OpenReel

Project Overview

OpenReel is a self-hosted media aggregation and private library client for iOS, Android, macOS and Windows. You bring your own sources; it handles collection, scraping, organization and recommendations, gathering scattered content into a library of your own. All data lives only on your devices and passes through no server.

Gather scattered sources into a library that is truly yours.

Key Features

• Multi-source aggregation: add custom sources through a unified collection interface covering movies, TV, variety, anime and documentaries, with one-click import of shared source configs
• Automatic following: subscribed shows are re-collected on schedule, with a visual task queue showing progress and failures
• Private library: complete metadata - covers, synopses, cast, episode lists and playback progress - plus FTS5 full-text search at millisecond speed, with favorites, history, dislikes and hidden types
• Smart recommendations: an interest profile built from favorites, history, ratings and dislikes scores every title personally; the longer your library, the better it gets
• Three-screen playback: desktop offers picture-in-picture, mini window, prefetch acceleration and shortcuts; mobile adds DLNA / AirPlay casting; hls.js handles HLS/m3u8 and direct links
• Interface personalization: light and dark themes, 48 color palettes, font scaling, frosted glass and sidebar layouts
• Parental control: a kids lock one-tap disables playback and purchase entries against little fingers

Target Audience

• Collectors who maintain their own sources
• Self-hosters building a private media library
• Viewers switching between desktop and phone
• Families needing a kids lock

Quick Start

1. Desktop (macOS / Windows): download the installer for your platform from Releases
2. Mobile (iOS / Android): clone the repo, run pnpm install and build it yourself
3. Import or add source configs, then start collecting and following shows

Core Advantages

• Data sovereignty: everything stays in local SQLite - no upload, no sharing; uninstalling deletes the data
• Consistent across screens: desktop and mobile share one business core, so collection and recommendation behave the same everywhere
• Search and play: full-text indexing finds a title in milliseconds and plays it from your library

System Requirements

Item	Requirement
Desktop	macOS, Windows (installers provided)
Mobile	iOS, Android (self-build)
Build deps	Node.js 20+, pnpm 10+, Rust and platform native toolchains

Notes

• Sources are added by users; the app itself bundles and distributes no content
• Desktop and mobile store data independently; a desktop library does not auto-sync to the phone
• Use it within what the law allows in your region