chore(release): 8.1.3 [skip ci]

## [8.1.3](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/compare/v8.1.2...v8.1.3) (2026-05-19)

### Bug Fixes

* django connection settings ([#1529](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/issues/1529)) ([e89c4a3](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/e89c4a3c8523574b5852a434ed67e281b6290584))
* prestart.sh loaddata re-runs on every container restart ([#1502](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/issues/1502)) ([777b06b](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/777b06bbebf141e5b1cb27e17533fe65d57eb6cd))

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md

@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ If applicable, add screenshots to help explain your problem.
 
 **Environment (please complete the following information):**
  - OS: [e.g. Ubuntu Linux]
- - Installation method: [Docker install, or single server install]
  - Browser, if applicable
 
 **Additional context**

.gitignore

@@ -38,3 +38,4 @@ static/chapters_editor/videos/sample-video.mp3
 static/video_editor/videos/sample-video.mp3
 templates/todo-MS4.md
 .secret_key
+.secret_key.lock

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,48 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [8.1.3](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/compare/v8.1.2...v8.1.3) (2026-05-19)
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* django connection settings ([#1529](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/issues/1529)) ([e89c4a3](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/e89c4a3c8523574b5852a434ed67e281b6290584))
+* prestart.sh loaddata re-runs on every container restart ([#1502](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/issues/1502)) ([777b06b](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/777b06bbebf141e5b1cb27e17533fe65d57eb6cd))
+
+## [8.1.2](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/compare/v8.1.1...v8.1.2) (2026-05-18)
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* remove redundant check ([#1528](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/issues/1528)) ([c7a673b](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/c7a673bbbf46efc37621dc4a5109a85fc10e1317))
+
+## [8.1.1](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/compare/v8.1.0...v8.1.1) (2026-05-18)
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* x-accell headers on uploaded poster ([#1526](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/issues/1526)) ([ae63a5a](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/ae63a5af647c8865b96e6e50dda1ea9d29b5bd0b))
+
+## [8.1.0](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/compare/v8.0.8...v8.1.0) (2026-05-17)
+
+### Features
+
+* introduce x-accell headers ([9302559](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/9302559d4bb3e4d0adb299ed37438b04c39e1864))
+
+## [8.0.8](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/compare/v8.0.7...v8.0.8) (2026-05-13)
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* update documentation and fix smaller issues ([#1520](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/issues/1520)) ([d6a1151](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/d6a11514e54b9341ec8a306a259adce6b4199d42))
+
+## [8.0.7](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/compare/v8.0.6...v8.0.7) (2026-05-12)
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* bring related items back ([#1515](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/issues/1515)) ([6ee5bef](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/6ee5bef6ce31cf849941f65d0817e53b8f03362f))
+
+## [8.0.6](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/compare/v8.0.5...v8.0.6) (2026-05-11)
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* better place secret key settings ([4f11add](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/commit/4f11addcfd6657e7e63eed0570b1d4d9bca75698))
+
 ## [8.0.5](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/compare/v8.0.4...v8.0.5) (2026-05-11)
 
 ### Bug Fixes

README.md

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ A demo is available at https://demo.mediacms.io
 - **Multiple transcoding profiles**: sane defaults for multiple dimensions (144p, 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p) and multiple profiles (h264, h265, vp9)
 - **Adaptive video streaming**: possible through HLS protocol
 - **Subtitles/CC**: support for multilingual subtitle files
-- **Scalable transcoding**: transcoding through priorities. Experimental support for remote workers
+- **Scalable transcoding**: transcoding through priorities.
 - **Chunked file uploads**: for pausable/resumable upload of content
 - **REST API**: Documented through Swagger
 - **Translation**: Most of the CMS is translated to a number of languages
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@ In order to support automatic transcriptions through Whisper, consider more CPUs
 
 There are two ways to run MediaCMS, through Docker Compose and through installing it on a server via an automation script that installs and configures all needed services. Find the related pages:
 
-- [Single Server](docs/admins_docs.md#2-server-installation) page
 - [Docker Compose](docs/admins_docs.md#3-docker-installation) page
 
   A complete guide can be found on the blog post [How to self-host and share your videos in 2021](https://medium.com/@MediaCMS.io/how-to-self-host-and-share-your-videos-in-2021-14067e3b291b).

cms/celery.py

@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ from __future__ import absolute_import
 import os
 
 from celery import Celery
+from celery.signals import worker_process_init
 from django.conf import settings
+from django.db import connections
 
 os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "cms.settings")
 app = Celery("cms")
@@ -20,3 +22,13 @@ app.conf.task_always_eager = settings.CELERY_TASK_ALWAYS_EAGER
 
 
 app.conf.worker_prefetch_multiplier = 1
+
+
+@worker_process_init.connect
+def close_db_pool_on_fork(**_):
+    # psycopg3's ConnectionPool is not fork-safe: children inherit dead sockets
+    # from the parent's pool and block on getconn() until PoolTimeout. Dispose
+    # the inherited pool here so each prefork child opens its own on first use.
+    # NB: plain conn.close() would only putconn() back into the broken pool.
+    for conn in connections.all():
+        conn.close_pool()

cms/settings.py

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import os
 
 from celery.schedules import crontab
-from django.core.management.utils import get_random_secret_key
 from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _
 
