Kyoo

Kyoo is a self-hosted media server designed specifically for streaming movies, series, and anime. It focuses on reducing administrative overhead by removing the requirement for specific folder structures or manual file renaming, allowing the server to scan media directly from download directories. The software aims to eliminate manual metadata edits, treating any failure to scan a file correctly as a bug regardless of how the file is named.

The software is deployed as a server with a web client, and the frontend is built using React-Native and Expo. It can be deployed via Docker or through an official Helm chart for Kubernetes clusters. The system is designed for users who prefer a setup that requires minimal ongoing maintenance once the initial installation is complete.

Key features

• Dynamic transcoding with on-the-fly quality changes and instant seeking
• Video preview thumbnails available via progress bar hovering
• Intro and credit detection using audio fingerprinting or chapter matching
• Support for PGS, VODSUB, SSA, and ASS subtitles with embedded font usage
• Automated parsing for complex anime filenames
• Authentication via OIDC compliant services
• Dedicated API for integration with external services
• Official Helm chart for Kubernetes deployment

The backend is developed using Golang and Python, utilizing ffmpeg for media processing. Unlike some media servers that rely on a single container and SQLite, Kyoo uses a distributed architecture that separates components, such as the transcoder, into different containers. This architectural choice allows for more flexible scaling and resource management. The software intentionally narrows its scope to video content, meaning it does not include support for music, e-books, or games.

Kyoo is intended for home server administrators who want a low-maintenance media library that handles metadata automatically without strict naming conventions. It provides a focused experience for cinematic content through a modern web interface.