Installation
macOS
Run Fliks as a native macOS menu-bar app, with VideoToolbox hardware acceleration and no separate dependencies to install.
What you get#
A lightweight menu-bar app that runs the Fliks server natively on macOS, with hardware transcoding through Apple's VideoToolbox, auto-detected at startup. It bundles PostgreSQL, FFmpeg and Node.js: there is nothing else to install. Requires Apple Silicon and macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer.
Install#
Download the Fliks-Server-<version>-arm64.dmg asset from the
latest release, open it and drag Fliks Server
to Applications. A film icon appears in the menu bar once it runs. Official builds are signed
with a Developer ID certificate and notarized, so Gatekeeper opens them without a warning.
What happens on launch#
- PostgreSQL 18 initializes on first run and starts on port
5433. - Node.js starts the backend on port
4848. - On the very first launch only, your browser opens
http://localhost:4848. - VideoToolbox hardware acceleration is auto-detected.
Menu bar#
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open Fliks | Opens the web UI in your default browser. |
| Start at Login | Toggles auto-start on macOS login. |
| Restart Server | Stops and restarts PostgreSQL and Node.js. |
| View Logs... | Opens the log directory in Finder. |
| Quit Fliks | Gracefully shuts down every process. |
Data locations#
| Path | Contents |
|---|---|
~/Library/Application Support/Fliks/postgresql/ |
The database cluster. |
~/Library/Application Support/Fliks/conf/ |
The auto-generated JWT secret. |
~/Library/Application Support/Fliks/data/ |
Backend working directory: artwork, avatars, backups. |
~/Library/Application Support/Fliks/logs/ |
Backend and PostgreSQL logs. |
/tmp/transcode/ |
The HLS transcode cache, ephemeral. |
On versions up to 4.1.x, in-app backups need pg_dump, which the app
doesn't bundle. They only work if a PostgreSQL client of the same major version (or newer) is
installed in /opt/homebrew/bin or /usr/local/bin.
Clean reset#
To wipe everything and start over, quit Fliks first, then in Terminal:
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/FliksFirst run#
Continue with the Quick start: open http://localhost:4848, log
in with the default account, and add your first library. Point it at any folder on disk; there's
no container mount to think about on this install method.
See also#
- Hardware acceleration for what VideoToolbox actually accelerates.
- Updating for how to move to a newer release.