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Admin Console

The Admin Console is StreamGate's management interface for event organizers. Create streaming events, generate and distribute access codes, monitor active viewers, and control access — all from a web-based dashboard.

Accessing the Admin Console​

Navigate to /admin on your StreamGate instance:

http://localhost:3000/admin

Logging In​

Enter the admin password configured via the ADMIN_PASSWORD_HASH environment variable. The password is verified against a bcrypt hash — the plaintext password is never stored.

:::info Session persistence After logging in, your session is maintained via an encrypted HTTP-only cookie (using iron-session). You'll stay logged in until you explicitly log out or the session cookie expires. :::

Forgot Your Password?​

The admin password is set via environment variable, not stored in the database. To reset it:

# Generate a new password hash
npm run hash-password

# Update ADMIN_PASSWORD_HASH in your .env file with the new hash
# Restart the Platform App

Dashboard​

The dashboard provides an at-a-glance overview:

  • Active Events — Events currently within their start/end time window
  • Upcoming Events — Scheduled but not yet started
  • Total Tokens — Count of all generated tokens across events
  • Active Sessions — Currently watching viewers in real-time

Managing Events​

Creating an Event​

  1. Click "Create Event" from the dashboard or events list
  2. Fill in the event details:
FieldRequiredDescription
Title✅Event name displayed to viewers (e.g., "Annual Conference 2025")
Description❌Event details shown on the viewer portal
Starts At✅When the live stream begins (date + time)
Ends At✅When the live stream ends (date + time)
Access Window (hours)✅Hours after Ends At that tokens remain valid for VOD rewatch (default: 48)
Stream URL❌Override upstream URL for proxy mode (leave blank for convention-based paths)
Poster URL❌Thumbnail image URL shown before the stream starts
  1. Click "Save"

:::tip Access window The access window controls how long viewers can rewatch after the live event ends. Set to 0 for live-only events with no rewatch. Set to 168 (one week) for extended access. :::

Editing an Event​

Click on an event from the events list to view its details, then click "Edit" to modify any field. Changes take effect immediately — existing viewers may need to refresh their player.

:::warning Changing times If you shorten the event's end time, any tokens computed with the old end time will have their access window shortened accordingly. Token expiresAt is calculated as endsAt + accessWindowHours. :::

Event States​

StateMeaningAdmin Action
ActiveEvent is enabled, tokens can be usedDefault state
DeactivatedAll access suspended immediatelyToggle isActive off
ArchivedHidden from default views, access may still work if within windowToggle isArchived on

Deactivating an Event​

Deactivating an event immediately suspends all access for that event:

  • All active viewers are disconnected (within 30 seconds, as the HLS server syncs its revocation cache)
  • No new tokens can be redeemed
  • Existing tokens for this event become non-functional

To deactivate: Open the event → Click "Deactivate" (or toggle the Active switch off).

To reactivate: Open the event → Click "Activate" (or toggle the Active switch on).

Deleting an Event​

Deleting an event permanently removes it and all associated tokens. This action cannot be undone.

:::danger Permanent action Deletion cascades to all tokens and active sessions. Only delete events that are no longer needed. Consider archiving instead. :::

Managing Tokens​

Generating Tokens​

From an event's detail page:

  1. Click "Generate Tokens"
  2. Choose the quantity (1 to 500 per batch)
  3. Optionally add a label (e.g., "VIP Batch", "John Smith", "Marketing Team") — labels help you identify tokens later
  4. Click "Generate"

Tokens are created using cryptographically secure random generation (crypto.randomBytes), producing 12-character alphanumeric codes (base62: a-z, A-Z, 0-9).

:::info Batch size limit You can generate up to 500 tokens in a single batch. For larger quantities, run multiple batches. Token generation uses database transactions to ensure atomicity. :::

Token List​

The token list for each event shows all generated tokens with:

  • Code — The 12-character access code
  • Label — Admin-assigned label (if any)
  • Status — Current state (see below)
  • Created — When the token was generated
  • Redeemed — When first used (if applicable)
  • Expires — Expiration date/time

Filtering and Searching​

  • Search — Filter by token code or label
  • Status filter — Show only tokens with a specific status
  • Sort — Order by creation date, redemption date, or status

Token Statuses​

StatusIconMeaning
Unused🔵Generated but never redeemed by a viewer
Redeemed🟢Successfully used by a viewer at least once
Active🟢 (pulsing)A viewer is currently watching with this token
Expired⚫Past the access window (endsAt + accessWindowHours)
Revoked🔴Manually revoked by an admin

Revoking Tokens​

Revocation immediately blocks a token from being used:

Single Token Revocation​

  1. Find the token in the list
  2. Click the "Revoke" action
  3. Confirm the revocation

Bulk Revocation​

  1. Select multiple tokens using checkboxes
  2. Click "Revoke Selected"
  3. Confirm the bulk action

What Happens on Revocation​

  • If the viewer is currently watching, their stream stops within 30 seconds (next HLS server revocation sync cycle)
  • The token code can no longer be used to gain access
  • The revocation is synced to all HLS server instances via the revocation polling mechanism

Un-Revoking a Token​

If a token was revoked by mistake:

  1. Find the revoked token in the list
  2. Click "Un-revoke" (or "Restore")
  3. The token returns to its previous state (unused or redeemed)

:::note Revocation sync delay There is a maximum 30-second delay between revoking a token in the admin console and the HLS server blocking that token. This is by design — the HLS server polls for revocation updates every 30 seconds to avoid constant database queries. :::

Exporting Tokens​

Export your token list as a CSV file for distribution:

  1. Navigate to the event's token list
  2. Click "Export CSV"
  3. The download includes: code, label, status, created date, expiry date

:::tip Distribution workflow A typical workflow: generate a batch of tokens with labels → export as CSV → use the CSV to send personalized emails with each viewer's unique code. :::

Monitoring Active Sessions​

The admin console shows real-time session information:

  • Active Sessions count per event
  • Per-token session details: client IP, user agent, last heartbeat time
  • Session duration: how long the viewer has been watching

Force-Releasing a Session​

If a token shows as "in use" but the viewer is no longer watching (e.g., browser crashed):

  1. Find the active session in the token details
  2. Click "Release Session"
  3. The session is immediately freed, and the token can be used again

:::info Automatic cleanup Abandoned sessions are automatically cleaned up after the configured timeout (default: 60 seconds of missed heartbeats). Manual release is rarely needed. :::

Best Practices​

Before the Event​

  • Create the event well in advance
  • Generate tokens in batches with descriptive labels
  • Export and distribute tokens to your audience
  • Test with one token to verify the stream works end-to-end

During the Event​

  • Monitor active sessions to gauge viewership
  • Keep the admin console open to handle support requests
  • Have spare tokens available for last-minute attendees

After the Event​

  • Review session statistics
  • Revoke any unused tokens if not needed for VOD rewatch
  • Archive the event when the access window closes