serverAppConfigs/serverAppConfigs-docs/Dankserver/RomM-Scraping.md

type, description, tags, timestamp

type	description	tags	timestamp
reference	Metadata providers, cover art, ROM naming and the scraping workflow behind the RomM library.	dankserver romm	2026-08-28

RomM Scraping & Asset Management

This guide covers metadata providers, cover art, ROM naming conventions, emulator integration, and the scraping workflow for RomM on Dankserver.

Reference: https://docs.romm.app

1. Metadata Providers

RomM v5.1.0+ supports 11+ metadata providers. The scan.priority.metadata list determines which provider wins for descriptive fields. The scan.priority.artwork list controls cover art sourcing separately.

Screenscraper (ScreenScraper.fr)

• Type: Free, community-driven (French provider)
• Credentials: SCREENSCRAPER_USER + SCREENSCRAPER_PASSWORD (account user/pass)
• Registration: https://www.screenscraper.fr/membreinscription.php
• Rate limits: No documented hard cap. Community-claimed ~5 req/sec burst.
• Capabilities: Titles, descriptions, cover art, screenshots, manuals, 3D boxes, CD/cartridge covers, marquee logos, fanart, bezels, gameplay videos.
• Region support: Excellent. Respects scan.priority.region and scan.priority.region_mode.
• Best for: Richest media coverage (all art types), multi-platform, free. Use as secondary to IGDB for metadata, or swap priority order if Screenscraper art quality is preferred.

IGDB (Internet Game Database / Twitch)

• Type: Freemium (free tier with limits; paid for higher volume)
• Credentials: IGDB_CLIENT_ID + IGDB_CLIENT_SECRET (Twitch OAuth2)
• Registration: Twitch Developer Portal. Create app with name romm-<random hash>, OAuth redirect localhost, category Application Integration, client type Confidential.
• Rate limits: ~10 req/sec for free tier. Cached responses reduce effective calls.
• Capabilities: Titles, descriptions, cover art, screenshots, related games, release dates, genres, platforms.
• Limitations: No 3D boxes or physical media art. No manuals. No marquee/fanart.
• Default priority: Highest (igdb listed first in both metadata and artwork priority).

MobyGames

• Type: Paid (hobbyist API subscription; non-commercial use only)
• Credentials: MOBYGAMES_API_KEY
• Rate limits: Hobbyist tier ~0.2 req/sec (one request every 5 seconds).
• RomM recommendation: "We recommend using ScreenScraper instead, as it is free to use."
• Best for: Supplemental metadata depth for older PC/console titles.

RetroAchievements (RAHasher)

• Type: Free, hash-based achievement tracking
• Credentials: RETROACHIEVEMENTS_API_KEY
• How it works: RomM bundles RAHasher (v1.8.3+). ROMs are hashed during scans, matched against RA online database. Achievement progress synced per-user via their RA username.
• Known issues: Folder-based disc ROMs (.cue + .bin, .gdi) may fail hashing. Non-zip archives (.7z, .rar) had incorrect hash computation. Ensure filesystem.skip_hash_calculation is false.
• Important: Achievements cannot be earned via RomM's built-in EmulatorJS player. Must use an RA-capable standalone emulator.

Additional Built-in Providers

Provider	Slug	Enabled Via	Type
Hasheous	hasheous	HASHEOUS_API_ENABLED=true	Free, hash-based, proxies IGDB data
Playmatch	playmatch	PLAYMATCH_API_ENABLED=true	Multi-provider hash matching
LaunchBox	launchbox	LAUNCHBOX_API_ENABLED=true + XML	Local XML database
Flashpoint	flashpoint	FLASHPOINT_API_ENABLED=true	180,000+ browser games
HowLongToBeat	hltb	HLTB_API_ENABLED=true	Game completion times
SteamGridDB	steamgriddb	STEAMGRIDDB_API_KEY	Custom cover art
ES-DE gamelist	gamelist	Place gamelist.xml in platform folder	Local XML