 DEBUG = False
@@ -172,30 +171,19 @@ REST_FRAMEWORK = {
 }
 
 
-# Set the SECRET_KEY env var in production. If unset, a fresh random key is
+# In docker, deploy/docker/entrypoint.sh ensures the SECRET_KEY env var is
-# generated or read from a .secret_key file to ensure all workers share the same key.
+# set (generating .secret_key once on first start if needed). Outside docker,
-def get_secret_key():
+# either set SECRET_KEY in the environment or create a .secret_key file at the
-    key = os.getenv('SECRET_KEY')
+# project root, e.g.:
-    if key:
+#   python -c 'from django.core.management.utils import get_random_secret_key; print(get_random_secret_key())' > .secret_key
-        return key
+SECRET_KEY = os.getenv('SECRET_KEY')
-
+if not SECRET_KEY:
-    base_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+    _secret_path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))), '.secret_key')
-    secret_path = os.path.join(base_dir, '.secret_key')
+    if os.path.exists(_secret_path):
-
+        with open(_secret_path) as _f:
-    if os.path.exists(secret_path):
+            SECRET_KEY = _f.read().strip()
-        with open(secret_path) as f:
+if not SECRET_KEY:
-            return f.read().strip()
+    raise RuntimeError("SECRET_KEY is not set. Set the SECRET_KEY env var or create a .secret_key file at the project root.")
-
-    key = get_random_secret_key()
-    try:
-        with open(secret_path, 'w') as f:
-            f.write(key)
-    except Exception:
-        pass
-    return key
-
-
-SECRET_KEY = get_secret_key()
 
 TEMP_DIRECTORY = "/tmp"  # Don't use a temp directory inside BASE_DIR!!!
 BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
@@ -214,6 +202,15 @@ THUMBNAIL_UPLOAD_DIR = f"{MEDIA_UPLOAD_DIR}/thumbnails/"
 SUBTITLES_UPLOAD_DIR = f"{MEDIA_UPLOAD_DIR}/subtitles/"
 HLS_DIR = os.path.join(MEDIA_ROOT, "hls/")
 
+# Protect media files via nginx auth_request
+# When True, nginx delegates authorization for /media/<protected>/... to a
+# Django endpoint that checks the Media's state and the user's access.
+USE_X_ACCEL_REDIRECT = True
+# Subdirectories of MEDIA_ROOT that should be gated. "chunks" is intentionally
+# omitted (upload state, not playback).
+X_ACCEL_PROTECTED_PATHS = ["encoded", "hls", "original"]
+X_ACCEL_AUTH_CACHE_SECONDS = 300
+
 FFMPEG_COMMAND = "ffmpeg"  # this is the path
 FFPROBE_COMMAND = "ffprobe"  # this is the path
 MP4HLS = "mp4hls"
@@ -278,21 +275,6 @@ CANNOT_ADD_MEDIA_MESSAGE = "User cannot add media, or maximum number of media up
 # mp4hls command, part of Bento4
 MP4HLS_COMMAND = "/home/mediacms.io/mediacms/Bento4-SDK-1-6-0-637.x86_64-unknown-linux/bin/mp4hls"
 
-# highly experimental, related with remote workers
-ADMIN_TOKEN = ""
-# this is used by remote workers to push
-# encodings once they are done
-# USE_BASIC_HTTP = True
-# BASIC_HTTP_USER_PAIR = ('user', 'password')
-# specify basic auth user/password pair for use with the
-# remote workers, if nginx basic auth is setup
-# apache2-utils need be installed
-# then run
-# htpasswd -c /home/mediacms.io/mediacms/deploy/.htpasswd user
-# and set a password
-# edit /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/mediacms.io and
-# uncomment the two lines related to htpasswd
-
 
 AUTH_USER_MODEL = "users.User"
 LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL = "/"
@@ -425,7 +407,25 @@ LOGGING = {
     },
 }
 
-DATABASES = {"default": {"ENGINE": "django.db.backends.postgresql", "NAME": "mediacms", "HOST": "127.0.0.1", "PORT": "5432", "USER": "mediacms", "PASSWORD": "mediacms", "OPTIONS": {'pool': True}}}
+DATABASES = {
+    "default": {
+        "ENGINE": "django.db.backends.postgresql",
+        "NAME": "mediacms",
+        "HOST": "127.0.0.1",
+        "PORT": "5432",
+        "USER": "mediacms",
+        "PASSWORD": "mediacms",
+        "OPTIONS": {
+            "pool": {
+                "min_size": 2,
+                "max_size": 8,
+                "timeout": 10,
+                "max_lifetime": 30 * 60,
+                "max_idle": 10 * 60,
+            }
+        },
+    }
+}
 
 
 REDIS_LOCATION = "redis://127.0.0.1:6379/1"

cms/version.py

@@ -1 +1 @@
-VERSION = "8.0.4"
+VERSION = "8.1.2"

deploy/docker/entrypoint.sh

@@ -35,4 +35,29 @@ find /home/mediacms.io/mediacms ! \( -path "*.git*" -o -name "package-lock.json"
 
 chmod +x /home/mediacms.io/mediacms/deploy/docker/start.sh /home/mediacms.io/mediacms/deploy/docker/prestart.sh
 
