Self-host Nowen Video
v1.3.4Lightweight family media server with HW transcoding
- Stars
- 238
- Port
- 8080 (HTTP server)
cropflre/nowen-video
What is Nowen Video?
Nowen Video (弄文影视) is a self-hosted family media platform built with Go, React, SQLite, and FFmpeg. It provides a complete pipeline from media scanning and metadata scraping (TMDb, Douban, TheTVDB, Bangumi, Fanart.tv) to library management, search, playback with direct play/remux/on-demand HLS transcoding, subtitle support, and multi-device access via web, desktop (Tauri/mpv), and Android (Kotlin/Compose) clients. The server runs in Docker on Alpine with SQLite WAL persistence, supports Intel/AMD hardware acceleration via /dev/dri, and uses JWT authentication with bcrypt password storage. First registered user becomes admin. Configuration via YAML files and NOWEN_* environment variables. Licensed under GPL-3.0.
Should you self-host Nowen Video?
Nowen Video scores 48/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #66 of 118 in Media Server. It has 238 GitHub stars.
It shipped 7 stable releases in the past year. The latest, v1.3.4, came out on 24 August 2026. New versions land roughly every 2 days.
Setup is easy: most people get it running in one sitting. An official Docker image is available. It is GPL-3.0-licensed and written mostly in Go.
Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Jellyfin (88/100, 58 733 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See Nowen Video vs Jellyfin side by side.
Features
- Android client (Kotlin/Compose)
- Dark/Light theme
- Desktop client (Tauri/mpv)
- Direct play / Remux / HLS transcoding
- fnOS package
- Hardware-accelerated transcoding
- Media analysis & highlightsContinuously evolving capability
- Media Library Management
- Metadata Scraping
- Persistent transcoding cache
- Remote storage integration
- Subtitle Support
- Task center
- Web UI (React)
Nowen Video README
More in Video Streaming
NymphCastSelf-hosted, open-source audio and video casting: stream media files, URLs and AngelScript-based apps to a Raspberry Pi or PC receiver attached to your TV or speakers.
OpenTogetherTubeSelf-hosted, open-source platform for synchronized video watch parties with friends. Supports YouTube, Vimeo, direct links, chat, voting, dark theme — no account needed.
OvenMediaEngineSelf-hosted, open-source live streaming server: sub-second WebRTC, LL-HLS, and SRT delivery with an embedded transcoder and ABR.
pipedOpen-source, self-hosted alternative front end for YouTube: no ads or tracking, with subscription feeds, playlists, SponsorBlock and audio-only playback.
pi-timoloSelf-hosted Raspberry Pi security monitoring using picamera and OpenCV. Creates timelapse videos, motion tracking, and low-light night vision images with rclone sync.
PodsyncSelf-hosted, open-source Go server that republishes YouTube and Vimeo channels or playlists as podcast RSS feeds, with cron updates, filters and S3 storage.
PrismA self-hosted multistreaming server that forwards one OBS stream to Twitch, YouTube, Kick, and other platforms simultaneously.
RapidbaySelf-hosted, open-source torrent video streaming service: search via Jackett or Prowlarr, auto-convert files and subtitles, then play or cast to Chromecast or Apple TV.
RestreamerOpen-source, self-hosted live video streaming server with a web UI: ingest via RTMP or SRT, restream to YouTube, Twitch and Vimeo, and embed a player.
rtmp-hls-serverSelf-hosted, open-source Docker image for a video streaming server supporting RTMP, HLS and DASH, built on Nginx with nginx-rtmp-module, FFmpeg and web players.
RTSPtoWebSelf-hosted Go app that converts IP camera RTSP streams to browser-playable WebRTC, MSE, and HLS formats without FFmpeg.
sagetvSageTV is a self-hosted, open-source DVR and media center with client-server architecture, supporting live TV, recordings, and media playback across Windows and Linux.
0 comments