Remote Server

AN Player can connect to a standalone server running on another computer. Use this when you want plugins to run outside the Android app, for example on a desktop, laptop, mini PC, or home server.

Download server.js

Install Node.js

The server runs with Node.js. Install the current LTS version from nodejs.org, then confirm it is available:

node --version

macOS

Install Node.js from the official macOS installer, or use Homebrew:

brew install node
node --version

Linux

Install Node.js from your distribution package manager or from NodeSource. On Ubuntu or Debian, the package manager flow looks like this:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nodejs npm
node --version

If your distribution provides an old Node.js version, use the official downloads or NodeSource packages instead.

Windows

Install the Windows LTS installer from nodejs.org. After installation, open PowerShell and check:

node --version

Download The Server

Download server.js and place it in a folder that will hold the server data. The server stores installed plugins and temporary files in the storage folder you configure.

Example folder layout:

anplayer-server/
  server.js
  data/

Start The Server

Choose an auth token before starting the server. This token is required when you add the remote server in AN Player.

macOS Or Linux

mkdir -p anplayer-server/data
cd anplayer-server
ANPLAYER_SERVER_AUTH_TOKEN="change-this-token" \
ANPLAYER_SERVER_HOST="0.0.0.0" \
ANPLAYER_SERVER_PORT="5556" \
ANPLAYER_SERVER_STORAGE="./data" \
node server.js

Windows PowerShell

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force .\anplayer-server\data
Set-Location .\anplayer-server
$env:ANPLAYER_SERVER_AUTH_TOKEN = "change-this-token"
$env:ANPLAYER_SERVER_HOST = "0.0.0.0"
$env:ANPLAYER_SERVER_PORT = "5556"
$env:ANPLAYER_SERVER_STORAGE = ".\data"
node .\server.js

When the server starts, add it in AN Player with:

• Host: http://<computer-ip>:5556
• Auth token: the same token passed as ANPLAYER_SERVER_AUTH_TOKEN

Configuration

You can configure the server with environment variables or positional arguments.

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
ANPLAYER_SERVER_PORT	5556	HTTP port used by the server.
ANPLAYER_SERVER_STORAGE	Server script folder	Folder used for plugins, temporary files, and the server id.
ANPLAYER_SERVER_HOST	127.0.0.1	Address to bind. Use 0.0.0.0 to accept connections from other devices on your network.
ANPLAYER_SERVER_ID	Generated automatically	Optional stable server id. Leave empty unless you need to preserve a specific id.
ANPLAYER_SERVER_AUTH_TOKEN	Empty	Bearer token required for /api routes. Set this for any remote server.
ANPLAYER_SERVER_AUTH_THROTTLE_ATTEMPTS	10	Failed auth attempts before temporary lockout.
ANPLAYER_SERVER_AUTH_THROTTLE_TIMEOUT_MS	300000	Auth throttle window and lockout duration in milliseconds.

Positional Arguments

The same values can be passed after server.js in this order:

node server.js <port> <storagePath> <host> <serverId> <authToken> <throttleAttempts> <throttleTimeoutMs>

Example:

node server.js 5556 ./data 0.0.0.0 my-server change-this-token 10 300000

Keep The Token Private

Anyone with the auth token can use the server API. Use a long random token, keep it private, and change it if you think it was shared accidentally.

You can generate a token with Node.js:

node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('base64url'))"