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Open Animate is fully open source (Apache 2.0). You can run the entire platform on your own infrastructure.

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Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+
  • PostgreSQL 15+
  • A fal.ai API key (for asset generation)
  • AWS credentials with S3 + Lambda access (for cloud rendering)
  • A Stripe account (for billing, optional)
  • A Clerk application (for authentication)

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Quick start with Docker

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Start the database
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git clone https://github.com/jacobcwright/open-animate.git
cd open-animate/packages/api

docker-compose up -d
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This starts PostgreSQL 15 on port 5432.
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Configure environment
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Create .env from the example:
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cp .env.example .env
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Edit .env with your values:
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# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgres://oanim:oanim@localhost:5432/oanim

# Authentication (Clerk)
CLERK_DOMAIN=your-app.clerk.accounts.dev
CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...

# Media Gateway (fal.ai)
FAL_KEY=your-fal-ai-key

# Storage (S3-compatible)
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret
AWS_REGION=us-east-1
S3_BUCKET=oanim-renders

# Cloud rendering (Remotion Lambda)
REMOTION_FUNCTION_NAME=remotion-render-xxx

# Billing (Stripe) — optional
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_...
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_...

# Server
PORT=8000
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Start the API
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pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm start
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Point the CLI at your instance
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# Via environment variable
export ANIMATE_API_URL=http://localhost:8000

# Or via config file
# ~/.oanim/config.yaml
# api_url: http://localhost:8000
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Then use the CLI normally:
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oanim login
oanim assets gen-image --prompt "gradient" --out public/bg.png

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Environment variables

VariableRequiredDescription
DATABASE_URLYesPostgreSQL connection string
CLERK_DOMAINYesClerk OAuth domain
CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEYYesClerk publishable key for browser auth
FAL_KEYYesfal.ai API key for media gateway
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_IDFor cloud renderAWS access key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEYFor cloud renderAWS secret key
AWS_REGIONFor cloud renderAWS region (default: us-east-1)
S3_BUCKETFor cloud renderS3 bucket for render bundles and outputs
REMOTION_FUNCTION_NAMEFor cloud renderRemotion Lambda function name
STRIPE_SECRET_KEYFor billingStripe secret key
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRETFor billingStripe webhook signing secret
PORTNoServer port (default: 8000)
New users receive a $5.00 credit balance on signup. Without Stripe configured, users won’t be able to purchase additional credits, but existing balances still work.

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Direct provider keys

For asset generation without running the platform API, users can set ANIMATE_FAL_KEY to go directly to fal.ai: 
export ANIMATE_FAL_KEY=your-fal-key
oanim assets gen-image --prompt "gradient" --out bg.png
This bypasses the platform entirely — no API server, database, or auth required.

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docker-compose.yml

The included docker-compose.yml runs PostgreSQL: 
services:
  db:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: oanim
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: oanim
      POSTGRES_DB: oanim
    ports:
      - '5432:5432'
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  pgdata:

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Production considerations

For production deployments:
  • Database: Use strong passwords, enable SSL, and set up regular backups
  • Stripe webhooks: Configure the webhook endpoint at https://your-domain/api/v1/billing/webhook
  • Rate limiting: The API includes in-memory rate limiting (60 req/min for media, 10 req/min for auth). For multi-instance deployments, consider adding a Redis-backed rate limiter
  • HTTPS: Place the API behind a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy) with TLS