selkies

accessing the desktop

Open the Selkies web interface in any modern browser (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox recommended for best WebRTC support). Authenticate with the credentials configured in your deployment.

The desktop connects via WebRTC — on the same LAN it connects directly (peer-to-peer). From outside your network, it falls back through a STUN/TURN server for NAT traversal.

features

• WebRTC streaming — ultra-low latency video and audio
• GPU hardware encoding — Intel VAAPI or NVIDIA NVENC for AV1, HEVC, and H.264
• Dynamic resolution — desktop automatically resizes to match your browser window
• Clipboard — copy/paste between your local machine and the remote desktop
• Audio — bidirectional audio via PulseAudio
• Gamepad support — connect up to 4 controllers via the browser
• File transfers — upload and download files through the web interface sidebar
• Multiple concurrent sessions — shared desktop mode for collaboration

installed applications

Selkies runs a full Linux desktop environment (Arch-based by default). You can install additional software through the terminal or the PRoot-App manager built into the sidebar. The /config directory is persisted on a volume, so installed applications and settings survive container restarts.

PRoot-Apps available include browsers (Firefox, Chromium), office tools, media players, development tools, and more. Browse the full list from the Apps section in the desktop sidebar.

keyboard shortcuts & tips

The following key combinations are captured by the remote desktop and not your local machine:

• Alt+Tab — switch windows on the remote desktop
• Ctrl+Alt+Del — task manager / system monitor
• F11 — toggle fullscreen (browser fullscreen, not remote)
• Ctrl+Shift+Esc — launch task manager

Tips:

• Use Chrome or Edge for the best WebRTC performance — Firefox works but may have higher latency
• If video is stuttering, check your network connection or close bandwidth-heavy tabs
• The default desktop environment is Openbox — lightweight and minimal
• Right-click on the desktop for the application menu

codec & encoding

The Selkies GStreamer pipeline supports multiple hardware and software encoders. The container is configured via the SELKIES_ENCODER environment variable with a comma-separated priority list:

The browser and client automatically negotiate the best codec. Most modern browsers support HEVC and H.264 natively; AV1 support is growing.