Appliance Mode

Bedrud is designed to run as a self-contained “appliance” for video meetings. A single executable binary packages everything needed - frontend, backend, and the LiveKit media server.

Key Features

Feature	Description
Zero external dependencies	No Node.js, Redis, or separate media server needed
Embedded media server	LiveKit binary included and managed automatically
Embedded frontend	React UI compiled and SSR pre-rendered into the Go binary
SQLite storage	No database server required
Built-in TLS	Self-signed certificates or Let’s Encrypt
Built-in installer	Configures systemd, directories, and configs

Running the Binary

Start the Bedrud Server

./bedrud --run --config config.yaml

Start the LiveKit Media Server

./bedrud --livekit --config livekit.yaml

The binary contains both the API server and the media server. Use flags to choose which to start.

Installation

Quick Install (Debian/Ubuntu)

# With Let's Encrypt TLS
sudo ./bedrud install --tls --domain meet.example.com --email admin@example.com
 
# With self-signed certificate
sudo ./bedrud install --tls --ip 1.2.3.4
 
# Plain HTTP (dev only)
sudo ./bedrud install --ip 1.2.3.4

What the Installer Does

When you run bedrud install, the following happens:

Step	Action
1	Creates directories: `/etc/bedrud`, `/var/lib/bedrud`, `/var/log/bedrud`
2	Copies binary to `/usr/local/bin/bedrud`
3	Generates config.yaml with your settings `/etc/bedrud/config.yaml`
4	Generates livekit.yaml for media server `/etc/bedrud/livekit.yaml`
5	Creates two systemd services: `bedrud.service` & `livekit.service`
6	Enables and starts both services
7	Initializes SQLite database and certificate cache

Service Architecture

After installation, two systemd services run:

flowchart LR
    BS["bedrud.service<br/>bedrud --run<br/>(API + Web UI)"]
    LS["livekit.service<br/>bedrud --livekit<br/>(WebRTC media)"]
    DB["SQLite database"]
 
    BS --> LS
    BS --> DB

Configuration Files

File	Purpose
`/etc/bedrud/config.yaml`	Main server configuration
`/etc/bedrud/livekit.yaml`	Media server configuration
`/var/lib/bedrud/bedrud.db`	SQLite database
`/var/log/bedrud/bedrud.log`	Application logs

See the Configuration Reference for all options.

Post-Installation

Create Your First Admin

Promote User to Admin

			
sudo ./bedrud user promote --email admin@example.com

Check Service Status

systemctl status bedrud livekit

View Logs

tail -f /var/log/bedrud/bedrud.log
journalctl -u bedrud -f

Uninstallation

sudo ./bedrud uninstall

This completely removes:

Systemd service files
Binary from /usr/local/bin/
Configuration in /etc/bedrud/
Data in /var/lib/bedrud/
Logs in /var/log/bedrud