Koala
48bd503b5c
init() called updatePeerList() directly but never set lastKnownPeers. On the first PEER_UPDATE message (heartbeat, play/pause, any state change), detectPeerChanges() saw lastKnownPeers=[] and treated ALL peers including self as newly joined — triggering 'name joined the room' toast on every action while the popup was open.
KoalaSync
KoalaSync is a lightweight Browser Extension and Relay Server for synchronized video playback across any website—YouTube, Twitch, Netflix, and custom HTML5 players. Built with a focus on Data Sovereignty and Performance.
🌟 Why KoalaSync?
- 🛡️ Security-First: Volatile RAM-based relay with built-in brute-force protection and zero-persistence architecture.
- 📡 Direct Logic: Manual Socket.IO wire implementation for reliable synchronization.
- 🛠️ Clean Build: Dependency-free extension runtime with no library overhead.
- 🌐 Universal: Works on any website with a
<video>tag.
✨ Key Features
- Global Synchronization: Synchronize Play, Pause, and Seeking on any website with a
<video>tag. - Episode Auto-Sync: Perfectly sync series binges. All peers wait until everyone has loaded the next episode before starting together.
- Smart Matching: Automatically highlights tabs containing matching video titles.
- Dual Heartbeat Architecture: Robust session tracking that prevents ghost rooms and stale connections.
- Efficient Relay: Minimal overhead WebSocket message forwarding.
- Seamless Invitations: Smart links that automatically configure server and room credentials for your friends.
📂 Repository Structure
extension/: Browser Extension (Chrome & Firefox).server/: Node.js + Socket.IO Relay Server (Containerized).website/: Marketing landing page & Invitation Bridge.shared/: Single Source of Truth for protocol constants.scripts/: Automated build and synchronization utilities.docs/: Technical deep-dives (Architecture, Sync Guide).
🚀 Quick Start
For Users (Installation)
The easiest way to install KoalaSync is to download the pre-compiled version from the Releases page.
- Download the latest
koalasync-chrome.ziporkoalasync-firefox.zip. - Extract the file and load it as an "Unpacked Extension" in your browser's Developer Mode.
For Developers (Building)
To build the extension from source and synchronize protocol constants:
npm install
node scripts/build-extension.js
The compiled artifacts will be available in the dist/ directory.
For Self-Hosting (Docker)
Deploy your own private relay server using our official image:
# Pull the latest image
docker pull ghcr.io/shik3i/koalasync:latest
# Or use our example compose file
cp docker-compose.example.yml docker-compose.yml
docker-compose up -d
The server will be available at ws://localhost:3000. See docker-compose.example.yml for advanced configuration.
To connect your extension to a self-hosted server, open the popup → Room tab → select Custom Server → enter your server's WebSocket URL (e.g., ws://localhost:3000).
⚠️ Note:
ws://only works forlocalhost. If you deploy to a real domain, you must usewss://(e.g.,wss://sync.yourdomain.com). This requires a TLS-terminating reverse proxy (e.g., Caddy, Nginx, or Traefik) in front of the relay server. See Caddyfile.example for a production-ready template.
📖 Documentation & Links
- PRIVACY.md: Data Handling and Privacy Policy.
- CONTRIBUTING.md: How to help make KoalaSync better.
- HOW_IT_WORKS.md: Step-by-step walkthrough of the complete user flow.
- ARCHITECTURE.md: Deep-dive into the two-phase sync and heartbeat logic.
- SECURITY.md: Disclosure policy and security practices.
- Caddyfile.example: Production Caddy configuration for website and relay.