Sunshine

Sunshine is a self-hosted game stream host that enables low-latency remote gaming. It functions as a server that allows users to stream their desktop or specific applications to Moonlight clients on various devices. The software is deployed as a server application and includes a web-based user interface for configuration and client pairing, which can be accessed from a local server or any mobile device via a web browser.

The application supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD. It handles the capture of the screen and the encoding of the video stream, which is then transmitted to the connected client device. By managing the encoding process on the host machine, the software allows for high-performance streaming of games and applications to remote hardware while maintaining responsiveness.

Key features

• Hardware encoding support for AMD, Intel, and Nvidia GPUs
• Software encoding fallback for systems without compatible GPUs
• Web UI for server configuration and client pairing
• Gamepad emulation for Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch controllers
• Support for multiple screen capture methods including Wayland, X11, and DXGI
• Compatibility with various encoding APIs such as NVENC, VAAPI, and QuickSync
• Cross-platform support for Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD

Sunshine is written in C++ and provides various distribution methods including Docker, Flatpak, Homebrew, and native package managers like pacman. It is designed for users who want to host their own cloud gaming infrastructure using their own hardware. The architecture relies on a combination of specific screen capture methods and encoding APIs to minimize latency between the host and the client. For high resolution 4K or HDR streaming, the software recommends specific hardware tiers for GPUs and CPUs, as well as CAT5e ethernet connections to ensure stability.

This software serves as a backend host for the Moonlight streaming protocol.