How Supra Works
This article explains the Supra architecture: how rendering is offloaded from client devices to a centralized Supra Server and how bi-directional communication flows between them.
Architecture Overview
Supra uses a hub-and-spoke model. One device in a Location acts as the Supra Server (the hub), and all other devices in that Location are clients (the spokes).
There can be more than one Supra server in every location with built-in fallback back mechanism. Supra servers behave as peers and client devices connect to them automatically.
Client devices are using proprietary rendering technology with bi-directional communication to Supra server. Bi-directional communication enables real-time interactivity, access to peripherals and other resources available either on Client or Supra server side.
The Supra Server renders applets in a headless Chromium browser and delivers them in realtime to client devices over the local network.
Rendering — Normal Mode vs Supra Mode
In normal operation, each device downloads and renders its applet locally using the device's built-in browser engine. In Supra mode, the rendering is offloaded to a centralized Supra Server running a modern Chromium-based environment.
| Aspect | Normal Mode | Supra Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Rendering location | Local device | Supra Server |
| Browser engine | Device-specific (Tizen WebView, Android WebView, etc.) | Latest Chromium |
| Applet download | Device downloads applet | Supra Server downloads applet |
| Video/Image rendering | Limited by device capabilities | Enhanced capabilities |
| Interaction handling | Local | Delegated to Supra Server |
User Interaction
User interactions on the client device (mouse movements, clicks, touch events, keyboard input, peripherals, sensors) are captured and forwarded to the Supra Server. The Supra Server injects these events into the running Chromium instance, enabling full interactivity as if the applet were running locally.
Supra Server Detection
A device is automatically detected as a Supra Server when:
- It runs the Linux Core App
- It has the
supra-server-daemonpackage installed
This is reported through device telemetry and detected automatically — no manual flagging is needed. All devices in the same Location as the detected Supra Server are automatically capable of Supra rendering.
Related Topics
- Supra Overview — Introduction and benefits
- Supported Platforms — Platform compatibility
- Supra Server — Setting up and managing the Supra Server