2. Recommended Provider Combinations

Combo	Providers	Best For	Cost
Quick Starter	Hasheous only	No API keys needed	Free
French Connection	Screenscraper + RetroAchievements	Rich media, free	Free
Chef's Choice (recommended)	Hasheous + IGDB + SteamGridDB + RetroAchievements	Best overall quality	Free (IGDB free tier)
Twitch Fanboy	IGDB + Playmatch	Single-provider solution	Free

For Dankserver, the recommended setup:

• IGDB (primary metadata) + SCREENSCRAPER (artwork backup + rich media) + RETROACHIEVEMENTS (achievements) + HASHEOUS_API_ENABLED=true (fast hash-based fallback)

3. ROM File Naming Conventions

No-Intro Naming Scheme (Recommended)

The de facto standard for cartridge and handheld ROMs. Only Title and Region are required.

Super Metroid (Japan, USA) (En,Ja)
Sonic the Hedgehog (USA)
Metal Gear Solid (USA) (Disc 1)
[BIOS] PS1 System BIOS (USA)
Tetris [!].gba

Field meanings:

• (Region): USA, EUR, JPN, UE (USA+Europe), JUE (Japan+USA+Europe)
• (Languages): En, Ja, De, Fr, Es
• [Status]: [!] = verified good dump, [b] = bad dump, [c] = completed
• (Devstatus): (Proto), (Demo), (Release Candidate)
• [BIOS] prefix: Identifies BIOS files

RomM's Region/Language/Revision Parsing

RomM parses inline tags from filenames:

tetris (En) [1.0001] [HACK] [!].gba

• Region/language: ISO-like codes or full names
• Revision: rev v1 or rev-1
• Provider ID tags: (igdb-xxxx), (ssfr-xxxx), (moby-xxxx), (ra-xxxx) — forces specific provider match

Best Practices for Dankserver

1. Use No-Intro naming as the standard.
2. Use Igir to rename and organize ROMs into RomM's required folder structure:

   igir copy zip test clean \
     --dat "No-Intro*.zip" \
     --input "ROMs" \
     --output "/opt/romm/roms/{romm}"
   

3. Keep [BIOS] prefix for BIOS files in the bios/ directory.
4. One ROM file per game folder where possible.
5. Use archive formats (.zip, .7z) — RomM supports them natively.

4. Cover Art & Media Assets

Media Types

Media Type	Description	Best Provider
box2d	Standard 2D front cover art	IGDB, Screenscraper
box3d	3D box art	Screenscraper
miximage	Composite (box + screenshot + logo)	Screenscraper
screenshot	In-game screenshot	IGDB, Screenscraper
marquee	Transparent logo/header	Screenscraper
bezel	EmulatorJS-compatible bezel	Screenscraper
manual	PDF instruction manual	Screenscraper
video	Gameplay video/trailer	Screenscraper

Custom Artwork Directories

RomM supports manual artwork placement via subdirectories within each game folder:

/opt/romm/library/roms/{platform}/{game}/
    game.rom
    covers/
    screenshots/
    3dboxes/
    manuals/
    fanart/
    videos/
    marquees/
    bezels/

For ES-DE gamelist imports, media maps as:

gamelist.xml Tag	Folder Name
<cover>	covers/
<backcover>	backcovers/
<box3d>	3dboxes/
<marquee>	marquees/
<screenshot>	screenshots/
<fanart>	fanart/
<manual>	manuals/

MAME Artwork

MAME uses cabinet pics, flyers, marquees, control panels, backdrops, overlays. Stored in {platform}/mame_artwork/{game}/ subdirectories.

Sources: Mr. Do's Arcade (https://www.mameworld.info/mrdo/), ProgettoSnaps (http://www.progettosnaps.net/artworks/).

5. Emulator Integration

EmulatorJS (Built-in)

Web-based player using RetroArch cores compiled to WebAssembly. Runs in-browser with no local emulator needed. Configured via emulatorjs.* settings in config.yml. Supports netplay via STUN/TURN servers.