+# Generate or read SECRET_KEY once, shared across all containers via the
+# host-mounted project volume. Atomic create-or-read so parallel container
+# starts (web + celery_worker + celery_beat + migrations) can't race.
+# Uses `mkdir` as the lock primitive (POSIX-atomic, no dependency on flock).
+SECRET_KEY_FILE="${SECRET_KEY_FILE:-/home/mediacms.io/mediacms/.secret_key}"
+SECRET_KEY_LOCK="${SECRET_KEY_FILE}.lock"
+
+if [ -z "${SECRET_KEY:-}" ]; then
+    if [ ! -s "$SECRET_KEY_FILE" ]; then
+        # Spin-acquire the lock. mkdir is atomic; first caller wins, others retry.
+        while ! mkdir "$SECRET_KEY_LOCK" 2>/dev/null; do
+            sleep 0.2
+        done
+        # Re-check inside the lock: another container may have just written it.
+        if [ ! -s "$SECRET_KEY_FILE" ]; then
+            python -c 'from django.core.management.utils import get_random_secret_key; print(get_random_secret_key())' > "$SECRET_KEY_FILE"
+            chown www-data:www-data "$SECRET_KEY_FILE"
+            chmod 600 "$SECRET_KEY_FILE"
+            echo "entrypoint.sh: generated new SECRET_KEY at $SECRET_KEY_FILE"
+        fi
+        rmdir "$SECRET_KEY_LOCK"
+    fi
+    export SECRET_KEY="$(cat "$SECRET_KEY_FILE")"
+fi
+
 exec "$@"

deploy/docker/local_settings.py

@@ -12,7 +12,15 @@ DATABASES = {
         "PORT": os.getenv('POSTGRES_PORT', '5432'),
         "USER": os.getenv('POSTGRES_USER', 'mediacms'),
         "PASSWORD": os.getenv('POSTGRES_PASSWORD', 'mediacms'),
-        "OPTIONS": {'pool': True},
+        "OPTIONS": {
+            "pool": {
+                "min_size": 2,
+                "max_size": 8,
+                "timeout": 10,
+                "max_lifetime": 30 * 60,
+                "max_idle": 10 * 60,
+            }
+        },
     }
 }
 

deploy/docker/nginx_http_only.conf

@@ -15,9 +15,27 @@ server {
     location /static {
         alias /home/mediacms.io/mediacms/static ;
     }
+    location = /_media_auth {
+        internal;
+        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:9000/api/v1/media-auth;
+        proxy_pass_request_body off;
+        proxy_set_header Content-Length "";
+        proxy_set_header Host $host;
+        proxy_set_header X-Original-URI $request_uri;
+        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $forwarded_proto;
+        proxy_set_header Cookie $http_cookie;
+    }
 
-    location /media/original {
+    location ~ ^/media/(encoded|hls|original)/(.*)$ {
-        alias /home/mediacms.io/mediacms/media_files/original;
+        auth_request /_media_auth;
+        alias /home/mediacms.io/mediacms/media_files/$1/$2;
+
+        add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' '*';
+        add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Methods' 'GET, POST, OPTIONS';
+        add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Headers' 'DNT,User-Agent,X-Requested-With,If-Modified-Since,Cache-Control,Content-Type,Range';
+        add_header 'Access-Control-Expose-Headers' 'Content-Length,Content-Range';
     }
 
     location /media {

deploy/docker/prestart.sh

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ ADMIN_PASSWORD=${ADMIN_PASSWORD:-$RANDOM_ADMIN_PASS}
 if [ X"$ENABLE_MIGRATIONS" = X"yes" ]; then
     echo "Running migrations service"
     python manage.py migrate
-    EXISTING_INSTALLATION=`echo "from users.models import User; print(User.objects.exists())" |python manage.py shell`
+    EXISTING_INSTALLATION=`echo "from users.models import User; print(User.objects.exists())" |python manage.py shell 2>/dev/null | tail -1`
     if [ "$EXISTING_INSTALLATION" = "True" ]; then
         echo "Loaddata has already run"
     else

docs/admins_docs.md

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 ## Table of contents
 - [1. Welcome](#1-welcome)
-- [2. Single Server Installaton](#2-single-server-installation)
 - [3. Docker Installation](#3-docker-installation)
 - [4. Docker Deployment options](#4-docker-deployment-options)
 - [5. Configuration](#5-configuration)
@@ -34,58 +33,6 @@
 ## 1. Welcome
 This page is created for MediaCMS administrators that are responsible for setting up the software, maintaining it and making modifications.
 
-## 2. Single Server Installation
-
-The core dependencies are python3, Django, celery, PostgreSQL, redis, ffmpeg. Any system that can have these dependencies installed, can run MediaCMS. But the install.sh is only tested in Linux Ubuntu 24 and 22 versions.
-
-Installation on an Ubuntu 22/24 system with git utility installed should be completed in a few minutes with the following steps.
-Make sure you run it as user root, on a clear system, since the automatic script will install and configure the following services: Celery/PostgreSQL/Redis/Nginx and will override any existing settings.
-
-
-
-```bash
-mkdir /home/mediacms.io && cd /home/mediacms.io/
-git clone https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms
-cd /home/mediacms.io/mediacms/ && bash ./install.sh
-```
-
-The script will ask if you have a URL where you want to deploy MediaCMS, otherwise it will use localhost. If you provide a URL, it will use Let's Encrypt service to install a valid ssl certificate.
-
-
-### Update
-
-If you've used the above way to install MediaCMS, update with the following:
-
-```bash
-cd /home/mediacms.io/mediacms # enter mediacms directory
-source  /home/mediacms.io/bin/activate # use virtualenv
-git pull # update code
-pip install -r requirements.txt -U # run pip install to update
-python manage.py migrate # run Django migrations
-sudo systemctl restart mediacms celery_long celery_short # restart services
-```
-
-### Update from version 2 to version 3
-Version 3 is using Django 4 and Celery 5, and needs a recent Python 3.x version. If you are updating from an older version, make sure Python is updated first. Version 2 could run on Python 3.6, but version 3 needs Python3.8 and higher.
-The syntax for starting Celery has also changed, so you have to copy the celery related systemctl files and restart
-
-```
-# cp deploy/local_install/celery_long.service /etc/systemd/system/celery_long.service
-# cp deploy/local_install/celery_short.service /etc/systemd/system/celery_short.service
-# cp deploy/local_install/celery_beat.service /etc/systemd/system/celery_beat.service
-# systemctl daemon-reload
-# systemctl start celery_long celery_short celery_beat
-```
-
-
-
-### Configuration
-Checkout the configuration section here.
-
-
-### Maintenance
-Database can be backed up with pg_dump and media_files on /home/mediacms.io/mediacms/media_files include original files and encoded/transcoded versions
-
 
 ## 3. Docker Installation
 
@@ -220,14 +167,10 @@ Several options are available on `cms/settings.py`, most of the things that are
 
 It is advisable to override any of them by adding it to `local_settings.py` .
 
