What is this?
Piik is a free, open-source screen sharing tool for game streaming, movie nights, drawings and photos. You share a screen, window, tab or camera, friends join through a link in their browser, and you can self-host the whole thing.
Piik is a free, open-source screen sharing tool for game streaming, movie nights, drawings and photos. You share a screen, window, tab or camera, friends join through a link in their browser, and you can self-host the whole thing.Is this a browser site, a desktop app, or a server I run myself?It is all three in one project: a hosted online site, a downloadable desktop App (Windows/macOS/Linux) for sharing, and a standalone Piik Server binary you can self-host with a web UI, room management and optional media forwarding built in.
It is all three in one project: a hosted online site, a downloadable desktop App (Windows/macOS/Linux) for sharing, and a standalone Piik Server binary you can self-host with a web UI, room management and optional media forwarding built in.How do I start watching or sharing?To watch, just open the invitation link a friend sends and press Play. To share, download Piik App, extract it, choose Public invite, then Open Piik to create a temporary room — or share without installing anything by creating a room in the online version.
To watch, just open the invitation link a friend sends and press Play. To share, download Piik App, extract it, choose Public invite, then Open Piik to create a temporary room — or share without installing anything by creating a room in the online version.What do I need to self-host Piik Server?You need a Linux x64 server with your own domain, plus an HTTPS reverse proxy and a STUN address configured for a public site; the Linux Server package is a tar.gz you extract and run, and room data is stored in SQLite.
You need a Linux x64 server with your own domain, plus an HTTPS reverse proxy and a STUN address configured for a public site; the Linux Server package is a tar.gz you extract and run, and room data is stored in SQLite.Does the sharing connection always work on all platforms?Windows App and desktop browser sharing are the only paths tested so far; macOS and Linux apps haven't been tested on real devices yet, and P2P-only modes (temporary public links, the online version) may fail to connect on restrictive networks.
Windows App and desktop browser sharing are the only paths tested so far; macOS and Linux apps haven't been tested on real devices yet, and P2P-only modes (temporary public links, the online version) may fail to connect on restrictive networks.Who can watch a stream, and how many people fit in a room?Anyone can watch — up to 20 viewers join through an invitation link, room code, or optional password, in a desktop or mobile browser, with no install needed on the viewer side.
Anyone can watch — up to 20 viewers join through an invitation link, room code, or optional password, in a desktop or mobile browser, with no install needed on the viewer side.Which platforms can run the Piik App or Server?The App ships for Windows x64, Apple Silicon macOS (13+ for native capture) and Linux x64; the self-hosted Server currently only has a Linux x64 build.
The App ships for Windows x64, Apple Silicon macOS (13+ for native capture) and Linux x64; the self-hosted Server currently only has a Linux x64 build.Does my video traffic pass through a server, or does it stay between me and my friends?Piik tries direct peer-to-peer connections first so media travels straight between participants; a self-hosted server can act as a fallback SFU (media forwarding) only when a direct connection isn't possible.
Piik tries direct peer-to-peer connections first so media travels straight between participants; a self-hosted server can act as a fallback SFU (media forwarding) only when a direct connection isn't possible.Does the browser-based viewer need HTTPS?Yes, browser capture (sharing from a browser tab) requires HTTPS or localhost, so an unsecured plain HTTP page will not be able to capture a screen.
Yes, browser capture (sharing from a browser tab) requires HTTPS or localhost, so an unsecured plain HTTP page will not be able to capture a screen.Can I put the self-hosted server in a container?Yes, a Docker Compose setup is provided for containerized deployments of Piik Server.
Yes, a Docker Compose setup is provided for containerized deployments of Piik Server.What can I actually share besides my screen?You can share a full screen, a specific window, a browser tab or a camera; the exact available sources and audio options depend on the platform you're sharing from.
You can share a full screen, a specific window, a browser tab or a camera; the exact available sources and audio options depend on the platform you're sharing from.Does Piik support languages other than English?Yes, it follows your system language and currently supports Chinese and English (with English as the fallback), switchable from the header.
Yes, it follows your system language and currently supports Chinese and English (with English as the fallback), switchable from the header.Which topics is it in?live-streaming, remote-desktop, webrtc, p2p, reverse-proxy, gaming, real-time, streaming, video, sqlite, browser, desktop
live-streaming, remote-desktop, webrtc, p2p, reverse-proxy, gaming, real-time, streaming, video, sqlite, browser, desktop