Emulator Streaming

Launch native emulator containers (PCSX2, Dolphin, Xemu) and stream picture/sound/input back to the browser. Configured via streaming.* in config.yml.

BIOS File Requirements

BIOS files placed in /opt/romm/library/bios/{platform}/. Platform subdirectories required. File names should match emulator expectations:

Platform	BIOS File
PlayStation	scph1001.bin, scph5501.bin, scph5502.bin
GB/GBC	gb_bios.bin, gbc_bios.bin
SNES	sfc_bios.bin

BIOS matching done by hash against platform requirements.

Folder Structure Options

Structure A (recommended):

/opt/romm/library/
    roms/
        └── {platform}/
            └── {game}.rom
    bios/
        └── {platform}/
            └── {bios_file}.bin

Structure B (fallback):

/opt/romm/library/
    └── {platform}/
        ├── roms/
        │   └── {game}.rom
        └── bios/
            └── {bios_file}.bin

Dankserver mounts /opt/romm/library:/romm/library — RomM auto-detects structure.

6. Scraping Workflow

Recommended Pipeline

1. Organize ROMs → No-Intro naming + RomM folder structure.
2. Create config.yml → Set provider credentials, priority lists, region prefs.
3. First scan → Scan ALL → verify everything is matched.
4. Review unmatched → Manually match or add provider tags to filenames.
5. Fetch artwork → Re-scan with scan.media extended to desired types.
6. Sync RetroAchievements → Set user RA username → trigger sync.
7. Export gamelist → Enable scan.gamelist.export for ES-DE/Batocera.
8. Maintain → Enable scheduled rescans for new DAT updates.

Scan Types

Scan Type	What It Does
ALL	Full scan — hash, match metadata, fetch artwork
UNMATCHED	Only matches unmatched ROMs (faster)
METADATA	Updates metadata only
ARTWORK	Re-fetches artwork only
RETROACHIEVEMENTS	Syncs achievement data

Region Handling

scan:
  priority:
    region:
      - "us"
      - "eu"
      - "jp"
    region_mode: prefer_rom_tags   # or prefer_config

• prefer_rom_tags (default): ROM filename region tags take precedence.
• prefer_config: Config regions come first.
• NTSC-U (USA): 60 Hz, typically fastest, most translations.
• PAL (Europe): 50 Hz, sometimes slower, may have bonus content.
• NTSC-J (Japan): 60 Hz, Japanese only unless region-patched.

7. Collection Management Tools

Tool	Primary Role	Platform
RomVault 3.7.6	DAT-file-based verification and reorganization	Windows
clrMAMEPro	ROM set validation, deduplication, 1G1R	Windows
DATBios	BIOS file organization using DAT files	Windows
Batocera/Lakka integration	ES-DE gamelist import from RomM	Linux/ARM

8. Environment Variables (Dankserver)

# Auth
ROMM_USERNAME=admin
ROMM_PASSWORD=<strong password>
ROMM_AUTH_SECRET_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32)

# Metadata Providers
IGDB_CLIENT_ID=<your-client-id>
IGDB_CLIENT_SECRET=<your-client-secret>
SCREENSCRAPER_USER=<screenscraper-username>
SCREENSCRAPER_PASSWORD=<screenscraper-password>
MOBYGAMES_API_KEY=<mobygames-key>
RETROACHIEVEMENTS_API_KEY=<retroachievements-api-key>
STEAMGRIDDB_API_KEY=<steamgriddb-key>

# Feature Flags
HASHEOUS_API_ENABLED=true
PLAYMATCH_API_ENABLED=true

# Scanning
ENABLE_RESCAN_ON_FILESYSTEM_CHANGE=true
ENABLE_SCHEDULED_RESCAN=true
REFRESH_RETROACHIEVEMENTS_CACHE_DAYS=7

See Also

• RomM — main service documentation
• Dankserver Stack
• ARR-Stack — Readarr for ebook auto-downloads alongside ROM management