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OpenCut (prev AppCut)

A free, open-source video editor for web, desktop, and mobile.

Why?

Privacy: Your videos stay on your device
Free features: Every basic feature of CapCut is paywalled now
Simple: People want editors that are easy to use - CapCut proved that

Features

Timeline-based editing
Multi-track support
Real-time preview
No watermarks or subscriptions
Analytics provided by Databuddy, 100% Anonymized & Non-invasive.

Project Structure

apps/web/ – Main Next.js web application
src/components/ – UI and editor components
src/hooks/ – Custom React hooks
src/lib/ – Utility and API logic
src/stores/ – State management (Zustand, etc.)
src/types/ – TypeScript types

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

Bun
Docker and Docker Compose
Node.js (for npm alternative)

Setup

Fork the repository
Clone your fork locally
Navigate to the web app directory: cd apps/web
Install dependencies: bun install
Start the development server: bun dev

Development Setup

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
Bun (latest version)
Docker (for local database)

Local Development

Start the database and Redis services:

# From project root
docker-compose up -d

Navigate to the web app directory:
```
cd apps/web
```

Copy .env.example to .env.local:

# Unix/Linux/Mac
cp .env.example .env.local

# Windows Command Prompt
copy .env.example .env.local

# Windows PowerShell
Copy-Item .env.example .env.local

Configure required environment variables in .env.local:

Required Variables:

# Database (matches docker-compose.yaml)
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://opencut:opencutthegoat@localhost:5432/opencut"

# Generate a secure secret for Better Auth
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET="your-generated-secret-here"
BETTER_AUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000"

# Redis (matches docker-compose.yaml)
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL="http://localhost:8079"
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN="example_token"

# Development
NODE_ENV="development"

Generate BETTER_AUTH_SECRET:

# Unix/Linux/Mac
openssl rand -base64 32

# Windows PowerShell (simple method)
[System.Web.Security.Membership]::GeneratePassword(32, 0)

# Cross-platform (using Node.js)
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('base64'))"

# Or use an online generator: https://generate-secret.vercel.app/32

Run database migrations: bun run db:migrate from (inside apps/web)
Start the development server: bun run dev from (inside apps/web)

The application will be available at http://localhost:3000.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! While we're actively developing and refactoring certain areas, there are plenty of opportunities to contribute effectively.

🎯 Focus areas: Timeline functionality, project management, performance, bug fixes, and UI improvements outside the preview panel.

⚠️ Avoid for now: Preview panel enhancements (fonts, stickers, effects) and export functionality - we're refactoring these with a new binary rendering approach.

See our Contributing Guide for detailed setup instructions, development guidelines, and complete focus area guidance.

Quick start for contributors: