local-transcription/server/COMPARISON.md

# Multi-User Server Comparison

## TL;DR: Which Should You Use?

| Situation | Recommended Solution |
|-----------|---------------------|
| **Shared hosting (cPanel, etc.)** | **PHP Polling** (display-polling.php) |
| **VPS or cloud server** | **Node.js** (best performance) |
| **Quick test/demo** | **PHP Polling** (easiest) |
| **Production with many users** | **Node.js** (most reliable) |
| **No server access** | Use local-only mode |

## Detailed Comparison

### 1. PHP with SSE (Original - server.php + display.php)

**Status:** ⚠️ **PROBLEMATIC** - Not recommended

**Problems:**
- PHP-FPM buffers output (SSE doesn't work)
- Apache/Nginx proxy timeouts
- Shared hosting often blocks long connections
- High resource usage (one PHP process per viewer)

**When it might work:**
- Only with specific Apache configurations
- Not on shared hosting with PHP-FPM
- Requires `ProxyTimeout` settings

**Verdict:** ❌ Avoid unless you have full server control and can configure Apache properly

---

### 2. PHP with Polling (NEW - display-polling.php)

**Status:** ✅ **RECOMMENDED for PHP**

**Pros:**
- ✅ Works on ANY shared hosting
- ✅ No buffering issues
- ✅ No special configuration needed
- ✅ Simple to deploy (just upload files)
- ✅ Uses standard HTTP requests

**Cons:**
- ❌ Higher latency (1-2 seconds)
- ❌ More server requests (polls every second)
- ❌ Slightly higher bandwidth

**Performance:**
- Latency: 1-2 seconds
- Max users: 20-30 concurrent viewers
- Resource usage: Moderate

**Best for:**
- Shared hosting (cPanel, Bluehost, etc.)
- Quick deployment
- Small to medium groups

**Setup:**
```bash
# Just upload these files:
server.php
display-polling.php  # ← Use this instead of display.php
config.php
```

**OBS URL:**
```
https://your-site.com/transcription/display-polling.php?room=ROOM&fade=10
```

---

### 3. Node.js Server (NEW - server/nodejs/)

**Status:** ⭐ **BEST PERFORMANCE**

**Pros:**
- ✅ Native WebSocket support
- ✅ Real-time updates (< 100ms latency)
- ✅ Handles 100+ concurrent connections easily
- ✅ Lower resource usage
- ✅ No buffering issues
- ✅ Event-driven architecture

**Cons:**
- ❌ Requires VPS or cloud server
- ❌ Need to install Node.js
- ❌ More setup than PHP

**Performance:**
- Latency: < 100ms
- Max users: 500+ concurrent
- Resource usage: Very low (~50MB RAM)

**Best for:**
- Production deployments
- Large groups (10+ streamers)
- Professional use
- Anyone with a VPS

**Setup:**
```bash
cd server/nodejs
npm install
npm start
```

**Free hosting options:**
- Railway.app (free tier)
- Heroku (free tier)
- Fly.io (free tier)
- Any $5/month VPS (DigitalOcean, Linode)

**OBS URL:**
```
http://your-server.com:3000/display?room=ROOM&fade=10
```

---

## Feature Comparison Matrix

| Feature | PHP SSE | PHP Polling | Node.js |
|---------|---------|-------------|---------|
| **Real-time** | ⚠️ Should be, but breaks | ⚠️ 1-2s delay | ✅ < 100ms |
| **Reliability** | ❌ Buffering issues | ✅ Very reliable | ✅ Very reliable |
| **Shared Hosting** | ❌ Usually fails | ✅ Works everywhere | ❌ Needs VPS |
| **Setup Difficulty** | 🟡 Medium | 🟢 Easy | 🟡 Medium |
| **Max Users** | 10 | 30 | 500+ |
| **Resource Usage** | High | Medium | Low |
| **Latency** | Should be instant, but... | 1-2 seconds | < 100ms |
| **Cost** | $5-10/month hosting | $5-10/month hosting | Free - $5/month |

---

## Migration Guide

### From PHP SSE to PHP Polling

**Super easy - just change the URL:**

Old:
```
https://your-site.com/transcription/display.php?room=ROOM
```

New:
```
https://your-site.com/transcription/display-polling.php?room=ROOM
```

Everything else stays the same! The desktop app doesn't need changes.

