Introduction

rdio is an all-in-one control room for running a single internet radio station from your own infrastructure.

It gives station operators a web admin UI for the parts of radio that usually end up spread across scripts, calendar notes, file folders, and streaming server configuration: scheduling, media, programs, hosts, live broadcast handoff, and stream delivery.

rdio is not a hosted radio platform. You run it yourself, keep control of your files and listeners, and use proven radio infrastructure underneath.

Why it exists

Internet radio stacks are powerful, but the daily operations are often scattered. You may have Icecast serving the stream, Liquidsoap handling automation, a folder of files, a calendar for shows, a separate list of hosts, and a few shell scripts that only one person understands.

rdio gives those pieces a control surface. The goal is not to replace Icecast or Liquidsoap. The goal is to make them easier to operate as a station.

What rdio does

rdio sits between your station team and the audio services that keep the stream online.

• Schedule programs and recordings by day, with blocks that can point to uploaded media or live broadcast slots.
• Manage station content including programs, hosts, media files, members, and station settings.
• Hand off to live broadcasters using BUTT or another Icecast-compatible source client.
• Keep the public stream stable while scheduled playback, fallback audio, and live inputs change behind the scenes.
• Run the stack yourself with a TypeScript admin app, Fastify API, Postgres, Liquidsoap, and Icecast.

How it works

rdio has two jobs:

1. Give station staff a web UI for managing the station.
2. Keep the audio pipeline pointed at the right source.

The audio pipeline is intentionally built on common radio tools. rdio does the application work, Liquidsoap does the playout logic, and Icecast serves the stream.

Admin UI

The web app is where administrators plan the schedule, upload media, manage programs and hosts, create members, and view live broadcast settings.

When a schedule block changes, the admin UI sends that change to the API. The API stores the station data and refreshes the active playout state.

API

The API looks at the station schedule and decides what should be active right now:

• a recorded media file
• a live broadcast window
• the fallback source

It writes that decision to a small playout state file that Liquidsoap can read. That file includes a revision, the current mode, and the target source.

Liquidsoap

Liquidsoap watches the playout state and builds the actual audio source.

• In recording mode, it plays the scheduled media file.
• In broadcast mode, it listens for a live source on the broadcast input.
• In fallback mode, it plays the configured fallback file so the station has something on air.

For live shows, a host connects with BUTT or another Icecast-compatible source client. They connect to Liquidsoap's broadcast input, not directly to the public listener mount.

Icecast

Liquidsoap publishes one stable output to Icecast at the station mount, usually /live.mp3.

Listeners keep using the same stream URL while rdio, Liquidsoap, and the station team change what is currently feeding that stream.

Admin UI
  -> API
  -> playout state
  -> Liquidsoap
  -> Icecast
  -> public stream

That separation is the main idea: rdio handles station operations, Liquidsoap handles audio switching, and Icecast handles delivery.

Core concepts

Station

rdio is currently built around one station. The station config defines the station name, timezone, stream mount, fallback source, and related defaults.

Schedule blocks

Schedule blocks describe what should happen at a specific time. A block can represent a recording, a program slot, or a live broadcast window. Updating the schedule refreshes the active playout pointer.

Media

Uploaded files can be attached to scheduled blocks. rdio keeps track of the media library and refreshes playout when media changes affect the active schedule.

Live broadcast

Live blocks tell Liquidsoap to switch to a broadcast input. A presenter connects with BUTT using the broadcast settings shown in the admin UI, while listeners stay on the same public stream URL.

Members

rdio includes authentication and member management so station administrators can create accounts and control access to the admin UI.

What rdio is good for

rdio is a fit when you want a small station control surface without giving up your infrastructure.

• A community radio station with scheduled shows and occasional live hosts.
• A studio or collective that wants one place to manage programming, media, and stream state.
• A developer-run station where the team wants to own deployment, storage, and integrations.
• A self-hosted setup that needs a friendlier layer over Liquidsoap and Icecast.

What rdio is not

rdio is not a marketplace, directory, or managed streaming service. It does not host your station for you, manage your legal obligations, or control independent deployments.

If you run rdio, you are responsible for your deployment, media, users, infrastructure, backups, stream availability, and any laws that apply to your station.

Next steps

Continue with the setup and deployment guides:

• Local Development to run rdio on your machine.
• Deployment to understand the production pieces.
• Fly.io for the first platform-specific deployment guide.