Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is Shrutik?

Shrutik (শ্রুতিক) is an open-source voice data collection platform designed to help communities build high-quality voice datasets in their native languages. The name “Shrutik” means “listener” in Bengali, reflecting our mission to listen to and preserve diverse voices.

What languages does Shrutik support?

Shrutik is designed to support any language. Currently, it comes pre-configured with Bengali (Bangla), but administrators can easily add support for additional languages through the admin interface.

Is Shrutik free to use?

Yes! Shrutik is free and open-source under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 License. You can use it for learning, education, and non-commercial projects. Commercial use requires separate permission.

Technical Questions

What are the system requirements?

For Docker (Recommended):

• Docker 20.10+
• Docker Compose 2.0+
• 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB recommended
• 10GB free disk space

For Local Development:

• Python 3.11+
• Node.js 18+
• PostgreSQL 13+
• Redis 6+
• 8GB RAM recommended

How do I backup my data?

Database Backup:

# Create database backup
docker-compose exec postgres pg_dump -U postgres voice_collection > backup.sql

# Restore from backup
docker-compose exec -T postgres psql -U postgres voice_collection < backup.sql

File Uploads Backup:

# Backup uploads directory
tar -czf uploads-backup.tar.gz uploads/

Usage Questions

How do I add a new language?

1. Log in as an admin user
2. Go to the admin dashboard
3. Navigate to “Languages” section
4. Click “Add Language”
5. Enter language name and ISO code
6. Add scripts/texts for that language

What audio formats are supported?

Shrutik supports these audio formats:

• WAV (recommended for quality)
• MP3
• M4A
• FLAC
• WebM

What’s the maximum file size for uploads?

The default maximum file size is 100MB. This can be configured in the environment variables:

MAX_FILE_SIZE=104857600  # 100MB in bytes

How does the transcription consensus system work?

Shrutik uses a multi-contributor consensus system:

1. Multiple users transcribe the same audio
2. The system compares transcriptions
3. When transcriptions match (or are very similar), they’re marked as “consensus”
4. High-consensus transcriptions are considered high-quality data

Can I export my data?

Yes! Administrators can export data through the admin API:

• Audio files and metadata
• Transcriptions and consensus data
• User statistics and contributions
• Quality metrics

Development Questions

How do I contribute to Shrutik?

1. Fork the repository on GitHub
2. Set up your development environment
3. Make your changes
4. Write tests for new features
5. Submit a pull request

See our Contributing Guide for detailed instructions.

How do I report bugs?

1. Check if the issue already exists in GitHub Issues
2. If not, create a new issue with:
   • Clear description of the problem
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Expected vs actual behavior
   • System information
   • Error logs

How do I request new features?

Create a feature request in GitHub Issues with:

• Clear description of the feature
• Use case and benefits
• Proposed implementation (if you have ideas)

Can I customize the UI?

Yes! The frontend is built with Next.js and React. You can:

• Modify the existing components
• Add new pages and features
• Customize styling and themes
• Add support for new languages in the UI

Privacy and Security

How is user data protected?

Shrutik implements several security measures:

• Password hashing with bcrypt
• JWT token-based authentication
• Role-based access control
• Input validation and sanitization
• CORS protection
• Rate limiting

Can I run Shrutik offline?

Yes! Shrutik can run completely offline once deployed. All processing happens locally on your infrastructure.

How do I configure HTTPS?

For production deployments, configure HTTPS using:

• Reverse proxy (nginx, Apache)
• Load balancer with SSL termination
• Cloud provider SSL certificates

Example nginx configuration is available in our deployment guides.

Community and Support

Where can I get help?

1. Documentation: This documentation site
2. GitHub Issues: For bugs and feature requests
3. Discord: Join our community
4. Email: Contact the maintainers

How can I stay updated?

• Watch the GitHub repository for releases
• Join our Discord community
• Follow our social media channels
• Subscribe to our newsletter (coming soon)

Can I hire someone to help with deployment?

While Shrutik is open-source and free, you can:

• Hire freelance developers familiar with the stack
• Contact the core team for consulting services
• Engage with the community for paid support

Troubleshooting

The application won’t start

See our detailed Troubleshooting Guide for common issues and solutions.

I forgot my admin password

Reset your admin password:

# Using Docker
docker-compose exec backend python create_admin.py

# Local development
python scripts/create_admin.py --name "AdminUser" --email admin@example.com

This will create a new admin user or update the existing one.

The database is corrupted

If your database becomes corrupted:

1. Stop all services
2. Restore from backup (if available)
3. Or reset the database:

# Stop and remove all containers, volumes, and networks
docker compose down -v --remove-orphans

# Optional: prune unused Docker resources
docker system prune -f

# Start services (build images if necessary)
docker compose up -d --build

# Wait a few seconds for Postgres and Redis to be ready

# Run database migrations
docker compose exec backend alembic upgrade head

# Or use a custom initialization script
docker compose exec backend python scripts/init-db.py

# Create Admin user
docker compose exec backend python create_admin.py

Still have questions?

If your question isn’t answered here:

1. Check our Troubleshooting Guide
2. Search GitHub Issues
3. Join our Discord community
4. Create a new issue on GitHub

We’re here to help!