Installation

Choose a Deployment Method

Method	Best for	Web interface	API
Docker	Most users and production hosts	http://localhost:15275	http://localhost:12555/api
Pre-built binary	Backend-only or custom deployments	Deploy the frontend separately	Backend default: http://localhost:12555/api
systemd service	Linux hosts running the backend without Docker	Deploy the frontend separately	http://localhost:12555/api
Source checkout with the example .env files	Development and contribution	http://localhost:15275	http://localhost:8080/api

Docker maps the frontend's container port 80 and the backend's container port 8080 to the host ports shown above. Container ports are not addresses to open from the host.

Docker (Recommended)

Docker packages the backend, frontend, and required runtime dependencies. Follow the Docker deployment guide, then continue with Make Your First Recording.

Pre-built Binaries

Download a package from GitHub Releases. Packages are published for Linux, Windows, and macOS on the architectures listed with each release.

The rust-srec executable runs the backend. A complete browser-based installation also needs the frontend or the Docker deployment. Generate a unique JWT_SECRET of at least 32 characters before exposing the backend to another machine.

When the standalone backend creates a fresh database, it initializes the recording folder from OUTPUT_DIR, or ./output if unset or blank. Relative paths are saved as absolute paths resolved from the startup working directory. Later starts preserve the saved setting, even if OUTPUT_DIR changes. Change an existing installation's recording folder in Settings → Global → Output Folder.

systemd Service (Linux)

The repository includes rust-srec/rust-srec.service, a hardened unit that runs the pre-built backend binary as a system service. It supervises the backend only; deploy the frontend separately or use Docker for a complete browser installation.

Install

Run as root from the directory holding the downloaded rust-srec binary and rust-srec.service:

useradd --system --home-dir /var/lib/rust-srec --shell /usr/sbin/nologin rust-srec
install -D -m 0755 rust-srec /opt/rust-srec/rust-srec
install -d -m 0750 -o root -g rust-srec /etc/rust-srec
umask 027 && printf 'JWT_SECRET=%s\n' "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" \
> /etc/rust-srec/rust-srec.env
chown root:rust-srec /etc/rust-srec/rust-srec.env
install -D -m 0644 rust-srec.service /etc/systemd/system/rust-srec.service

On a reinstall, where /var/lib/rust-srec or /var/log/rust-srec survive from an earlier install, take ownership before the first start:

[ -d /var/lib/rust-srec ] && chown -R rust-srec:rust-srec /var/lib/rust-srec
[ -d /var/log/rust-srec ] && chown -R rust-srec:rust-srec /var/log/rust-srec

Skipping this leaves systemd to fix the ownership itself during unit start, and on a large recordings tree that can outlast the start timeout and fail the start.

Then start the service:

systemctl daemon-reload && systemctl enable --now rust-srec

The account's home directory has to be /var/lib/rust-srec and has to be writable — rclone and BaiduPCS-Go rewrite their session files there. The install directory under /opt cannot serve as a home; the unit's hardening keeps it read-only.

StateDirectory= and LogsDirectory= create /var/lib/rust-srec, /var/lib/rust-srec/output, and /var/log/rust-srec on each start, so a fresh host needs nothing pre-created.

/etc/rust-srec/rust-srec.env is loaded through EnvironmentFile=. The service refuses to start without JWT_SECRET, so that file is mandatory in practice. Web Push (VAPID) keys and any *_PATH override for ffmpeg, rclone, streamlink, or DanmakuFactory belong there too. Every assignment in it overrides the unit's own Environment= lines.

/opt/rust-srec is also the directory the Docker Compose installer defaults to (RUST_SREC_DIR). Pick a different path for the binary if both deployments share a host.

Verify the service:

systemctl status rust-srec
journalctl -u rust-srec --since "5 min ago"
curl http://localhost:12555/api/health/live

Set the Recording Directory

Fresh databases use the unit's OUTPUT_DIR=/var/lib/rust-srec/output as their recording folder. Existing databases keep their saved output_folder, including an older /app/output default. For those installations, set Settings → Global → Output Folder to /var/lib/rust-srec/output or a volume listed under ReadWritePaths=; ProtectSystem=strict does not make /app/output writable.

