Gaseous

Gaseous is a self-hosted server for managing game ROM libraries and associated titles. It scans and organizes ROMs, identifies games using multiple sources, enriches them with metadata, and provides basic in-browser emulation for supported platforms.

Key Features

• ROM and title management with library scanning and organization
• Game identification and metadata enrichment using external sources (e.g., IGDB) and signature-based matching
• Web UI for browsing a library, viewing game details, and launching gameplay
• Built-in browser emulation via a web-based emulator integration
• User authentication (available in v1.7.0 and later)
• Supports MariaDB (preferred) and MySQL as the backend database

Use Cases

• Build a centralized retro game library for a homelab or household
• Enrich and clean up ROM collections with consistent metadata and artwork
• Play supported retro titles directly from a browser without installing local emulators

Limitations and Considerations

• Internet exposure is discouraged by the project; if exposed, it should be protected (e.g., via VPN) and treated as higher risk
• Switching from older MySQL schemas to MariaDB may require rebuilding the database and re-importing via a library scan
• Metadata lookups may require an IGDB API key unless using an alternative proxy approach

Gaseous is a practical option for collectors who want a web-managed ROM library with light browser-based play. It focuses on library organization and metadata-driven browsing while keeping the deployment relatively straightforward with a SQL backend.