> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/LizardByte/Sunshine/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Learn about Sunshine, a self-hosted game streaming server for Moonlight clients with support for AMD, Intel, and Nvidia GPUs.

## What is Sunshine?

Sunshine is a self-hosted game stream host for Moonlight clients. It enables you to stream games and applications from your computer to any device running a Moonlight client, offering low-latency, cloud gaming server capabilities.

<Info>
  Sunshine works with any Moonlight client on a variety of devices including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and more.
</Info>

## Key Features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Hardware Encoding" icon="microchip">
    Support for AMD, Intel, and Nvidia GPUs with hardware encoding acceleration. Software encoding is also available as a fallback.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Low Latency" icon="gauge-high">
    Optimized for minimal latency to provide a smooth gaming experience over local networks or the internet.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Web UI" icon="browser">
    Comprehensive web interface for configuration, client pairing, and management accessible from any browser.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Multi-Platform" icon="server">
    Runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, and FreeBSD with platform-specific optimizations.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## System Requirements

<Warning>
  These requirements are guidelines. Do not purchase hardware based solely on this information.
</Warning>

### Minimum Requirements

**GPU**

* **AMD**: VCE 1.0 or higher ([hardware support](https://github.com/obsproject/obs-amd-encoder/wiki/Hardware-Support))
* **Intel**:
  * FreeBSD/Linux: VAAPI-compatible ([hardware support](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/linuxmedia-vaapi.html))
  * Windows: Skylake or newer with QuickSync encoding support
* **Nvidia**: NVENC enabled cards ([support matrix](https://developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-and-decode-gpu-support-matrix-new))

**CPU**

* **AMD**: Ryzen 3 or higher
* **Intel**: Core i3 or higher

**RAM**

* 4GB or more

**Operating System**

* FreeBSD: 14.3+
* Linux/Debian: 13+ (trixie)
* Linux/Fedora: 41+
* Linux/Ubuntu: 22.04+ (jammy)
* macOS: 14+
* Windows: 11+ (Windows Server does not support virtual gamepads)

**Network**

* Host: 5GHz, 802.11ac
* Client: 5GHz, 802.11ac

### 4K Streaming Recommendations

For optimal 4K streaming performance:

**GPU**

* **AMD**: Video Coding Engine 3.1 or higher
* **Intel**: HD Graphics 510 or higher (FreeBSD/Linux), Skylake or newer (Windows)
* **Nvidia**: GeForce RTX 2000 series or higher (FreeBSD/Linux), GeForce GTX 1080 or higher (Windows)

**CPU**

* **AMD**: Ryzen 5 or higher
* **Intel**: Core i5 or higher

**Network**

* Both host and client: CAT5e ethernet or better

### HDR Streaming Recommendations

For HDR streaming support:

**GPU**

* **AMD**: Video Coding Engine 3.4 or higher
* **Intel**: HD Graphics 730 or higher
* **Nvidia**: Pascal-based GPU (GTX 10-series) or higher

**CPU**

* **AMD**: Ryzen 5 or higher
* **Intel**: Core i5 or higher

**Network**

* Both host and client: CAT5e ethernet or better

## Platform Feature Support

Sunshine provides different features depending on your platform:

### GPU Encoding

| GPU Type        | FreeBSD   | Linux     | macOS             | Windows |
| --------------- | --------- | --------- | ----------------- | ------- |
| AMD/AMF         | ✅ (vaapi) | ✅ (vaapi) | ✅ (Video Toolbox) | ✅       |
| Intel QuickSync | ✅ (vaapi) | ✅ (vaapi) | ✅ (Video Toolbox) | ✅       |
| NVIDIA NVENC    | ✅ (vaapi) | ✅ (vaapi) | ✅ (Video Toolbox) | ✅       |

### Screen Capture

| Method                   | FreeBSD | Linux | macOS | Windows |
| ------------------------ | ------- | ----- | ----- | ------- |
| DXGI                     | ➖       | ➖     | ➖     | ✅       |
| KMS                      | ❌       | ✅     | ➖     | ➖       |
| NVIDIA NvFBC (X11)       | ➖       | ✅     | ➖     | ➖       |
| Video Toolbox            | ➖       | ➖     | ✅     | ➖       |
| Wayland                  | ✅       | ✅     | ➖     | ➖       |
| Windows.Graphics.Capture | ➖       | ➖     | ➖     | ✅       |
| X11                      | ✅       | ✅     | ➖     | ➖       |

### Gamepad Emulation

| Controller Type     | FreeBSD | Linux | macOS | Windows |
| ------------------- | ------- | ----- | ----- | ------- |
| DualShock 4 (PS4)   | ➖       | ➖     | ❌     | ✅       |
| DualSense (PS5)     | ❌       | ✅     | ❌     | ❌       |
| Nintendo Switch Pro | ✅       | ✅     | ❌     | ❌       |
| Xbox 360            | ➖       | ➖     | ❌     | ✅       |
| Xbox One/Series     | ✅       | ✅     | ❌     | ❌       |

**Legend**: ✅ Supported | ❌ Not Yet Supported | ➖ Not Applicable

<Note>
  For a complete feature compatibility reference, see the [README](https://github.com/LizardByte/Sunshine/blob/master/README.md#-feature-compatibility).
</Note>

## Next Steps

Ready to get started? Continue to the installation guide:

<Card title="Installation" icon="download" href="/installation">
  Learn how to install Sunshine on your platform
</Card>