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+# Image Server
+
+A FastAPI-based image server that serves files from directories or ZIP archives using hashed paths for secure, randomized access. The server provides a beautiful full-screen image viewing experience with navigation controls and optional auto-advance features.
+
+## Features
+
+- **Secure File Access**: Files are accessed via SHA-256 hashes of their paths (with salt) rather than direct file paths
+- **Multiple Sources**: Supports serving from directories, individual ZIP files, or glob patterns (e.g., `*.zip`)
+- **Beautiful UI**: Full-screen responsive image viewer with keyboard navigation
+- **Navigation Controls**: 
+  - Previous/Next buttons (clickable chevrons or arrow keys)
+  - Random access mode
+  - Ordered sequential access with configurable delay
+  - Play/pause toggle for auto-advance
+- **Keyboard Shortcuts**:
+  - Left/Right Arrow: Navigate previous/next
+  - Space: Toggle play/pause
+  - +/-: Increase/decrease slide delay
+  - O: Toggle between ordered and random modes
+- **MIME Type Detection**: Automatically sets correct content types for served files
+- **Health Check Endpoint**: Monitor server status and indexed file count
+
+## Installation
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- Python 3.13 or higher
+- UV package manager (recommended) or pip
+
+### Using UV (Recommended)
+
+```bash
+# Clone the repository
+git clone <repository-url>
+cd image_server
+
+# Install dependencies
+uv sync
+
+# Activate virtual environment
+source .venv/bin/activate
+```
+
+### Using pip
+
+```bash
+pip install fastapi uvicorn
+```
+
+## Usage
+
+### Basic Usage
+
+```bash
+# Serve files from a directory
+python main.py /path/to/your/images
+
+# Serve files from a ZIP archive
+python main.py /path/to/archive.zip
+
+# Serve files matching a glob pattern
+python main.py "path/to/images/*.zip"
+```
+
+### Server Options
+
+```bash
+python main.py [SOURCE] [OPTIONS]
+
+Arguments:
+  SOURCE              Path to directory, ZIP archive, or glob pattern (e.g., *.zip, path/to/zips/*.zip)
+
+Options:
+  --host TEXT         Host to bind to (default: 0.0.0.0)
+  --port INTEGER      Port to bind to (default: 8000)
+  --salt TEXT         Salt for hashing file paths (default: random)
+  -h, --help          Show help message and exit
+```
+
+### Examples
+
+```bash
+# Start server on default port 8000
+python main.py ./photos
+
+# Start server on custom host and port
+python main.py ./photos --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3000
+
+# Start server with custom salt for consistent hashing
+python main.py ./photos --salt mysecretkey123
+
+# Start server serving from ZIP files
+python main.py ./archives/*.zip
+```
+
+## API Endpoints
+
+### File Access
+
+- `GET /api/{file_hash}/data` - Retrieve file data by hash
+  - Returns: File content with appropriate Content-Type header
+  - Response: StreamingResponse of the file data
+
+### Navigation Pages
+
+- `GET /{file_hash}` - View file with navigation controls
+  - Displays image with previous/next navigation
+  
+- `GET /{order}/{delay}/{file_hash}` - View file with auto-refresh
+  - order: "next" (sequential) or "random"
+  - delay: Seconds before auto-advancing
+  - file_hash: Starting file hash
+
+### Special Endpoints
+
+- `GET /` - Redirect to a random file
+- `GET /{order}/{delay}` - Redirect to random file with order/delay settings
+- `GET /api/health` - Health check endpoint
+  - Returns: JSON with status and file count
+
+## How It Works
+
+### File Indexing
+
+When started, the server indexes all files from the provided source(s):
+- For directories: Walks the directory tree and indexes all files
+- For ZIP archives: Indexes all files within the archive
+- For glob patterns: Processes each matching file
+
+Each file is assigned a unique SHA-256 hash based on:
+- File path (relative to source or within ZIP)
+- Salt value (random or user-provided)
+
+### Security
+
+- Direct file path access is prevented
+- Files can only be accessed via their cryptographic hashes
+- Salt prevents hash prediction attacks
+- No filesystem traversal vulnerabilities
+
+### User Interface
+
+The server serves a single-page application (`frontend.html`) that provides:
+- Full-screen image display
+- Click-to-navigate on image
+- Chevron buttons for previous/next navigation
+- Play/pause button for auto-advance control
+- Responsive design that works on mobile and desktop
+
+## Development
+
+### Running in Development Mode
+
+```bash
+# With auto-reload for development
+uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
+```
+
+### Code Structure
+
+- `main.py` - Contains all server logic, routing, and file indexing
+- `frontend.html` - HTML template for the user interface
+- `FileIndexer` - Base class for indexing files from directories
+- `ZipFileIndexer` - Extension for indexing files from ZIP archives
+- Global `file_mapping` dictionary - Maps hashes to file paths/filenames
+
+### Adding New Features
+
+1. **New Indexer Types**: Create a class inheriting from `FileIndexer` and override the `_index()` method
+2. **New Routes**: Add functions decorated with appropriate HTTP method decorators (`@app.get`, etc.)
+3. **UI Changes**: Modify `frontend.html` template and update template substitution in `_render_page()`
+
+## Dependencies
+
+- **FastAPI** - Modern web framework for building APIs
+- **Uvicorn** - ASGI server for running the application
+- **Python Standard Library** - hashlib, mimetypes, secrets, zipfile, etc.
+
+## License
+
+This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
+
+## Contributing
+
+1. Fork the repository
+2. Create a feature branch
+3. Commit your changes
+4. Push to the branch
+5. Open a pull request
+
+Please ensure your code follows the existing style and includes appropriate tests.
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