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Introduction

This guide will walk you through creating your first series, adding seasons and episodes, and uploading media content in MediaStream.
Make sure you’ve completed the installation before proceeding.

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Create Your Account

1

Register a new account

Navigate to http://localhost:8000 and click Register.Fill in your account details:
  • Name
  • Email address
  • Password (minimum 8 characters)
# Default registration is enabled via Laravel Fortify
# Registration can be disabled in config/fortify.php
2

Verify your email (optional)

If email verification is enabled, check your email and click the verification link.For local development, check the logs:
php artisan pail
3

Access the dashboard

After logging in, you’ll be redirected to the dashboard at /dashboard.

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Create Your First Series

1

Navigate to Series Management

From the dashboard, click Series or navigate to /series.
2

Create a new series

Click Create Series and fill in the details:
  • Title: The name of your series (e.g., “Breaking Bad”)
  • Description: A brief overview of the series
  • Release Year: When the series was released
  • Status: Active or Inactive
The series controller is located at:
app/Http/Controllers/Web/SeriesController.php
3

Upload series artwork

Add a poster or thumbnail image for your series. Supported formats include:
  • JPG/JPEG
  • PNG
  • WebP

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Add Seasons

1

Open your series

Click on the series you just created to view its details.
2

Add a season

Click Add Season and provide:
  • Season Number: Sequential number (e.g., 1, 2, 3)
  • Title: Optional season title
  • Description: Season overview
  • Release Date: When this season was released
Routes are defined in routes/web.php:26-30:
Route::resource('series.seasons', SeasonController::class)
    ->parameters([
        'series' => 'showId',
        'seasons' => 'seasonId',
    ]);

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Add Episodes (Chapters)

1

Navigate to the season

Click on the season to view episode management.
2

Create an episode

Click Add Episode and enter:
  • Episode Number: Sequential number within the season
  • Title: Episode title
  • Description: Episode synopsis
  • Duration: Length in minutes
  • Air Date: When the episode aired
Episodes are referred to as “chapters” in the codebase (ChapterController).
3

Upload video content

For each episode, you can:
  1. Upload video files directly
  2. Provide external video URLs
  3. Link to existing media in your library
Media uploads are handled by:
app/Http/Controllers/Web/Media/MediaContoller.php

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Upload Media

MediaStream provides a centralized media library:
1

Access Media Library

Navigate to /medias to view all uploaded media files.
2

Upload new media

Click Upload Media and select your video file.Supported formats:
  • MP4
  • WebM
  • OGG
Large video files may take time to upload. Ensure your PHP configuration allows sufficient upload size and execution time.
3

Manage media metadata

After upload, you can:
  • Edit media title and description
  • Add tags for organization
  • Set thumbnail images
  • Link media to episodes

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Configure Application Settings

Customize MediaStream to fit your needs:
1

Access settings

Click your profile icon and select Settings.Settings routes are defined in:
routes/settings.php
2

Available settings

Configure:
  • Profile: Update name, email, password
  • Theme: Toggle between light and dark mode
  • Two-Factor Authentication: Enable 2FA for enhanced security
  • API Tokens: Generate tokens for API access

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Understanding the Architecture

MediaStream is built with:

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Frontend Stack

  • Vue 3: Progressive JavaScript framework
  • Inertia.js: Modern monolith architecture
  • TypeScript: Type-safe JavaScript
  • Tailwind CSS: Utility-first styling
  • Vite: Fast build tool with HMR
Entry point: 
// resources/js/app.ts
import { createInertiaApp } from '@inertiajs/vue3';
import { resolvePageComponent } from 'laravel-vite-plugin/inertia-helpers';

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Backend Stack

  • Laravel 12: PHP framework
  • Fortify: Authentication system
  • SQLite/MySQL: Database
  • Queue System: Background job processing
Routes structure: 
// routes/web.php
Route::middleware('auth')->group(function () {
    Route::resource('series', SeriesController::class);
    Route::resource('series.seasons', SeasonController::class);
    Route::resource('series.seasons.chapters', ChapterController::class);
    Route::resource('medias', MediaContoller::class);
});

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Development Workflow

1

Start development server

Use the convenient dev command that starts all services:
composer run dev
This runs concurrently:
  • Laravel server (php artisan serve)
  • Queue worker (php artisan queue:listen)
  • Log viewer (php artisan pail)
  • Vite dev server (npm run dev)
2

Watch for changes

Vite provides Hot Module Replacement (HMR) for instant updates:
  • Edit Vue components in resources/js/
  • Modify styles in resources/css/
  • Changes reflect immediately in the browser
3

Run tests

Execute the test suite:
composer run test
MediaStream uses Pest PHP for testing:
# Run specific test file
php artisan test tests/Feature/SeriesTest.php

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Code Quality Tools

MediaStream includes several code quality tools:

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Backend (PHP)

# Fix code style with Laravel Pint
vendor/bin/pint

# Run static analysis
vendor/bin/phpstan analyse

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Frontend (JavaScript/TypeScript)

# Lint code
npm run lint

# Format code with Prettier
npm run format

# Check formatting
npm run format:check

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API Access

MediaStream provides a RESTful API for programmatic access: 
# API routes are defined in routes/api.php
# Generate an API token in Settings > API Tokens
Example API request: 
curl -X GET http://localhost:8000/api/series \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"
See the API Reference for complete API documentation.

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Next Steps

Configuration

Learn about environment variables and advanced configuration

Series Management

Deep dive into managing series, seasons, and episodes

User Authentication

Configure authentication, 2FA, and user management

Architecture

Understand MediaStream’s technical architecture

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Common Tasks

Currently, episodes must be uploaded individually through the UI. For bulk operations, consider using:
  1. Laravel Tinker for manual database operations
  2. Custom artisan commands
  3. The REST API with a script
Theme preferences are stored per-user. Initialize the theme in:
// resources/js/app.ts:29
initializeTheme();
Theme state is managed in resources/js/composables/useAppearance.ts
Configure Fortify features in config/fortify.php:
'features' => [
    Features::registration(),
    Features::resetPasswords(),
    Features::emailVerification(),
    Features::updateProfileInformation(),
    Features::updatePasswords(),
    Features::twoFactorAuthentication(),
],
  1. Create a migration to add database columns
  2. Update the Series model in app/Models/
  3. Modify the SeriesController validation rules
  4. Update the Vue form component in resources/js/pages/

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