Install.
Docker, or Node.js on Ubuntu.

01What the server needs

• 2 CPU cores and 4 GB of memory for one render at a time. Each extra parallel render needs about 1 core and 600 MB more.
• Long videos take time to render. Render time grows with the length of the episode and the number of footage clips. The console's System health page shows the speed of the last render: measure on your own server before you promise anyone a turnaround time.
• Disk: 40 GB free to start with. A finished 1080p documentary with film grain is about 8 Mbit/s, so a 10-minute episode is around 600 MB, plus the footage clips it used. The console's Storage page shows who uses what.
• A domain name pointing at the server, and https in front of it (Caddy or nginx). YouTube sign-in and Stripe need https.

Pick Docker if you are not sure: Chrome and ffmpeg come inside the image.

On Windows: the server is meant to run on Linux. On a Windows PC, run the commands on this page inside WSL 2 with Ubuntu (in PowerShell: wsl --install -d Ubuntu), or use Docker Desktop with its WSL 2 backend.

02Option A: Docker

1. Install Docker: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/ubuntu/

2. Unpack Channelsmith into a folder, for example /opt/channelsmith, and go there:

   cd /opt/channelsmith
   cp .env.example .env

3. Edit .env:

   • PUBLIC_URL: the https address people will use, e.g. https://studio.your-agency.com
   • ADMIN_SECRET_KEY: run openssl rand -hex 32 and paste the result. It encrypts the API keys and the YouTube sign-ins you save. Keep a copy somewhere safe: without it they cannot be read after a restore.
   • TRUST_PROXY_HOPS=1 when Caddy or nginx is in front (it almost always is).

4. Build and start:

   docker build -t channelsmith .
   docker volume create channelsmith-data
   docker run -d --name channelsmith --restart unless-stopped \
     -p 127.0.0.1:8787:8787 --env-file .env \
     -v channelsmith-data:/app/data channelsmith

   Everything the studio stores is in the channelsmith-data volume (the image's DATA_DIR is /app/data).

5. Read the one-time setup code for the console from the log:

   docker logs channelsmith

6. Put https in front (see "https with Caddy" below), then continue with First steps.

Commands inside the container run with docker exec, for example docker exec channelsmith npm run backup.

03Option B: plain Node.js on Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04

1. Node.js 22.12 or newer. Tested on Node.js 22 and 26 (LTS); the Docker image uses Node.js 26:

   curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_26.x | sudo -E bash -
   sudo apt install -y nodejs
   node --version

2. ffmpeg, the emoji font, and the tools to build the database driver if no prebuilt one fits:

   sudo apt install -y ffmpeg fonts-noto-color-emoji python3 make g++

3. Google Chrome (amd64 servers):

   wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
   sudo apt install -y ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

   The server finds Chrome at /usr/bin/google-chrome-stable, /usr/bin/google-chrome, /usr/bin/chromium or /usr/bin/chromium-browser. Anywhere else, set CHROME_PATH in .env. ffmpeg and ffprobe are looked up on the PATH; set FFMPEG_PATH and FFPROBE_PATH if they live elsewhere.

4. Install and build Channelsmith:

   cd /opt/channelsmith
   npm ci
   cp .env.example .env      # then edit it as in Option A, step 3
   npm run build
   npm start

   The log prints the address and the console's one-time setup code. Stop it with Ctrl+C once it works and run it as a service:

5. A systemd service, /etc/systemd/system/channelsmith.service:

   [Unit]
   Description=Channelsmith
   After=network.target
   
   [Service]
   WorkingDirectory=/opt/channelsmith
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/node dist/src/server/index.js
   Restart=always
   User=studio
   Environment=NODE_ENV=production
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target

   sudo useradd --system --home /opt/channelsmith studio
   sudo chown -R studio:studio /opt/channelsmith
   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl enable --now channelsmith
   journalctl -u channelsmith -f        # the log, with the setup code

   The server reads .env from its folder by itself.

04https with Caddy

sudo apt install -y caddy

/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:

studio.your-agency.com {
    request_body {
        max_size 500MB
    }
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8787
}

sudo systemctl reload caddy

Caddy gets the certificate by itself. Keep TRUST_PROXY_HOPS=1 in .env so rate limits see the visitor's address. The body size matters for people who upload their own footage.

05Settings in .env

Check the result in the console under System health: Chrome, ffmpeg, free disk and the keys are all listed there.