCiPrw5s1.ts      # Segment 1
│   └── ...
└── ...

License

This project is dual-licensed under either of:

• MIT License
• Apache License 2.0

You may choose either license for your use.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request