> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kernelmedia.tv/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Self-hosted Live TV, movies, and TV shows for your own network

Kernel is a self-hosted media server for Live TV, movies, and TV shows. Point it at your library and/or an IPTV source, and stream to Roku, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android, iOS, and the web. Kernel direct plays when a client can handle the file, and transcodes when it can't.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Get a server running in a few minutes with Docker.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Install & Update" icon="download" href="/install/docker">
    Docker, Linux packages, or a release zip. Pick what fits your setup.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Using the Apps" icon="tv" href="/apps/index">
    Download links, sign-in, and remote/keyboard controls for every client.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/introduction">
    Authenticate and build against the client-facing HTTP API.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pro & Lifetime Features" icon="star" href="/pro-features">
    What's free, what needs a license, and how to unlock it.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What Kernel does

* **Movie & TV libraries**: scans your files, enriches them with TMDB metadata, and organizes them into browsable libraries.
* **Live TV & EPG**: pulls channels and a program guide from Xtream Codes, M3U, or HDHomeRun sources.
* **Direct play first**: Kernel only transcodes when a client can't play the source directly, preserving quality and saving CPU.
* **Remote transcoding** (Pro/Lifetime): offload transcode work to one or more separate transcoder nodes on your network.
* **Per-user accounts**: admin-managed users with per-library access control and personal favorites.

## Where to go next

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Install the server" icon="server" href="/install/docker" />

  <Card title="Set up a remote transcoder" icon="microchip" href="/transcoder/install" />

  <Card title="Sign in on an app" icon="right-to-bracket" href="/apps/signing-in" />

  <Card title="Browse the API" icon="plug" href="/api-reference/introduction" />
</Columns>


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