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Nikolaos Sagiadinos
Nikolaos Sagiadinos

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SpicyCamCast: Lightweight Camera and Screencast Integration for JavaScript

Why I Built SpicyCamCast

While developing a new digital signage application, I needed reliable screencast and webcam recording capabilities. Existing libraries, though capable, often came with unnecessary complexity or were not clear enough. I saw an opportunity to create something more straightforward.

SpicyCamCast emerged from this need – a minimal, purpose-built library that handles media capture with minimal fuss. It's not just another webcam library; it's a practical solution born from real-world digital signage development challenges.

The result is now published on GitHub.

SpicyCamCast is a minimal JavaScript library (under 3KB) that simplifies camera and screencast integration in web applications. Built with modern JavaScript features, it provides an intuitive API for managing video streams and capturing photos.

Key Features

  • Lightweight: Less than 3KB, keeping your application bundle small
  • Modern JavaScript: Leverages ES6 classes, private fields, promises, and async/await
  • Dual Functionality: Handles both camera streams and screen recording
  • Flexible Photo Capture: Supports multiple formats (JPEG, PNG, WebP)
  • Device Management: Easy video device detection and selection

Quick Start Guide

Camera Integration


import { SpicyCam } from './src/SpicyCamCast.js';

const videoElement = document.querySelector('video');
const spicyCam = new SpicyCam(videoElement);

// Start camera stream
spicyCam.justStart()
  .then(() => console.log('Camera started'))
  .catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));

// Capture photo
const canvasElement = document.querySelector('canvas');
const photoDataUrl = spicyCam.capturePhotoAsJpeg(canvasElement);
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Screen Recording

import { SpicyCast } from './src/SpicyCamCast.js';

const videoElement = document.querySelector('video');
const spicyCast = new SpicyCast(videoElement);

spicyCast.startScreencast()
  .then(() => console.log('Screencast started'))
  .catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));
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Capturing Photo

const canvasElement = document.querySelector('canvas');
const photoDataUrl = spicyCam.capturePhotoAsJpeg(canvasElement);
console.log('Captured photo:', photoDataUrl);
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SpicyCamCast provides flexible photo capture from active video streams. Capture in multiple formats:

// JPEG capture
const jpegPhoto = spicyCam.capturePhotoAsJpeg(canvasElement);

// PNG capture for lossless quality
const pngPhoto = spicyCam.capturePhotoAsPng(canvasElement);

// WebP for optimal compression
const webpPhoto = spicyCam.capturePhotoAsWebp(canvasElement);
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Each method returns a data URL string that can be used directly in elements or uploaded to servers.

Conclusion

SpicyCamCast aims to simplify media capture for web developers. By focusing on essential features and providing a concise API, it offers a lightweight and efficient solution for integrating camera and screencast functionality into your projects.

Whether you're building interactive web applications, creating digital signage experiences, or developing video-centric tools, SpicyCamCast provides a solid foundation for your media capture needs.

I encourage you to explore the full documentation and examples on GitHub - SpicyCamCast.

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