explaingit

codeupdaterbot/streamstein

14JavaScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

A desktop app for watching and downloading movies, TV shows, and anime on Windows and Linux. Search by title, stream in a built-in player, or save episodes for offline viewing, no ads or tracking.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Stream movies
      Download for offline
      Watch anime
      Track watch history
    Content Sources
      TMDB metadata
      VidEasy VidSrc
      AniList for anime
    Tech Stack
      Electron
      Node.js
      ffmpeg
    Platforms
      Windows installer
      Linux build
    Features
      No ads
      Local library
      Customizable UI
Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Search for any movie or TV series and watch it in the built-in player without opening a browser.

USE CASE 2

Download an episode for offline viewing using the built-in downloader powered by ffmpeg.

USE CASE 3

Browse and stream anime with metadata pulled automatically from AniList.

USE CASE 4

Track what you have watched and manage downloaded files in your local library.

Tech stack

JavaScriptElectronNode.jsffmpeg

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 5min

Requires a free TMDB API key entered on first launch, Linux users also need Node.js 22.12, ffmpeg, and the companion download tool installed separately.

For personal and educational use only, the app surfaces links from third-party providers and does not host copyrighted content itself.

In plain English

StreamStein is a desktop application for streaming and downloading movies, TV shows, and anime. It runs on Windows and Linux using Electron, a technology that packages a web-based interface into a standalone app. The project describes itself as an improved fork of an earlier open-source project called Streambert. When you open StreamStein, you can search for almost any movie or TV series. The app pulls title information, descriptions, and artwork from TMDB (The Movie Database), which requires a free API key you enter once on first launch. Actual video content is sourced from third-party streaming providers (VidEasy and VidSrc), so the app itself does not store or host any video files. You can watch content directly in the built-in video player or download it for offline viewing. Downloads work by fetching the video stream's playlist file and reassembling it into a file on your computer using a companion command-line tool and ffmpeg (a widely used free video processing program). Anime is handled separately: the app detects whether a title is anime and then pulls its metadata from AniList instead of TMDB, and sources the video files from a different provider. The experience from your side is the same as for regular movies. A local library feature lets you track what you have watched and manage your downloaded files. The interface is customizable. There are no ads and no tracking built into the app itself. Installation on Windows is straightforward: download the provided .exe file from the Releases section and run it. For Linux (including Arch Linux) or if you prefer to build from source, you will need Node.js 22.12 or later, ffmpeg, and the companion download tool installed separately. The README walks through all the commands needed to build and run the app. The developer includes a legal disclaimer stating the app is for personal and educational use only, does not host any copyrighted content, and functions as an aggregator that surfaces links from third-party providers.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Help me install StreamStein on Windows. I downloaded the .exe from Releases, walk me through first launch, entering my TMDB API key, and searching for a movie to watch.
Prompt 2
I want to build StreamStein from source on Linux. What do I need installed (Node.js 22.12, ffmpeg, companion download tool) and what commands do I run to get it running?
Prompt 3
I forked StreamStein and want to add automatic subtitle downloads. Where in the Electron codebase should I add a subtitle API call alongside the existing TMDB metadata fetch?
Prompt 4
How does StreamStein download a video for offline viewing? Explain how it fetches the playlist file and uses ffmpeg to reassemble it into a local file I can play back.
Prompt 5
I want to add a new streaming provider to StreamStein alongside VidEasy and VidSrc. Where in the code do I register a new provider and wire it into the video player?
Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

← codeupdaterbot on gitmyhub — every repo by this author, as a profile.

Verify against the repo before relying on details.