Hydra Server

A backend service for the Hydra for Reddit app. Using a custom server will unlock all Hydra Pro features for free. If you have the knowhow to get this set up, please consider contributing your skills to the project!

Features

• 🔔 Reddit message monitoring with push notifications
• 📱 Mobile app integration via Expo push notifications
• 💳 Subscription management with RevenueCat
• 🤖 AI-powered features using Groq API
• 📊 Admin dashboard for monitoring and management
• 🗄️ SQLite database with Drizzle ORM
• ⚡ Built with Bun for fast performance

Prerequisites

• Bun v1.2.5 or higher
• Node.js 18+ (for some build tools)
• A Groq API key for AI features

Project Structure

hydra-server/
├── frontend/        # React + Vite dashboard
├── routes/          # API endpoints
├── services/        # Business logic services
├── middleware/      # Express-style middleware
├── db/              # Database schema and migrations
├── tasks/           # Background task definitions
├── schedules/       # Scheduled job configurations
└── utils/           # Utility functions

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/dmilin1/hydra-server.git
cd hydra-server

2. Install Dependencies

Install backend dependencies:

bun install

Install frontend dependencies:

cd frontend
bun install
cd ..

3. Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory with the following variables (or copy the .env.example file):

GROQ_API_KEY=your_groq_api_key
# You can generate an encryption key with this command `openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -k secret -P -md sha256`
ENCRYPTION_KEY=your_32_character_encryption_key_here
DASHBOARD_PASSWORD=your_secure_dashboard_password

IS_CUSTOM_SERVER=true

Important Notes:

• ENCRYPTION_KEY must be exactly 32 characters long
• DASHBOARD_PASSWORD should be changed for security purposes
• IS_CUSTOM_SERVER=true is required to bypass subscription checks

5. Build the Frontend

Build the React dashboard:

cd frontend
bun run build
cd ..

The built files will be served automatically by the backend server.

6. Running the Server

bun run start

The server will start on http://localhost:3000

7. Accessing the Dashboard

Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000. You'll be prompted to enter the dashboard password (the value of DASHBOARD_PASSWORD from your .env file).

8. Connecting to Hydra App

Navigate to Settings => Advanced => Use Custom Server. Enable it and enter the public IP or domain you're hosting the server on without a trailing slash. Hydra will automatically attempt to validate if the server is working. If hosted on a home computer, you will likely need to set up port forwarding and include port 3000 (or whatever external port you chose).

9. Enable auto-start on Boot

If running on a debian distro the following commands allow the server to auto run on startup:

Create a systemd service file

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/hydra-server.service

Enter the following code into the service:

[Unit]
Description=Hydra Server Bun Script
After=network.target

[Service]
User=pi
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/hydra-server
ExecStart=/home/pi/.bun/bin/bun run start
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
Environment=PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/home/pi/.bun/bin

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then reload and enable the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable hydra-server.service

Then run the following to start and check the service:

sudo systemctl start hydra-server.service
sudo systemctl status hydra-server.service

The service should now auto-start on boot.