# gifmachine

**Repository Path**: mirrors_salsify/gifmachine

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: gifmachine
- **Description**: a kiosk-mode webpage for posting and viewing gifs for workplace fun
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: Not specified
- **Default Branch**: master
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2020-08-19
- **Last Updated**: 2026-07-11

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

gifmachine
==========
*A Machine for Gifs*

- Need an excuse to show a gif to your coworkers? 
- Need a use for that Raspberry Pi that isn't doing anything useful?
- Need a web-scale solution to your animated gif needs?

Presenting the newest GMaaS (Gif Machine as a Service) solution for your tech company with a startup culture: **gifmachine**

![billion dollar startup idea](info/gifmachine-1.gif)

What actually is it?
--------------------
- gifmachine is a Ruby Sinatra app that provides a dirty interface for enjoying gifs with your coworkers. gifmachine provides a HTTP API for posting gifs and meme text to overlay.
- gifmachine allows your coworkers to complain about `company_x`'s broken API when it goes down and laugh as [the internet catches fire](http://istheinternetonfire.com/).
- gifmachine is designed to be run in kiosk mode on an unused computer and monitor, it's just a webpage that puts the gif meme in fullscreen.

How does it work?
-----------------
It mostly does! When it is working well...
- gifmachine uses WebSockets to send out updates to connected clients.
- gifmachine stores everything in a database (developed with Postgres, but it shouldn't be too hard to change that).
- gifmachine uses ActiveRecord to save the developer time and calories.

WebSockets?
-----------
![websockets are magic](info/gifmachine-2.gif)

## Setting up locally

1. Get [RVM](http://rvm.io/rvm/install)
2. Using RVM, install Ruby 2.6.5 `rvm install 2.6.5`
3. Run `bundle install`
4. Get Postgres 9.6 or newer
5. Create a database locally called `gifmachine` (you can run: `bundle exec rake db:create`)
6. Set your RACK_ENV (e.g. `export RACK_ENV='development'`)
7. `bundle exec rake db:migrate` to load the database schema into the database
8. Set an API password with `export GIFMACHINE_PASSWORD=foo`
9. Run `ruby app.rb` to start the server
10. Browse to `http://localhost:4567`

## Posting Gifs

Using `curl` you can post a gif and some text to register it in the `gifmachine`

```bash
curl --data 'url=http://www.example.com/somegif.gif&who=thatAmazingPerson&meme_top=herp&meme_bottom=derp&secret=yourSuperSecretPasswordFromAppRb' 'http://yourGifMachineUrl/gif'
```

## Configuring for Production

To run in production, you will need the following:

- Pass the environment variable `RACK_ENV=production`
- You will want to setup a Postgres database, and then run `bundle exec rake db:create && bundle exec rake db:migrate` against it before running the app.
- You will pass in an environment variable `DATABASE_URL` of the format `postgres://username:password@database-url:5432/database-name`
- Lastly, you will also want to set a password for the API, via the environment variable `GIFMACHINE_PASSWORD`.