-In case of a the single server installation, add to `cms/local_settings.py` .
-
 In case of a docker compose installation, add to `deploy/docker/local_settings.py` . This will automatically overwrite `cms/local_settings.py` .
 
 Any change needs restart of MediaCMS in order to take effect.
 
-Single server installation: edit `cms/local_settings.py`, make a change and restart MediaCMS
-
 ```bash
 #systemctl restart mediacms
 ```
@@ -795,14 +738,7 @@ Instructions contributed by @alberto98fx
 On the [Configuration](https://github.com/mediacms-io/mediacms/blob/main/docs/admins_docs.md#5-configuration) section of this guide we've see how to edit the email settings.
 In case we are yet unable to receive email from MediaCMS, the following may help us debug the issue - in most cases it is an issue of setting the correct username, password or TLS option
 
-Enter the Django shell, example if you're using the Single Server installation:
+Enter the Django shell and inside the shell
-
-```bash
-source  /home/mediacms.io/bin/activate
-python manage.py shell
-```
-
-and inside the shell
 
 ```bash
 from django.core.mail import EmailMessage

files/management_views.py

@@ -120,9 +120,11 @@ class MediaList(APIView):
         operation_description='Delete media for MediaCMS managers and reviewers',
     )
     def delete(self, request, format=None):
+        if not is_mediacms_manager(request.user):
+            return Response({"detail": "bad permissions"}, status=status.HTTP_403_FORBIDDEN)
         tokens = request.GET.get("tokens")
         if tokens:
-            tokens = tokens.split(",")
+            tokens = [t for t in tokens.split(",") if t][:50]
             Media.objects.filter(friendly_token__in=tokens).delete()
         return Response(status=status.HTTP_204_NO_CONTENT)
 
@@ -177,7 +179,7 @@ class CommentList(APIView):
     def delete(self, request, format=None):
         comment_ids = request.GET.get("comment_ids")
         if comment_ids:
-            comments = comment_ids.split(",")
+            comments = [c for c in comment_ids.split(",") if c][:50]
             Comment.objects.filter(uid__in=comments).delete()
         return Response(status=status.HTTP_204_NO_CONTENT)
 

files/methods.py

@@ -453,17 +453,21 @@ def kill_ffmpeg_process(filepath):
         filepath: Path to the file being processed by ffmpeg
 
     Returns:
-        subprocess.CompletedProcess: Result of the kill command
+        bool: True if the lookup ran, False if input was unusable
     """
-    if not filepath:
+    if not filepath or not isinstance(filepath, str):
         return False
-    cmd = "ps aux|grep 'ffmpeg'|grep %s|grep -v grep |awk '{print $2}'" % filepath
+    try:
-    result = subprocess.run(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, shell=True)
+        ps = subprocess.run(["ps", "aux"], stdout=subprocess.PIPE, check=False)
-    pid = result.stdout.decode("utf-8").strip()
+    except OSError:
-    if pid:
+        return False
-        cmd = "kill -9 %s" % pid
+    for line in ps.stdout.decode("utf-8", "replace").splitlines():
-        result = subprocess.run(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, shell=True)
+        if "ffmpeg" not in line or filepath not in line or "grep" in line:
-    return result
+            continue
+        parts = line.split()
+        if len(parts) > 1 and parts[1].isdigit():
+            subprocess.run(["kill", "-9", parts[1]], check=False)
+    return True
 
 
 def copy_video(original_media, copy_encodings=True, title_suffix="(Trimmed)"):

files/models/encoding.py

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ from django.core.files import File
 from django.db import models
 from django.db.models.signals import post_delete, post_save
 from django.dispatch import receiver
-from django.urls import reverse
 
 from .. import helpers
 from .utils import (
@@ -136,9 +135,6 @@ class Encoding(models.Model):
     def __str__(self):
         return f"{self.profile.name}-{self.media.title}"
 
-    def get_absolute_url(self):
-        return reverse("api_get_encoding", kwargs={"encoding_id": self.id})
-
 
 @receiver(post_save, sender=Encoding)
 def encoding_file_save(sender, instance, created, **kwargs):

files/models/media.py

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from django.conf import settings
 from django.contrib.postgres.indexes import GinIndex
 from django.contrib.postgres.search import SearchVectorField
 from django.core.files import File
-from django.db import models
+from django.db import models, transaction
 from django.db.models import Func, Value
 from django.db.models.signals import m2m_changed, post_delete, post_save, pre_delete
 from django.dispatch import receiver
@@ -536,7 +536,9 @@ class Media(models.Model):
 
         from .. import tasks
 
-        tasks.produce_sprite_from_video.delay(self.friendly_token)
+        # Defer until the surrounding transaction commits so the worker can
+        # actually find the Media row. Runs immediately if not in a tx.
+        transaction.on_commit(lambda token=self.friendly_token: tasks.produce_sprite_from_video.delay(token))
         return True
 
     def encode(self, profiles=[], force=True, chunkize=True):
@@ -559,9 +561,8 @@ class Media(models.Model):
                     profiles.remove(profile)
                     encoding = Encoding(media=self, profile=profile)
                     encoding.save()
-                    enc_url = settings.SSL_FRONTEND_HOST + encoding.get_absolute_url()
                     tasks.encode_media.apply_async(
-                        args=[self.friendly_token, profile.id, encoding.id, enc_url],
+                        args=[self.friendly_token, profile.id, encoding.id],
                         kwargs={"force": force},
                         priority=0,
                     )
@@ -575,13 +576,12 @@ class Media(models.Model):
                             continue
