PiPusher is free kiosk and display software. Put the server on any PHP web host, then point a Raspberry Pi, a Windows PC or any browser at it. You design layouts and playlists in one admin panel, and every screen plays them, even when the network goes down.
A full admin panel for your screens, content and schedules, with nothing to pay for and no cloud account to sign up for.
Each screen downloads its content, checks it against a SHA-256 hash and caches it locally. If the server or the internet goes away, the screen keeps playing from its cache, even after a reboot. Schedules still follow the screen's own clock.
Split the screen into zones that can overlap, each with its own rotating content. Choose landscape, portrait or flipped orientation without touching the display settings.
Limit each item to certain weekdays, a time window (it can cross midnight) or a date range, either one-off or repeating every year. A fallback layout plays when nothing else matches.
Change the content once for a whole group of screens, or let some screens run their own content. You can reload, sync, mute or reboot every screen in a group at once.
See what every screen is showing right now. Screenshots arrive on a schedule or when you ask for one, and each layout gets a preview picture automatically.
Each screen reports whether it is online, plus its IP, model, CPU temperature, free disk, cache size, boot time and last error. Remote commands are one click away.
Images, videos, web links, HTML pages written in the built-in editor, and ZIP bundles with your own CSS and JavaScript, all sorted into nestable folders.
Administrators have full control, and playlist editors can only change the playlists you allow. Logins can use authenticator-app 2FA with recovery codes.
Update one screen or a whole group from the admin panel. The client checks the new version before it switches, and the content keeps playing while it updates.
Download your whole system (settings, users, screens, playlists and media) as one zip. Restore it, or move it to a new host, in a single step.
The player reloads itself once a day at a time you choose, and the kiosk restarts the browser if it ever stops. Raspberry Pi screens come back by themselves after a power cut.
The server holds your content. The screens fetch it, cache it and play it full screen.
Upload the PHP app to any web host. It uses SQLite, so there is no database to set up. You manage screens, layouts, media and playlists in the browser.
PHP 8.1+ · SQLite
A single small program on the Pi or PC. It syncs with the server, downloads and checks every file, caches it, and runs a local player.
one binary · no dependencies
Chromium shows the player full screen in kiosk mode. If the browser or the agent stops, it restarts by itself, and the display stays on.
Chromium --kiosk
Turn the network off on the screen at the top of the page. A cloud-only player goes blank. A PiPusher screen keeps playing from its cache until the connection comes back, and then it catches up.
Mix and match screen types in the same network. They all appear side by side in the admin panel.
Pi 3, 4, 5 and Zero 2 W on Raspberry Pi OS (Bookworm desktop). One command installs the agent, Chromium, auto-login and kiosk autostart.
A minimal DietPi image that does nothing but run PiPusher, tuned so it runs even on a 512 MB Zero 2 W. Flash it, edit one text file, then boot.
Windows 10/11 with Chrome or Edge works just like a Pi, offline cache included. A separate package covers Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.
A smart TV, tablet or signage browser becomes a screen when you open its secret link. Nothing to install and no login. It does need a steady connection.
Start with the server, then add a client for each type of screen.
The admin panel and device API. Upload it to any PHP 8.1+ host with pdo_sqlite. It includes all the client packages, so your screens can download them straight from your own server.
The admin panel shows these commands with your server address and registration key already filled in.
pipusher-server-1.18.0.zip and upload the pipusher folder to your host, e.g. public_html/pipusher.pipusher/data/ writable by PHP.https://yourdomain.com/pipusher/ and create the admin account. You can add the sample content too.Requirements: PHP 8.1+ with pdo_sqlite (and zip for ZIP bundles and backups). Works on Apache with .htaccess and on nginx. Use HTTPS in production.
On a Pi running Raspberry Pi OS (Bookworm desktop), run the following. The Pi downloads the client straight from your server:
curl -fLo pipusher-client.tar.gz "https://example.com/pipusher/download.php?file=pi&key=KEY"
tar xzf pipusher-client.tar.gz && cd pipusher-client-*
sudo bash install.sh --server https://example.com/pipusher/ --key KEY
sudo rebootWithout --key, the screen shows a pairing code that you approve under Screens.
.img.xz for your Pi with Raspberry Pi Imager (Use custom) or balenaEtcher.pipusher.txt:SERVER=https://example.com/pipusher/
KEY=registration key
NAME=Reception
WIFI_SSID=Office
WIFI_KEY=secret
WIFI_COUNTRY=DKUnpack the Windows package and run this as a normal user (not administrator):
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File install.ps1 -Server https://example.com/pipusher/ -Key KEYPiPusher starts at every login and adds PiPusher and Stop PiPusher to the Start menu. Turn on automatic sign-in for a dedicated screen PC, so it comes back after a power cut.
https://example.com/pipusher/play.php?screen=TOKENTo roll out many screens, use a self-registration link (Settings → Web player). Every browser that opens it adds itself as a new screen.
Yes. There's no licence fee, no per-screen fee and no account to create. You host the server yourself, so your content and data stay with you.
Any web host with PHP 8.1 or newer and the pdo_sqlite extension. Ordinary shared hosting works. There is no MySQL or other database server to set up, because everything lives in a single SQLite file.
Raspberry Pi and Windows screens keep playing from their local cache, even after a reboot, and playlist schedules keep running on the screen's own clock. External web pages are skipped while the screen is offline. Browser-only web screens do need a connection.
Pi 3, 4, 5 and Zero 2 W with Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm (desktop) or newer. The ready-made DietPi image also covers Pi 2 v1.2 and Pi 400. The original Pi 1 and Pi Zero (armv6) are not supported.
Yes. Each layout has an orientation (landscape, portrait, or either one flipped). PiPusher rotates the player itself, so you don't have to change the display settings on the device.
Yes. HTML pages and ZIP bundles are ordinary HTML/CSS/JavaScript, so they can fetch live data. The included Weather sample shows how to do it, and how to fall back to the last values while offline.
Each screen signs every request with its own device key. Admin logins can require two-factor authentication. The data folder is protected from direct download, and the built-in diagnostics page checks this for you. Use HTTPS in production.
Upload the new server files over the old ones, because your data and config aren't in the zip. Then click Update client on a screen or a group, and the screens update themselves without stopping playback.
Download PiPusher and have your first screen running today.