Open Source Digital Signage Software
Self-hosted CMS and media player for digital signage. Run it on your own server, on hardware you already own.
Garlic-Player has been running on around 2000+ screens in production since 2020.
What it looks like
Try it in one command
docker run -p 8090:80 sagiadinos/garlic-hub
Then open http://localhost:8090
Demo login: admin / Demo1234!
AGPL-3.0 · no account · no telemetry · persistent setup with volumes
Prefer not to set this up yourself?
Professional support is available.
Plan in the browser, play on any screen
You plan everything in Garlic-Hub from any browser. Garlic-Player downloads it and keeps playing, even when the connection drops.
Garlic-Hub — Digital Signage CMS
Media library, drag-and-drop playlist composer, multi-zone layouts, scheduling and device management. PHP, runs in Docker, fully self-hosted.
Garlic-Player — SMIL Media Player
Plays SMIL 3.0 playlists from any source. Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and Raspberry Pi. Multiple screens and overlapping zones.
Why GarlicSignage instead of a cloud service
Not just open source, no vendor protocol either
Most signage systems, even open source ones, define their own protocol between CMS and player. GarlicSignage uses SMIL, a W3C standard with independent implementations.
Swap the CMS, keep the players
Hub and Player talk over SMIL, a W3C standard. The management layer is not welded to the player. Replace the CMS without touching a single screen, or drive Garlic-Player from any other SMIL-compatible system. That is the one thing a proprietary stack will never let you do.
Runs on hardware you already have
Raspberry Pi, x86 Linux boxes, Windows machines, Android players, enterprise signage hardware. The CMS runs in Docker on-premise, in your cloud, or hybrid. No per-device licence, no screen count limit, no subscription.
Open source without the asterisk
AGPL-3.0 for the core, MIT for the widgets. No open core model, no paid feature gates, no telemetry, no tracking, no ads. Support comes from the developer, not from a chatbot.
Built in the field
Developed by the maker of a commercial SMIL CMS that has managed hundreds of players in production since 2012. Garlic-Player has been developed in the open since 2016.
Extend it
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a server?
For the CMS, yes: any machine that runs Docker, including a NAS or a Raspberry Pi. The player itself runs standalone and can even read a SMIL playlist from a USB stick without any server at all.
Is it really free?
Yes. All of it, for any number of screens, commercial use included. There is no hosted paid tier and no upsell. Development is funded through GitHub Sponsors, consulting, and commercial support contracts.
Is professional support available?
Yes. smil-control.com offers paid support, rollout planning, custom development and SMIL integration work. It is run by the same developer who maintains GarlicSignage, so support does not go through a ticket funnel to someone who has never seen the code. Nothing in the software is gated behind it: the free version is the full version.
Does it work with players other than Garlic-Player?
Yes. Garlic-Hub exports standard SMIL, so any SMIL 3.0 compatible player works, including IAdea devices and other commercial hardware.
Can I run it on a Raspberry Pi?
Yes. Garlic-Player runs on Raspberry Pi 3 and up, including four simultaneous video zones. Raspberry Pi setup tutorial.