                 encoding = Encoding(media=self, profile=profile)
                 encoding.save()
-                enc_url = settings.SSL_FRONTEND_HOST + encoding.get_absolute_url()
                 if profile.resolution in settings.MINIMUM_RESOLUTIONS_TO_ENCODE:
                     priority = 9
                 else:
                     priority = 0
                 tasks.encode_media.apply_async(
-                    args=[self.friendly_token, profile.id, encoding.id, enc_url],
+                    args=[self.friendly_token, profile.id, encoding.id],
                     kwargs={"force": force},
                     priority=priority,
                 )

files/tasks.py

@@ -171,8 +171,7 @@ def chunkize_media(self, friendly_token, profiles, force=True):
                     continue
             encoding = Encoding(media=media, profile=profile)
             encoding.save()
-            enc_url = settings.SSL_FRONTEND_HOST + encoding.get_absolute_url()
+            encode_media.delay(friendly_token, profile.id, encoding.id, force=force)
-            encode_media.delay(friendly_token, profile.id, encoding.id, enc_url, force=force)
         return False
 
     chunks = [os.path.join(cwd, ch) for ch in chunks]
@@ -202,13 +201,12 @@ def chunkize_media(self, friendly_token, profiles, force=True):
             )
 
             encoding.save()
-            enc_url = settings.SSL_FRONTEND_HOST + encoding.get_absolute_url()
             if profile.resolution in settings.MINIMUM_RESOLUTIONS_TO_ENCODE:
                 priority = 0
             else:
                 priority = 9
             encode_media.apply_async(
-                args=[friendly_token, profile.id, encoding.id, enc_url],
+                args=[friendly_token, profile.id, encoding.id],
                 kwargs={"force": force, "chunk": True, "chunk_file_path": chunk},
                 priority=priority,
             )
@@ -246,7 +244,6 @@ def encode_media(
     friendly_token,
     profile_id,
     encoding_id,
-    encoding_url,
     force=True,
     chunk=False,
     chunk_file_path="",

files/urls.py

@@ -61,11 +61,6 @@ urlpatterns = [
         views.MediaDetail.as_view(),
         name="api_get_media",
     ),
-    re_path(
-        r"^api/v1/media/encoding/(?P<encoding_id>[\w]*)$",
-        views.EncodingDetail.as_view(),
-        name="api_get_encoding",
-    ),
     re_path(r"^api/v1/search$", views.MediaSearch.as_view()),
     re_path(
         rf"^api/v1/media/{friendly_token}/share$",
@@ -111,6 +106,7 @@ urlpatterns = [
     re_path(r"^api/v1/tasks$", views.TasksList.as_view()),
     re_path(r"^api/v1/tasks/$", views.TasksList.as_view()),
     re_path(r"^api/v1/tasks/(?P<friendly_token>[\w|\W]*)$", views.TaskDetail.as_view()),
+    re_path(r"^api/v1/media-auth$", views.media_auth, name="media_auth"),
     re_path(r"^manage/comments$", views.manage_comments, name="manage_comments"),
     re_path(r"^manage/media$", views.manage_media, name="manage_media"),
     re_path(r"^manage/users$", views.manage_users, name="manage_users"),

files/views/__init__.py

@@ -3,13 +3,14 @@
 from .auth import custom_login_view, saml_metadata  # noqa: F401
 from .categories import CategoryList, CategoryListContributor, TagList  # noqa: F401
 from .comments import CommentDetail, CommentList  # noqa: F401
-from .encoding import EncodeProfileList, EncodingDetail  # noqa: F401
+from .encoding import EncodeProfileList  # noqa: F401
 from .media import MediaActions  # noqa: F401
 from .media import MediaBulkUserActions  # noqa: F401
 from .media import MediaDetail  # noqa: F401
 from .media import MediaList  # noqa: F401
 from .media import MediaSearch  # noqa: F401
 from .media import media_share  # noqa: F401
+from .media_auth import media_auth  # noqa: F401
 from .pages import about  # noqa: F401
 from .pages import add_subtitle  # noqa: F401
 from .pages import approval_required  # noqa: F401

files/views/encoding.py

@@ -1,168 +1,11 @@
-from django.conf import settings
 from drf_yasg.utils import swagger_auto_schema
-from rest_framework import permissions, status
-from rest_framework.parsers import (
-    FileUploadParser,
-    FormParser,
-    JSONParser,
-    MultiPartParser,
-)
 from rest_framework.response import Response
 from rest_framework.views import APIView
 
-from ..helpers import produce_ffmpeg_commands
+from ..models import EncodeProfile
-from ..models import EncodeProfile, Encoding
 from ..serializers import EncodeProfileSerializer
 
 
-class EncodingDetail(APIView):
-    """Experimental. This View is used by remote workers
-    Needs heavy testing and documentation.
-    """
-
-    permission_classes = (permissions.IsAdminUser,)
-    parser_classes = (JSONParser, MultiPartParser, FormParser, FileUploadParser)
-
-    @swagger_auto_schema(auto_schema=None)
-    def post(self, request, encoding_id):
-        ret = {}
-        force = request.data.get("force", False)
-        task_id = request.data.get("task_id", False)
-        action = request.data.get("action", "")
-        chunk = request.data.get("chunk", False)
-        chunk_file_path = request.data.get("chunk_file_path", "")
-
-        encoding_status = request.data.get("status", "")
-        progress = request.data.get("progress", "")
-        commands = request.data.get("commands", "")
-        logs = request.data.get("logs", "")
-        retries = request.data.get("retries", "")
-        worker = request.data.get("worker", "")
-        temp_file = request.data.get("temp_file", "")
-        total_run_time = request.data.get("total_run_time", "")
-        if action == "start":
-            try:
-                encoding = Encoding.objects.get(id=encoding_id)
-                media = encoding.media
-                profile = encoding.profile
-            except BaseException:
-                Encoding.objects.filter(id=encoding_id).delete()
-                return Response({"status": "fail"}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
