How to Install and Configure MegaEPG in 10 MinutesMegaEPG is a lightweight, fast electronic program guide (EPG) solution commonly used with IPTV stacks, media centers, and custom streaming setups. This guide walks you through a compact, practical 10-minute installation and configuration so you can quickly get program listings feeding your player.
What you’ll need (under 2 minutes)
- A device (Linux server, Raspberry Pi, or any machine with Node.js support).
- Basic command-line access (SSH or terminal).
- An active internet connection.
- Your IPTV source details (XMLTV URL or provider credentials if applicable).
- 100–500 MB free disk space.
Step 1 — Quick preparation (1 minute)
- Open a terminal or SSH into your device.
- Update packages (optional but recommended):
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y - Ensure Node.js (v14+) and npm are installed:
node -v || sudo apt install -y nodejs npm
Step 2 — Install MegaEPG (2 minutes)
Most MegaEPG distributions offer an npm package or GitHub repo. Example using GitHub (adjust to the official repo URL you have):
cd /opt sudo git clone https://github.com/your-megaepg-repo/megaepg.git cd megaepg sudo npm install If an npm package exists:
sudo npm install -g megaepg Files of interest:
- config.json (main configuration file)
- scripts/ (fetch/update scripts)
- logs/ (runtime logs)
Step 3 — Configure source and basic settings (3 minutes)
Open the main configuration file (example path: /opt/megaepg/config.json) in a text editor:
sudo nano /opt/megaepg/config.json Essential fields to set:
- “xmltv_url” — set your XMLTV provider URL or local file path.
- “channels_map” — map channel IDs from your IPTV playlist (m3u) to XMLTV IDs.
- “cache_dir” — where to store fetched EPG data.
- “update_interval” — how often to refresh (minutes). Example minimal config:
{ "xmltv_url": "https://example.com/epg.xml.gz", "cache_dir": "/var/lib/megaepg", "update_interval": 120, "channels_map": { "channel-1-id": "xmltv-channel-1", "channel-2-id": "xmltv-channel-2" }, "port": 8080 } Save and exit.
Tips:
- If your XMLTV feed is compressed (.gz), MegaEPG typically handles decompression automatically.
- Use short update intervals only if your device and network can handle frequent downloads.
Step 4 — Start MegaEPG (1 minute)
Start the service manually to test:
cd /opt/megaepg sudo npm start Or if installed globally:
megaepg start Check logs for errors:
tail -f /opt/megaepg/logs/megaepg.log If everything starts, MegaEPG should expose an API or web endpoint (e.g., http://your-server:8080/epg.xml).
Step 5 — Connect to your player (2 minutes)
- Point your IPTV player’s EPG/XMLTV source to the exposed MegaEPG URL (e.g., http://server:8080/epg.xml).
- In your IPTV playlist (M3U), ensure the channel IDs match the keys used in channels_map.
- Refresh the player’s guide and allow a minute for first fetch.
Common clients:
- Kodi (PVR IPTV Simple Client) — set XMLTV URL in the PVR client settings.
- Tivimate, Stbemu, other Android IPTV apps — add EPG source in settings.
Optional: Run MegaEPG as a service (2 minutes)
Create a systemd unit so MegaEPG starts automatically:
# /etc/systemd/system/megaepg.service [Unit] Description=MegaEPG service After=network.target [Service] Type=simple User=root WorkingDirectory=/opt/megaepg ExecStart=/usr/bin/npm start Restart=on-failure [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target Enable and start:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable --now megaepg.service sudo systemctl status megaepg Troubleshooting quick checklist
- No EPG displayed: confirm XMLTV URL is reachable (curl it) and channel IDs match.
- Compressed feed errors: ensure MegaEPG supports .gz or add a pre-decompress step.
- Permissions: ensure cache_dir is writable by the user running MegaEPG.
- Logs: check logs/megaepg.log for detailed errors.
Final notes
This guide gives a fast, practical path to install and configure MegaEPG in about 10 minutes. For advanced mapping, time-shifting, or custom parsers, consult MegaEPG’s official docs or repository README for deeper options.
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