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Choose a deployment

Who this is for: hosters (sysadmins). There are two supported ways to run this captioning stack, and both run the same three parts:

  • the speech service — turns audio into text; the only part that needs a reasonably capable computer;
  • the relay — passes caption text between browsers so an editor or audience can watch along;
  • the web UI — the editor and overlay pages your team opens in a browser.

The difference is how those parts are packaged, updated and kept running. New to these words? See Concepts in plain words.

What it is. Co-op Cloud is a toolset for self-hosting built around abra, a command line helper that reads a "recipe" describing an app. The caption-ninja recipe packages the three parts, so you deploy and manage them with a few abra commands.

Use it for: any real, internet-facing deployment. You get recipe-driven upgrades, backups and secret management instead of editing Compose files by hand.

In detail: Deploy with Co-op Cloud.

Alternative — Docker Compose (for development)

What it is. The captions-deploy repository ships Docker Compose files that build and run all three parts with one command, with Traefik in front providing HTTPS. You clone the repository onto a host you control, set the hostnames and secrets, and bring the stack up.

Use it for: development, local evaluation and testing — trying a change or rehearsing an event without touching a server. It works for self-hosting too, but you maintain it yourself.

In detail: Deploy with Docker Compose.

What you'll need either way

  • A host to run the stack on. A machine with Docker, or a host you already manage with Co-op Cloud and abra.
  • A domain name and DNS. Point records at the host so the UI, capture page and relay have stable addresses over HTTPS.
  • Decisions about the model and hardware. The speech service is the demanding part; choose a model and decide between CPU and GPU before you start. See Hardware and model quality.

Where to go next

I want to… Go to
Deploy for real with Co-op Cloud Deploy with Co-op Cloud
Develop or evaluate with Docker Compose Deploy with Docker Compose
Pick a model, CPU/GPU or worker count Hardware and model quality
Understand the words people use Concepts in plain words
Look up a term Glossary

Start small

Get a single speaker producing captions before inviting editors, adding rooms or sharing audience links. Each addition is easier to test on its own.