-            # TODO: break chunk True/False logic here
-            if (
-                Encoding.objects.filter(
-                    media=media,
-                    profile=profile,
-                    chunk=chunk,
-                    chunk_file_path=chunk_file_path,
-                ).count()
-                > 1  # noqa
-                and force is False  # noqa
-            ):
-                Encoding.objects.filter(id=encoding_id).delete()
-                return Response({"status": "fail"}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
-            else:
-                Encoding.objects.filter(
-                    media=media,
-                    profile=profile,
-                    chunk=chunk,
-                    chunk_file_path=chunk_file_path,
-                ).exclude(id=encoding.id).delete()
-
-            encoding.status = "running"
-            if task_id:
-                encoding.task_id = task_id
-
-            encoding.save()
-            if chunk:
-                original_media_path = chunk_file_path
-                original_media_md5sum = encoding.md5sum
-                original_media_url = settings.SSL_FRONTEND_HOST + encoding.media_chunk_url
-            else:
-                original_media_path = media.media_file.path
-                original_media_md5sum = media.md5sum
-                original_media_url = settings.SSL_FRONTEND_HOST + media.original_media_url
-
-            ret["original_media_url"] = original_media_url
-            ret["original_media_path"] = original_media_path
-            ret["original_media_md5sum"] = original_media_md5sum
-
-            # generating the commands here, and will replace these with temporary
-            # files created on the remote server
-            tf = "TEMP_FILE_REPLACE"
-            tfpass = "TEMP_FPASS_FILE_REPLACE"
-            ffmpeg_commands = produce_ffmpeg_commands(
-                original_media_path,
-                media.media_info,
-                resolution=profile.resolution,
-                codec=profile.codec,
-                output_filename=tf,
-                pass_file=tfpass,
-                chunk=chunk,
-            )
-            if not ffmpeg_commands:
-                encoding.delete()
-                return Response({"status": "fail"}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
-
-            ret["duration"] = media.duration
-            ret["ffmpeg_commands"] = ffmpeg_commands
-            ret["profile_extension"] = profile.extension
-            return Response(ret, status=status.HTTP_201_CREATED)
-        elif action == "update_fields":
-            try:
-                encoding = Encoding.objects.get(id=encoding_id)
-            except BaseException:
-                return Response({"status": "fail"}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
-            to_update = ["size", "update_date"]
-            if encoding_status:
-                encoding.status = encoding_status
-                to_update.append("status")
-            if progress:
-                encoding.progress = progress
-                to_update.append("progress")
-            if logs:
-                encoding.logs = logs
-                to_update.append("logs")
-            if commands:
-                encoding.commands = commands
-                to_update.append("commands")
-            if task_id:
-                encoding.task_id = task_id
-                to_update.append("task_id")
-            if total_run_time:
-                encoding.total_run_time = total_run_time
-                to_update.append("total_run_time")
-            if worker:
-                encoding.worker = worker
-                to_update.append("worker")
-            if temp_file:
-                encoding.temp_file = temp_file
-                to_update.append("temp_file")
-
-            if retries:
-                encoding.retries = retries
-                to_update.append("retries")
-
-            try:
-                encoding.save(update_fields=to_update)
-            except BaseException:
-                return Response({"status": "fail"}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
-            return Response({"status": "success"}, status=status.HTTP_201_CREATED)
-
-    @swagger_auto_schema(auto_schema=None)
-    def put(self, request, encoding_id, format=None):
-        encoding_file = request.data["file"]
-        encoding = Encoding.objects.filter(id=encoding_id).first()
-        if not encoding:
-            return Response(
-                {"detail": "encoding does not exist"},
-                status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST,
-            )
-        encoding.media_file = encoding_file
-        encoding.save()
-        return Response({"detail": "ok"}, status=status.HTTP_201_CREATED)
-
-
 class EncodeProfileList(APIView):
     """List encode profiles"""
 

files/views/media.py

@@ -660,7 +660,9 @@ class MediaBulkUserActions(APIView):
 
             # Prioritize category_uids
             if category_uids:
-                categories = Category.objects.filter(uid__in=category_uids)
+                requested = Category.objects.filter(uid__in=category_uids)
+                allowed_ids = [cat.id for cat in requested if not cat.is_rbac_category or request.user.has_contributor_access_to_category(cat)]
+                categories = Category.objects.filter(id__in=allowed_ids)
             elif lti_context_id:
                 # Filter categories by lti_context_id and ensure they ARE RBAC categories
                 potential_categories = Category.objects.filter(lti_context_id=lti_context_id, is_rbac_category=True)
@@ -691,9 +693,11 @@ class MediaBulkUserActions(APIView):
             if not category_uids:
                 return Response({"detail": "category_uids is required for remove_from_category action"}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
 
