JustServe Digital Signage

JustServe is a tool allowing for simple, reliable digital signage using a centralized server and allowing for multiple clients.

JustServe is perfect for expos, conferences, and symposiums interested in having direct control over their signage and aren't interested in spending money for a paid plan just to be able to control more than one screen at once. All a client needs is a web browser in order to connect to the main server, and the server itself can be lightweight enough to run on a Raspberry Pi or similar.

NOTE: JustServe is still in active development! It is recommended that users be comfortable with Linux in order to set up JustServe. It is currently not recommended for a production environment.

Requirements

• A local network or Internet access that allows for the clients to reach the server at port 3000 (or otherwise configured), and admins to reach the server at port 5500.
  • It's recommended to host the server on the Internet through a cloud service like AWS or Oracle Cloud, and use Tailscale to reach the server and unblocking port 3000 on its firewall.
• A Linux server with NodeJS/NPM installed. This can be a local Linux desktop or server, Linux cloud server/instance, or even a Raspberry Pi.
• Clients with web browsers. Raspberry Pis will work, and are recommended.

Installation

The code in this repository is the server side of JustServe. You'll need NodeJS/NPM installed in order to run the server.

• To start, download the repository, and extract the ZIP file to a convenient location.
• From there, open a new terminal or Command Prompt, and navigate to that folder.
  • To navigate in the terminal, you can use the cd command. For example, assuming you are installing on the server on a Raspberry Pi or Linux computer with the server in your Downloads folder: cd Downloads/JustServe-main
• You can then run npm install to automatically install the required dependencies.
• To start the server, run node server.

By default, you can access the configuration server at http://127.0.0.1:5500. For each station you configure, they'll have their own web site that can be navigated to. For example, Station 1 would be http://127.0.0.1:3000/index1.html and Station 2 would be http://127.0.0.1:3000/index2.html.

Configuration

You can use the configuration server to upload new images, add or remove stations, and more.