Gerbera

Gerbera is an open-source self-hosted media server that enables the streaming of digital media across a home network. It allows users to consume content on a variety of UPnP compatible devices and renderers. The software acts as a central hub for digital assets, broadcasting them to compatible hardware throughout a local network environment.

The software is deployed as a server application and includes a web-based user interface for management. It supports multiple operating systems, including Linux, BSD, and Mac OS X, and is compatible with x86, ARM, and MIPS architectures. Users can manage their libraries through the browser or allow the server to automatically monitor directories for new content.

Key features

• Web UI with a tree view for managing the database and file system
• Metadata extraction from MP3, OGG, AAC, M4A, FLAC, and JPG files
• Media thumbnail support and on the fly video thumbnail generation
• Flexible media format transcoding via plugins and scripts
• Automatic directory rescans using timed intervals or inotify
• User defined server layout based on extracted metadata
• Support for external URLs to serve internet content via UPnP
• Integration with last.fm for scrobbling

Written in C++, Gerbera utilizes SQLite3 for database storage by default, though it offers optional support for MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL for different storage requirements. The server uses libupnp or libnpupnp for protocol support and incorporates Duktape for scripting capabilities. It relies on various libraries for metadata handling, such as taglib for audio and libexif for images, ensuring that media is correctly categorized and searchable within the database. The architecture allows for extensibility through plugins, enabling the server to handle diverse media formats and transcoding needs.

Gerbera is designed for users who maintain local media libraries and require a standardized way to broadcast that content to network-attached hardware. It serves as a technical utility for home network media distribution via the UPnP and UPnP-AV standards.