-            categories = Category.objects.filter(uid__in=category_uids)
+            requested = Category.objects.filter(uid__in=category_uids)
+            allowed_ids = [cat.id for cat in requested if not cat.is_rbac_category or request.user.has_contributor_access_to_category(cat)]
+            categories = Category.objects.filter(id__in=allowed_ids)
             if not categories:
-                return Response({"detail": "No matching categories found"}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
+                return Response({"detail": "No matching categories found or access denied"}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
 
             removed_count = 0
             for category in categories:

files/views/media_auth.py

@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+import re
+from urllib.parse import unquote
+
+from django.conf import settings
+from django.core.cache import cache
+from django.db.models import Q
+from django.http import HttpResponse
+from django.views.decorators.csrf import csrf_exempt
+from django.views.decorators.http import require_GET
+
+from ..methods import is_mediacms_editor
+from ..models import Media
+
+UID_RE = re.compile(r"[0-9a-f]{32}")
+THUMBNAILS_PREFIX = "original/thumbnails/"
+
+
+def _ttl():
+    return getattr(settings, "X_ACCEL_AUTH_CACHE_SECONDS", 300)
+
+
+def _extract_uid(uri):
+    if not uri:
+        return None
+    match = UID_RE.search(uri)
+    return match.group(0) if match else None
+
+
+def _relpath_from_uri(uri):
+    path = unquote(uri.split("?", 1)[0])
+    media_url = settings.MEDIA_URL
+    if path.startswith(media_url):
+        return path[len(media_url) :]
+    return None
+
+
+def _lookup_uid_by_path(relpath):
+    path_key = f"xaccel:path:{relpath}"
+    cached = cache.get(path_key)
+    if cached is not None:
+        return cached or None
+
+    parts = relpath.split("/", 4)
+    if len(parts) < 5 or parts[2] != "user":
+        cache.set(path_key, "", _ttl())
+        return None
+    username = parts[3]
+
+    row = Media.objects.filter(user__username=username).filter(Q(uploaded_thumbnail=relpath) | Q(uploaded_poster=relpath)).values("uid").first()
+    uid_hex = row["uid"].hex if row else ""
+    cache.set(path_key, uid_hex, _ttl())
+    return uid_hex or None
+
+
+def _lookup_state(uid):
+    """Return (state, owner_id) for a uid, or (None, None) if missing.
+
+    Cached on uid alone since state/ownership do not depend on the requester.
+    Uses .values() rather than .only() because Media.__init__ touches deferred
+    file fields, which would otherwise recurse via refresh_from_db.
+    """
+    state_key = f"xaccel:state:{uid}"
+    cached = cache.get(state_key)
+    if cached is not None:
+        return cached
+    row = Media.objects.filter(uid=uid).values("state", "user_id").first()
+    value = (row["state"], row["user_id"]) if row else (None, None)
+    cache.set(state_key, value, _ttl())
+    return value
+
+
+def _decide(uid, user):
+    state, owner_id = _lookup_state(uid)
+    if state is None:
+        return False
+    if state in ("public", "unlisted"):
+        return True
+    # private
+    if not user.is_authenticated:
+        return False
+    if owner_id == user.id:
+        return True
+    if is_mediacms_editor(user):
+        return True
+    # RBAC / MediaPermission path needs a full Media instance.
+    try:
+        media = Media.objects.get(uid=uid)
+    except Media.DoesNotExist:
+        return False
+    return user.has_member_access_to_media(media)
+
+
+@csrf_exempt
+@require_GET
+def media_auth(request):
+    """Authorize a protected media request from nginx auth_request.
+
+    nginx passes the original request URI in the X-Original-URI header. The
+    Media.uid (32 hex chars, no dashes) is embedded somewhere in that URI for
+    every protected path. No uid => deny. Unknown uid => deny.
+    """
+    if not getattr(settings, "USE_X_ACCEL_REDIRECT", True):
+        return HttpResponse(status=204)
+
+    uri = request.META.get("HTTP_X_ORIGINAL_URI", "")
+    uid = _extract_uid(uri)
+    if not uid:
+        # User-uploaded thumbnails/posters don't have the uid in the filename.
+        # Fall back to a per-path lookup, scoped to /original/thumbnails/.
+        relpath = _relpath_from_uri(uri)
+        if relpath and relpath.startswith(THUMBNAILS_PREFIX):
+            uid = _lookup_uid_by_path(relpath)
+        if not uid:
+            return HttpResponse(status=403)
+
+    user = request.user
+    cache_key = f"xaccel:auth:{uid}:{user.id if user.is_authenticated else 'anon'}"
+    cached = cache.get(cache_key)
+    if cached is None:
+        allowed = _decide(uid, user)
+        cache.set(cache_key, allowed, _ttl())
+    else:
+        allowed = cached
+
+    return HttpResponse(status=204 if allowed else 403)

frontend/src/static/js/components/media-page/ViewerSidebar.js

@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
+import { MediaPageStore } from '../../utils/stores/';
+import { AutoPlay } from './AutoPlay';
+import { RelatedMedia } from './RelatedMedia';
 import PlaylistView from './PlaylistView';
 
 export default class ViewerSidebar extends React.PureComponent {
@@ -9,6 +12,7 @@ export default class ViewerSidebar extends React.PureComponent {
       playlistData: props.playlistData,
       isPlaylistPage: !!props.playlistData,
       activeItem: 0,
+      mediaType: MediaPageStore.get('media-type'),
     };
 
     if (props.playlistData) {
@@ -23,6 +27,21 @@ export default class ViewerSidebar extends React.PureComponent {
       }
     }
 
+    this.onMediaLoad = this.onMediaLoad.bind(this);
+  }
+
+  componentDidMount() {
+    MediaPageStore.on('loaded_media_data', this.onMediaLoad);
+  }
+
+  componentWillUnmount() {
+    MediaPageStore.removeListener('loaded_media_data', this.onMediaLoad);
+  }
+
+  onMediaLoad() {
