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

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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:

# 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

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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:

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

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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

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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.

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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

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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:

   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

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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

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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

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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)

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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.