---

### From PHP to Node.js

**1. Deploy Node.js server** (see server/nodejs/README.md)

**2. Update desktop app settings:**

Old (PHP):
```
Server URL: https://your-site.com/transcription/server.php
```

New (Node.js):
```
Server URL: http://your-server.com:3000/api/send
```

**3. Update OBS browser source:**

Old (PHP):
```
https://your-site.com/transcription/display.php?room=ROOM
```

New (Node.js):
```
http://your-server.com:3000/display?room=ROOM&fade=10
```

---

## Testing Your Setup

### Test PHP Polling

1. Upload files to server
2. Visit: `https://your-site.com/transcription/server.php`
   - Should see JSON response
3. Visit: `https://your-site.com/transcription/display-polling.php?room=test`
   - Should see "🟡 Waiting for data..."
4. Send a test message:
   ```bash
   curl -X POST "https://your-site.com/transcription/server.php?action=send" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{
       "room": "test",
       "passphrase": "testpass",
       "user_name": "TestUser",
       "text": "Hello World",
       "timestamp": "12:34:56"
     }'
   ```
5. Display should show "Hello World" within 1-2 seconds

### Test Node.js

1. Start server: `npm start`
2. Visit: `http://localhost:3000`
   - Should see JSON response
3. Visit: `http://localhost:3000/display?room=test`
   - Should see "⚫ Connecting..." then "🟢 Connected"
4. Send test message (same curl as above, but to `http://localhost:3000/api/send`)
5. Display should show message instantly

---

## Troubleshooting

### PHP Polling Issues

**"Status stays yellow"**
- Room doesn't exist yet
- Send a message from desktop app first

**"Gets 500 error"**
- Check PHP error logs
- Verify `data/` directory is writable

**"Slow updates (5+ seconds)"**
- Increase poll interval: `?poll=500` (500ms)
- Check server load

### Node.js Issues

**"Cannot connect"**
- Check firewall allows port 3000
- Verify server is running: `curl http://localhost:3000`

**"WebSocket failed"**
- Check browser console for errors
- Try different port
- Check reverse proxy settings if using Nginx

---

## Recommendations by Use Case

### Solo Streamer (Local Only)
**Use:** Built-in web server (no multi-user server needed)
- Just run the desktop app
- OBS: `http://localhost:8080`

### 2-3 Friends on Shared Hosting
**Use:** PHP Polling
- Upload to your existing web hosting
- Cost: $0 (use existing hosting)
- Setup time: 5 minutes

### 5+ Streamers, Want Best Quality
**Use:** Node.js on VPS
- Deploy to Railway.app (free) or DigitalOcean ($5/month)
- Real-time updates
- Professional quality

### Large Event/Convention
**Use:** Node.js on cloud
- Deploy to AWS/Azure/GCP
- Use load balancer for redundancy
- Can handle hundreds of users

---

## Cost Breakdown

### PHP Polling
- **Shared hosting:** $5-10/month (or free if you already have hosting)
- **Total:** $5-10/month

### Node.js
- **Free options:**
  - Railway.app (500 hours/month free)
  - Heroku (free dyno)
  - Fly.io (free tier)
- **Paid options:**
  - DigitalOcean Droplet: $5/month
  - Linode: $5/month
  - AWS EC2 t2.micro: $8/month (or free tier)
- **Total:** $0-8/month

### Just Use Local Mode
- **Cost:** $0
- **Limitation:** Only shows your own transcriptions (no multi-user sync)

---

## Final Recommendation

**For most users:** Start with **PHP Polling** on shared hosting. It works reliably and is dead simple.

**If you want the best:** Use **Node.js** - it's worth the extra setup for the performance.

**For testing:** Use **local mode** (no server) - built into the desktop app.