+    this.setState({
+      mediaType: MediaPageStore.get('media-type'),
+    });
   }
 
   render() {
@@ -30,7 +49,10 @@ export default class ViewerSidebar extends React.PureComponent {
       <div className="viewer-sidebar">
         {this.state.isPlaylistPage ? (
           <PlaylistView activeItem={this.state.activeItem} playlistData={this.props.playlistData} />
+        ) : 'video' === this.state.mediaType || 'audio' === this.state.mediaType ? (
+          <AutoPlay />
         ) : null}
+        <RelatedMedia hideFirst={!this.state.isPlaylistPage} />
       </div>
     );
   }

frontend/src/static/js/utils/helpers/translate.js

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 // check templates/config/installation/translations.html for more
 
 export function translateString(str) {
-    return window.TRANSLATION?.[str] || str;
+    return window.TRANSLATION?.[str] ?? str;
 }

lti/apps.py

@@ -1,16 +1,7 @@
 from django.apps import AppConfig
 
-from .keys import ensure_keys_exist
-
 
 class LtiConfig(AppConfig):
     default_auto_field = 'django.db.models.BigAutoField'
     name = 'lti'
     verbose_name = 'LTI 1.3 Integration'
-
-    def ready(self):
-        """Initialize LTI app - ensure keys exist"""
-        try:
-            ensure_keys_exist()
-        except Exception:
-            pass

lti/keys.py

@@ -21,10 +21,3 @@ def get_jwks():
     """
     public_key = load_public_key()
     return {'keys': [public_key]}
-
-
-def ensure_keys_exist():
-    """Ensure key pair exists in database, generate if not"""
-    from .models import LTIToolKeys
-
-    LTIToolKeys.get_or_create_keys()

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "mediacms",
-  "version": "8.0.5",
+  "version": "8.1.3",
   "devDependencies": {
     "@semantic-release/changelog": "^6.0.3",
     "@semantic-release/git": "^10.0.1",

saml_auth/adapter.py

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import base64
 import logging
+import re
 
 from allauth.socialaccount.adapter import DefaultSocialAccountAdapter
 from allauth.socialaccount.models import SocialApp
@@ -22,7 +23,10 @@ class SAMLAccountAdapter(DefaultSocialAccountAdapter):
 
     def populate_user(self, request, sociallogin, data):
         user = sociallogin.user
-        user.username = sociallogin.account.uid
+        raw_uid = sociallogin.account.uid or ""
+        # Match the user URL pattern in users/urls.py: only [\w@._-] is reverse-able.
+        sanitized = re.sub(r"[^\w.@-]", "_", raw_uid, flags=re.ASCII)
+        user.username = sanitized[:150] if sanitized else raw_uid
         for item in ["name", "first_name", "last_name"]:
             if data.get(item):
                 setattr(user, item, data[item])

setup.cfg

@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 exclude = .git,*migrations*
 max-line-length = 119
 #ignore=F401,F403,E501,W503
-ignore=E501
+ignore=E501,E203

tests/test_imports.py

@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ class TestImports(TestCase):
         from files.views import CommentDetail  # noqa: F401
         from files.views import CommentList  # noqa: F401
         from files.views import EncodeProfileList  # noqa: F401
-        from files.views import EncodingDetail  # noqa: F401
         from files.views import MediaActions  # noqa: F401
         from files.views import MediaBulkUserActions  # noqa: F401
         from files.views import MediaDetail  # noqa: F401

users/validators.py

@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _
 
 @deconstructible
 class ASCIIUsernameValidator(validators.RegexValidator):
-    regex = r"^[\w.@]+$"
+    regex = r"^[\w.@-]+$"
-    message = _("Enter a valid username. This value may contain only " "English letters and numbers")
+    message = _("Enter a valid username. This value may contain only English letters, numbers, and '_', '.', '@', '-'.")
     flags = re.ASCII
 
 

users/views.py

@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
+from allauth.account.adapter import get_adapter
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
+from django.contrib.auth.password_validation import validate_password
+from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError as DjangoValidationError
 from django.core.mail import EmailMessage
 from django.db.models import Q
 from django.http import HttpResponseRedirect
@@ -275,6 +278,11 @@ class UserList(APIView):
         if not all([username, password, email, name]):
             return Response({"detail": "username, password, email, and name are required."}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
 
+        try:
+            username = get_adapter().clean_username(username, shallow=True)
+        except DjangoValidationError as e:
+            return Response({"detail": e.messages[0]}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
+
         if User.objects.filter(username=username).exists():
             return Response({"detail": "A user with that username already exists."}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
 
@@ -369,9 +377,15 @@ class UserDetail(APIView):
 
         if action == "change_password":
             # Permission to edit user is already checked by self.get_user -> self.check_object_permissions
+            if user.is_superuser and not request.user.is_superuser:
+                raise PermissionDenied("You do not have permission to change a superuser's password.")
             password = request.data.get("password")
             if not password:
                 return Response({"detail": "Password is required"}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
+            try:
+                validate_password(password, user=user)
+            except DjangoValidationError as exc:
+                return Response({"detail": list(exc.messages)}, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
             user.set_password(password)
             user.save()