Publishing channels

Publishing is the process of packaging your channel so it can be imported into Kolibri for offline use. Once published, channels are distributed to Kolibri installations worldwide.

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Publishing workflow

Studio uses a three-stage workflow to ensure content quality:

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1. Edit tree (draft)

When you create or modify content in Studio, changes are saved to the edit tree. This is your working draft:

• Changes are saved locally in IndexedDB
• Synced to the server periodically
• Not visible to Kolibri users
• Can be edited by all collaborators with edit access

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2. Staging tree (preview)

Before publishing, you can review changes in the staging tree:

• A snapshot of your edit tree at a specific point in time
• Allows you to preview what will be published
• Can be used for internal review before going live

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3. Published channel (production)

Publishing creates a versioned release that Kolibri can import:

• Immutable once published (edits require a new version)
• Assigned a version number
• Available for import into Kolibri
• Cached and distributed through CDN

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How to publish a channel

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Channel versioning

Each time you publish, Studio creates a new version of your channel.

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Version numbers

Versions are numbered sequentially starting from 1:

• Version 1: Initial publish
• Version 2: First update
• Version 3: Second update
• …

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Version history

You can view previous versions:

1. Open your channel
2. Click Channel → Version history
3. See all published versions with timestamps and descriptions

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Kolibri updates

When you publish a new version:

• Existing Kolibri installations see an update available notification
• Admins can choose to update the channel
• Kolibri downloads only the changed files (not the entire channel again)

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Public vs. private channels

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Making a channel public

Public channels:

• Appear in Studio’s public library
• Listed in Kolibri’s channel browser
• Discoverable by anyone
• Searchable by name, description, and tags

Private (unlisted) channels:

• Only accessible via channel token
• Not listed in public directories
• Only visible to collaborators in Studio
• Suitable for school-specific or proprietary content

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Channel tokens

Every channel has a unique token (32-character hex string) used for importing into Kolibri.

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Finding your token

1. Open your channel in Studio
2. Click Channel → Settings
3. Look for Channel token or Channel ID

Example: a1b2c3d4e5f6789012345678901234ab

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Using tokens in Kolibri

To import a private channel in Kolibri:

1. Go to Device → Channels
2. Click Import from Studio
3. Select Import from token
4. Enter the channel token
5. Proceed with import

Public channels can be found by searching by name, so the token isn’t required.

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Unpublishing channels

You cannot “unpublish” a channel once it’s published. However, you can:

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Make it private

• Change visibility to private in channel settings
• The channel won’t appear in public listings
• Existing Kolibri installations keep their imported copies

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Delete the channel

• Deletes the channel from Studio
• Existing Kolibri installations keep their copies (but won’t receive updates)
• Cannot be undone

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Troubleshooting

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Publishing fails

Possible causes:

• Missing required metadata (title, license)
• File upload errors (corrupted or incomplete files)
• Server timeout for very large channels
• Network connectivity issues

Solutions:

• Check all content nodes for missing metadata
• Re-upload any files that failed
• For large channels, publish during off-peak hours
• Contact support if the issue persists

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Publishing takes too long

Expected times:

• Small channels (< 100 MB): 1-5 minutes
• Medium channels (100 MB - 1 GB): 5-30 minutes
• Large channels (> 1 GB): 30 minutes - several hours

Tips for faster publishing:

• Compress large video files before uploading
• Remove duplicate or unused content
• Publish during off-peak hours (avoid weekdays 9am-5pm UTC)

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Channel not appearing in Kolibri

For public channels:

• Publishing can take 10-15 minutes to propagate
• Try refreshing the channel list in Kolibri
• Search by exact channel name

For private channels:

• Verify you’re using the correct token
• Ensure the channel has been published (not just staged)
• Check that the Kolibri device has internet access

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Updates not showing in Kolibri

• Kolibri checks for updates periodically (typically daily)
• Admins can manually trigger an update check
• Only channels marked as public or previously imported via token can receive updates

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Best practices

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Before publishing

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Versioning strategy

• Publish frequently: Small, incremental updates are better than large, infrequent ones
• Use clear version descriptions: Help users understand what changed
• Test before publishing: Use the staging tree for internal review
• Notify users: Let your audience know when major updates are available

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Managing updates

• Breaking changes: If you restructure the channel significantly, consider creating a new channel instead of updating
• Deprecation: When retiring old content, clearly mark it in descriptions before removing
• Communication: Maintain a changelog or release notes document for your channel users

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Next steps