Frequently Asked Questions

StreamVault is a complete, self-hosted streaming platform solution that lets you build and manage your own Netflix-like service. It includes content management, user management, subscription billing, analytics, and a beautiful responsive frontend.

StreamVault is designed for content creators, media companies, educational institutions, and businesses that want to deliver video content to their audience through a branded, professional platform they fully control.

StreamVault is built with Next.js 16, React 19, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS v4, Prisma ORM, and PostgreSQL. The frontend uses framer-motion for animations and lucide-react for icons. It supports deployment on Vercel, Docker, or any Node.js hosting provider.

StreamVault offers both open-source and commercial licenses. The core platform is available under the MIT license on GitHub. Enterprise features like multi-tenancy, DRM, and priority support are available through our commercial plans.

Yes! Free plan users get community support via GitHub Discussions. Paid plans include email support with guaranteed response times. Enterprise customers get dedicated account managers and 24/7 priority support.

We release updates every two weeks with bug fixes and improvements. Major feature releases happen quarterly. All updates are backward-compatible and can be applied with a single command.

StreamVault requires Node.js 20 or later, PostgreSQL 14+ (or MySQL 8+), and at least 2GB of RAM. For production, we recommend 4GB+ RAM and SSD storage. A CDN is recommended for serving video content at scale.

Installation is straightforward: clone the repository, copy the .env.example file, configure your database connection, run 'npx prisma migrate deploy' to set up the database, and start the server with 'npm run dev'. Full instructions are in our documentation.

StreamVault officially supports PostgreSQL (recommended) and MySQL. SQLite is available for development and testing purposes. The Prisma ORM makes it easy to switch between databases if needed.

Yes! We provide official Docker images and a docker-compose.yml file that sets up StreamVault along with PostgreSQL and Redis in a single command. Docker is the recommended deployment method for production.

StreamVault requires Node.js runtime, so traditional shared hosting (PHP-based) is not supported. However, you can use affordable VPS providers like DigitalOcean, Hetzner, or Railway. Vercel deployment is also supported for the frontend.

Yes, we provide migration scripts for several popular platforms. You can also use our CSV/JSON import feature to bulk import content metadata. Our team can assist with custom migrations for Enterprise customers.

StreamVault supports MP4, MKV, AVI, WebM, MOV, and FLV video formats. Audio supports MP3, AAC, FLAC, and OGG. Subtitles support SRT, VTT, and ASS formats. Automatic transcoding converts uploads to HLS/DASH for adaptive streaming.

Yes! StreamVault includes live streaming capabilities via RTMP ingest. You can create live channels, schedule live events, and viewers can watch in real-time with low-latency playback. DVR (time-shift) functionality is also supported.

We integrate with Stripe (recommended), PayPal, Razorpay, Paddle, and Paystack. Each gateway supports recurring subscriptions, one-time purchases, and webhook notifications. Adding custom payment gateways is possible through our plugin system.

Absolutely. StreamVault supports full internationalization (i18n) with RTL layout support. The UI is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Hindi, and more. Adding new languages requires only a JSON translation file.

StreamVault is built as a Progressive Web App (PWA) that works beautifully on mobile browsers. Native iOS and Android apps are available as add-ons for Enterprise plans, built with React Native for a consistent experience.

Yes, StreamVault provides a comprehensive REST API with full OpenAPI documentation. API access is available on Professional and Enterprise plans. The API supports authentication via API keys or OAuth2 tokens.

We offer four plans: Free (community), Starter ($29/month), Professional ($79/month), and Enterprise ($199/month). Annual billing saves 20%. Each plan includes different feature sets and support levels.

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans. If you are not satisfied, contact support within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. No questions asked. Annual plans can be refunded prorated after the first 30 days.

Yes, all plans include free updates for the duration of your subscription. This includes security patches, bug fixes, and new features. Major version upgrades may require an active subscription.

The subscription price covers the StreamVault software. You will need to separately cover hosting, domain, CDN, and storage costs. We provide cost estimates and recommended providers in our documentation.

Yes, Enterprise plans support unlimited team members with role-based access. Starter and Professional plans include up to 3 and 10 admin users respectively. Additional admin seats can be purchased separately.

Absolutely. For large organizations, educational institutions, or non-profits, we offer custom pricing packages. Contact our sales team to discuss your requirements and get a tailored quote.

StreamVault is designed to scale horizontally. You can run multiple application instances behind a load balancer. Database read replicas, Redis caching, and CDN integration ensure your platform can handle millions of users.

StreamVault has built-in CDN configuration for AWS CloudFront, Cloudflare, and BunnyCDN. Simply add your CDN credentials to the environment variables and enable CDN in the admin panel. Video files are automatically served through the CDN.

Yes! StreamVault uses Tailwind CSS v4 with CSS custom properties for theming. You can customize colors, fonts, and layouts through the admin panel or by editing the theme configuration file. Multiple themes can be created and switched dynamically.

Full API documentation is available at /api/docs on your StreamVault installation (powered by Swagger UI). You can also access the OpenAPI specification at /api/docs/openapi.json for code generation and testing tools like Postman.

Yes, you can configure webhooks for events like user registration, subscription changes, content uploads, and payment events. Webhooks include HMAC signatures for verification and support retry with exponential backoff.

StreamVault includes built-in performance optimizations: server-side rendering, image optimization, lazy loading, code splitting, and database query optimization. For additional gains, enable Redis caching, use a CDN, and configure database connection pooling.