Keep RUST_SREC_OUTPUT_ROOTS consistent with that value, or the output-root write gate reports the service degraded. The unit sets both to /var/lib/rust-srec/output.

Give a collection that grows past a few hundred GB its own volume and list it under ReadWritePaths= rather than nesting it inside /var/lib/rust-srec. Every ReadWritePaths= entry must already exist — ProtectSystem=strict fails the unit with 226/NAMESPACE on a missing path — and systemd does not chown them, so create them owned by rust-srec.

What the Unit Sets

Variable	Value
DATABASE_URL	sqlite:///var/lib/rust-srec/rust-srec.db
LOG_DIR	/var/log/rust-srec
OUTPUT_DIR	/var/lib/rust-srec/output
RUST_SREC_OUTPUT_ROOTS	/var/lib/rust-srec/output
API_BIND_ADDRESS	0.0.0.0
API_PORT	12555
RUST_LOG	info
RUST_SREC_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_SECS	30

Override any of them in /etc/rust-srec/rust-srec.env. TimeoutStopSec=35 must stay larger than RUST_SREC_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_SECS; raising one without the other lets systemd send SIGKILL while recordings are still being finalized.

File Permissions

UMask=0027 writes recordings -rw-r-----, readable only by rust-srec and its group. Add any account that has to read them — a file server, a media scanner — to the rust-srec group, or lower UMask= in a drop-in. See Security for the rest of the unit's hardening and its effect on GPU transcoding.

Build from Source

Requirements

• Rust 1.95 or newer on the stable channel. This is the rust-version declared in the workspace Cargo.toml; Cargo refuses to build with anything older.
• Git, CMake 3.12 or newer, and a C/C++ compiler.
• Node.js 26 and the pnpm version declared in rust-srec/frontend/package.json when running the frontend.
• At least 2 GB of free disk space for dependencies and build artifacts.

Install the native build tools for your operating system:

# Debian or Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install git cmake build-essential

# Fedora or RHEL
sudo dnf install git cmake gcc g++

# macOS
xcode-select --install
brew install cmake

On Windows, install Visual Studio Build Tools with the C++ workload and CMake. See the aws-lc-rs requirements if native compilation fails.

Build and Configure the Backend

git clone https://github.com/hua0512/rust-srec.git
cd rust-srec
cargo build --locked --release -p rust-srec

cd rust-srec
cp .env.example .env

Replace JWT_SECRET in .env with a random value of at least 32 characters. The checked-in example sets API_PORT=8080; without an .env file, the backend defaults to port 12555.

Important backend settings:

Variable	Purpose	Example-file value
JWT_SECRET	Signs access and refresh tokens; required	Replace the placeholder
DATABASE_URL	SQLite database location	sqlite:./srec.db
API_BIND_ADDRESS	Network interface to listen on	0.0.0.0
API_PORT	API port	8080
OUTPUT_DIR	Initial recording folder for a fresh standalone database; also an output root watched by health probes. Does not override saved settings	./output
RUST_LOG	Log level	info

Generate a secret with openssl rand -hex 32. In PowerShell:

$bytes = New-Object Byte[] 32
[Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::Create().GetBytes($bytes)
-join ($bytes | ForEach-Object { "{0:x2}" -f $_ })

Start the backend from the repository root:

./target/release/rust-srec

Run the Frontend for Development

cd rust-srec/frontend
cp .env.example .env
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm dev

Replace SESSION_SECRET in the frontend .env. Its API settings already point to the example backend port 8080; Vite serves the development UI on port 15275.

External Tools

The built-in Mesio download engine does not require Streamlink. Install external tools only for features you select:

• Install ffmpeg and make it available on PATH when using FFmpeg processors or an FFmpeg-based workflow outside the Docker image.
• Install streamlink and make it available on PATH when selecting the Streamlink download engine.
• Install BaiduPCS-Go and make it available on PATH (or set BAIDUPCS_PATH) when using the baidupcs Baidu Netdisk upload processor.
• The Docker image contains its supported runtime tools; do not install them on the host for a standard Docker deployment.

Next Step

Open the web interface for your deployment method and follow Make Your First Recording. For Internet-facing or long-running hosts, complete the Production Deployment checklist first.