# AeThex Live

**A complete creator streaming platform** - Multi-channel streaming, community features, creator monetization, gaming tournaments, music/DJ tools, and enterprise streaming all in one.

![AeThex Live](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8c34bf6e-4ca1-40e5-86e8-c7a35f304bb7)

## 🎯 Platform Vision

AeThex LIVE combines the best of Twitch, YouTube Live, Discord, and creator platforms:

- 🎬 **Multi-channel Streaming** - Creators manage multiple streaming channels
- 💬 **Real-time Community** - Live chat, reactions, gifting, polls, and moderation
- 💰 **Creator Monetization** - Subscriptions, donations, tips, and direct payouts
- 🎮 **Gaming/Esports** - Tournaments, leaderboards, competitive rankings
- 🎵 **Music/DJ Studio** - Special audio features and visualization
- 📚 **Education/Enterprise** - Webinars, conferences, courses
- 🎯 **Engagement Tools** - Clips, highlights, trending content, recommendations
- 📊 **Creator Dashboard** - Analytics, viewer insights, revenue tracking

## ✨ Features (Roadmap)

### Phase 1: Foundation ✅ (Current)
- ✅ HLS video player with auto-recovery  
- ✅ Stream hosting infrastructure
- 🔄 User authentication (Clerk)
- 🔄 Basic creator profiles
- 🔄 Real-time chat with Socket.io

### Phase 2: Social & Discovery
- Multi-channel management
- Stream discovery & search
- Follow/subscribe system
- Creator recommendations

### Phase 3: Creator Tools & VOD
- VOD archives
- Clip creation & editing
- Advanced analytics
- Stream health monitoring

### Phase 4: Monetization
- Subscriptions (tiered)
- Donations/tips
- Gifting system
- Creator payouts

### Phase 5: Community & Engagement
- Live polls
- Reactions & emotes
- Channel points
- Moderation tools

### Phase 6: Gaming/Esports
- Tournaments
- Leaderboards
- Match tracking
- Competitive rankings

### Phase 7: Music/DJ Features
- DJ studio mode
- Audio visualization
- Music library
- Spotify integration

### Phase 8: Enterprise/Education
- Webinar features
- Screen sharing
- Course creation
- Certificate generation

- 🎥 **HLS Video Player** - High-quality streaming with hls.js support
- 🎨 **Sci-Fi Dark Theme** - Immersive dark theme with cyan/blue accents
- 👥 **Live Viewer Count** - Real-time viewer tracking
- 💬 **Chat Sidebar** - Interactive community chat
- 📱 **Responsive Design** - Desktop and mobile optimized

## Tech Stack

- **Framework**: Next.js 16.1.6 with TypeScript
- **Styling**: Tailwind CSS 4
- **Video Player**: hls.js for HLS streaming
- **UI**: React 19.2.3 with modern hooks

## Getting Started

### Prerequisites

- Node.js 20.x or higher
- npm, yarn, pnpm, or bun

### Installation

1. Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/AeThex-LABS/aethex.live.git
cd aethex.live
```

2. Install dependencies:
```bash
npm install
```

3. Run the development server:
```bash
npm run dev
```

4. Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) in your browser.

### Configuration

To use your own HLS stream:

1. Copy the environment template:
```bash
cp .env.example .env.local
```

2. Add your stream URL:
```env
NEXT_PUBLIC_STREAM_URL=your-hls-stream-url.m3u8
```

3. (Optional) Customize settings in `config/streaming.ts`

**📖 See [QUICKSTART.md](QUICKSTART.md) for a complete setup guide!**

## Build

Create an optimized production build:

```bash
npm run build
npm start
```

## 🚀 Making It Your Platform

This is ready to become your live streaming hub! Check out these guides:

- **[QUICKSTART.md](QUICKSTART.md)** - Get streaming in 5 minutes
- **[STREAMING_SETUP.md](STREAMING_SETUP.md)** - Full platform setup guide
- **[config/streaming.ts](config/streaming.ts)** - Configuration reference

### Ready-to-Use Features

✅ HLS video player with auto-recovery  
✅ Responsive design (mobile & desktop)  
✅ Chat sidebar UI (connect your backend)  
✅ Viewer count display  
✅ Now playing metadata  
✅ API routes for stream status & chat  

### Next Steps

1. Get a streaming provider (Cloudflare/Mux/AWS)
2. Set up OBS Studio
3. Add your stream URL to `.env.local`
4. Choose your platform and deploy
5. Point your domain to your hosting provider

## 🚀 Deployment Options

### Vercel (Recommended for Beginners)
Automatic deployments, zero config:
```bash
npm i -g vercel
vercel
```

### Railway (Full Control & Backend)
Great for custom backends and databases:
```bash
npm i -g @railway/cli
railway login
railway up
```
See [RAILWAY_DEPLOYMENT.md](RAILWAY_DEPLOYMENT.md) for detailed setup.

### Other Platforms
Next.js can deploy to AWS, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, and more. Check [Next.js deployment docs](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/building-your-application/deploying).

## Scripts

- `npm run dev` - Start development server
- `npm run build` - Create production build
- `npm start` - Start production server
- `npm run lint` - Run ESLint

## Project Structure

```
aethex.live/
├── app/
│   ├── page.tsx          # Main page component
│   ├── layout.tsx        # Root layout
│   └── globals.css       # Global styles
├── components/
│   ├── HLSPlayer.tsx     # Video player component
│   ├── ViewerCount.tsx   # Viewer counter
│   ├── NowPlaying.tsx    # Metadata display
│   └── ChatSidebar.tsx   # Chat interface
└── public/               # Static assets
```

## License

© 2026 AeThex LABS - All rights reserved

## Deploy on Vercel

[![Deploy with Vercel](https://vercel.com/button)](https://vercel.com/new/clone?repository-url=https://github.com/AeThex-LABS/aethex.live)

The easiest way to deploy is using the [Vercel Platform](https://vercel.com/new?utm_medium=default-template&filter=next.js&utm_source=create-next-app&utm_campaign=create-next-app-readme).

Check out the [Next.js deployment documentation](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/building-your-application/deploying) for more details.