fed1a2f288
* Set default theme to light in `ThemeContext` * Update README and environment configuration files for clarity and completeness and to reflect current project status * Update dark theme colour scheme
91 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
91 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
# **Team 11 - Gander - Live Streaming Platform**
|
|
|
|
## Overview and Purpose
|
|
|
|
Gander is a live streaming platform created as a 3rd year team software project as part of UCC's Computer Science degree. It provides a source of entertainment and a community for users with similar interests. Users can watch live streams from other users, whether gaming or IRL, or broadcast their own content. By clicking the "Go Live" button, a logged-in user is presented with a dashboard where they can set their stream's title, category, and thumbnail. Users watching a live stream can interact with other viewers and the streamer through a live chat. Users can also subscribe to their favourite streamers via the Stripe API on a monthly basis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Access Control Levels
|
|
|
|
The platform implements three-tier access control:
|
|
|
|
1. **No Access** (Non-authenticated Users)
|
|
- View live streams
|
|
- Browse available content
|
|
|
|
2. **Regular Access** (Authenticated Users)
|
|
- All features available to non-authenticated users
|
|
- Donate to streamers through Stripe integration
|
|
- Interact with streams through comments
|
|
- Follow other users
|
|
- Become a content creator and start streaming
|
|
|
|
3. **Admin Access**
|
|
- Full platform management capabilities
|
|
- Content moderation tools
|
|
- User account management
|
|
- System configuration controls
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Technical Stack
|
|
|
|
### Frontend
|
|
|
|
- React with TypeScript for type safety
|
|
- Tailwind CSS for styling
|
|
- Video.js for stream playback
|
|
- Stripe integration for payment processing
|
|
|
|
### Backend
|
|
|
|
- Python with Flask web framework
|
|
- SQLite database for data persistence
|
|
- Flask-Session for user session management
|
|
- Nginx RTMP module for stream handling
|
|
|
|
### Infrastructure
|
|
|
|
- Docker for containerization and deployment
|
|
- Docker Compose for multi-container orchestration
|
|
- Nginx for reverse proxy and RTMP streaming server
|
|
- Microservices architecture
|
|
|
|
## Development
|
|
|
|
This project was maintained on GitHub, with all team members contributing through version control. The team followed collaborative development practices including regular code reviews and feature branches.
|
|
|
|
## Future Development
|
|
|
|
Development on Gander has concluded. Potential extensions that were not implemented include:
|
|
|
|
- **User Profiles**: Customizable profiles showcasing streaming history, followers, and personal information.
|
|
- **Enhanced Chat Features**: Emojis, chat moderation tools, and the ability to pin messages during live streams.
|
|
- **Mobile Application**: A mobile app built with React Native to allow users to watch and stream on the go.
|
|
- **Monetization Options**: Additional revenue streams for content creators, such as merchandise sales or one-time donations.
|
|
- **Analytics Dashboard**: A dashboard for streamers to track viewership, engagement metrics, and revenue over time.
|
|
|
|
## Running the Project
|
|
|
|
Pre-requisites:
|
|
|
|
- [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) (includes Docker Compose)
|
|
- Node.js & npm (optional, for local frontend development)
|
|
|
|
Steps:
|
|
|
|
1. Rename the following `.env.example` files to `.env` and fill in the required values:
|
|
- `frontend/.env.example` — React frontend variables
|
|
- `web_server/.env.example` — Flask backend variables
|
|
2. Start all services with Docker Compose:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
docker compose up --build
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
> **Note:** Older versions of Docker use `docker-compose` (with a hyphen) instead of `docker compose` (with a space).
|
|
3. Access the frontend at `localhost:8080` in your browser. Note that the terminal output from Vite will show `localhost:5173` — this is the internal container port. Nginx exposes the application on port `8080`.
|