Quick Start Guide

Get your VIMM framework up and running in under 30 minutes with this comprehensive guide.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following installed:

Required Software

• Node.js 18+ - Download here
• npm or yarn package manager
• Git for cloning repositories
• FFmpeg for media processing

System Requirements

• Memory: Minimum 4GB RAM (8GB+ recommended for production)
• Storage: 10GB+ free space
• Network: Stable internet connection
• OS: Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+), macOS, or Windows with WSL2

Install FFmpeg

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ffmpeg

# macOS (with Homebrew)
brew install ffmpeg

# For NVIDIA GPU support (Ubuntu)
sudo apt install nvidia-cuda-toolkit

Step 1: Clone the Repositories

Create a directory for your VIMM deployment and clone all three components:

mkdir vimm-deployment
cd vimm-deployment

# Clone VIMM Core (streaming server)
git clone https://github.com/VIMM-TV/vimm-core.git

# Clone VIMM Frontend (web interface)
git clone https://github.com/VIMM-TV/vimm-frontend.git

# Clone VIMM Chat (chat server)
git clone https://github.com/VIMM-TV/vimm-chat.git

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables

Each component requires environment configuration. Create the necessary `.env` files:

VIMM Core Configuration

cd vimm-core
# Create .env file (no .env.example provided in v1.0.0)

Create a .env file in the vimm-core directory with the following required variables:

# Required Variables
JWT_SECRET=your-strong-secret-key-here
HIVE_POSTING_KEY=your-hive-posting-key

# Optional Variables
SERVER_URL=http://localhost:3000
NODE_ENV=development

Configuration files are located in the config/ directory:

• config/default.js: App settings (transcoding, thumbnails, watch URL structure)
• config/hive.js: Hive blockchain settings (tags, beneficiaries)
• config/config.json: Database configuration (default: SQLite)

VIMM Frontend Configuration

The frontend is a React 19 application that connects to both VIMM Core and VIMM Chat servers. It requires Hive Keychain browser extension for authentication.

cd ../vimm-frontend
cp .env.example .env

# Server Endpoints (adjust to your deployment)
REACT_APP_VIMM_CHAT_SERVER=http://localhost:3001
REACT_APP_VIMM_CORE_SERVER=http://localhost:3000

# Optional: Override default ports
PORT=3002

VIMM Chat Configuration

cd ../vimm-chat
cp .env.example .env

# Chat Server Configuration
PORT=3001
CORE_API_URL=http://localhost:3000

# WebSocket Settings
WS_PORT=3001
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3002

Step 3: Install Dependencies

Install the required dependencies for each component:

# Install VIMM Core dependencies
cd vimm-core
npm install

# Install VIMM Frontend dependencies
cd ../vimm-frontend
npm install

# Install VIMM Chat dependencies
cd ../vimm-chat
npm install

Step 4: Initialize Database

VIMM Core uses Sequelize ORM with SQLite by default. Initialize the database with these commands:

cd vimm-core
npm run init-db

For dashboard analytics features, also create the dashboard tables:

node scripts/create-dashboard-tables.js

Step 5: Start the Services

Start each service in separate terminal windows. The order matters:

Terminal 1: Start VIMM Core

cd vimm-core
npm start

Terminal 2: Start VIMM Chat

cd vimm-chat
npm start

Terminal 3: Start VIMM Frontend

cd vimm-frontend
npm start

Step 6: Verify Installation

Check that all services are running correctly:

• VIMM Core: http://localhost:3000 - Should show API status
• VIMM Chat: http://localhost:3001 - Should show chat server status
• VIMM Frontend: http://localhost:3002 - Should show the VIMM web interface

Test the VIMM Core API with these endpoints:

# Test authentication challenge endpoint
curl http://localhost:3000/api/auth/challenge

# List active streams
curl http://localhost:3000/api/streams

# Check database connection
# The server should start without errors and log "Database synced"

Next Steps

• Generate a streaming key by authenticating with Hive Keychain in the frontend
• Configure your streaming software (OBS, etc.) to stream to rtmp://localhost:1935/live/YOUR_STREAM_KEY
• Review Configuration Reference for advanced settings (transcoding, thumbnails, HLS encryption)
• Set up SSL certificates for production deployment
• Configure Hive beneficiaries in config/hive.js
• Explore the API Reference to build custom integrations