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Demo Mode

Demo mode lets you run the Orion Dashboard with pre-seeded fixture data instead of connecting to the backend services. This is useful for development, demos, and testing the UI without spinning up the full Docker Compose stack.

What Demo Mode Enables

With demo mode active, you can explore every page of the Orion Dashboard -- Trends, Content Queue, Analytics, Publishing, Settings, and System Health -- using realistic pre-seeded data. No backend services, no Docker, no GPU required.

What Is Demo Mode

When NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_MODE=true, the dashboard:

  • Serves fixture data from dashboard/src/lib/demo-data.ts instead of calling the Gateway API
  • Skips authentication -- no login required
  • Displays realistic trends, content items, publishing history, and analytics
  • Runs the GPU gauge and provider config with simulated values
  • WebSocket connections are disabled (no live updates)

All pages work in demo mode: Trends, Content Queue, Analytics, Publishing, Settings, and System Health.

Demo Mode Limitations

In demo mode, data is read-only and ephemeral. Any changes you make (e.g., approving content, switching providers) are stored in local component state and reset on page reload. WebSocket-based real-time updates are disabled, and no data is persisted to a database.

Activating Demo Mode

Using Make

make seed-demo

This generates fixture files and prints instructions:

Fixtures generated in scripts/fixtures/
Start dashboard with: NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_MODE=true make dash-dev

Then start the dashboard:

NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_MODE=true make dash-dev

Manual Setup

# Generate fixture data (optional -- dashboard has built-in fixtures)
python3 scripts/generate_dummy_data.py

# Start the dashboard in demo mode
cd dashboard
NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_MODE=true npm run dev

The dashboard is available at http://localhost:3001.

Seeding via CLI

The CLI provides an admin command for seeding:

orion admin seed

This seeds the database with initial data when the backend is running. For demo mode (frontend-only), use make seed-demo instead.

What Each Page Shows in Demo Mode

Six pre-seeded trends with realistic topics and virality scores:

Topic Score Source Status
AI Agents Replace Junior Devs -- Hype or... 0.94 google_trends USED
Apple Vision Pro 2 Leak Sparks AR/VR Debate 0.91 twitter USED
Rust Adoption Surges in Enterprise Backend 0.87 rss NEW
Open-Source LLMs Close the Gap on GPT-5 0.82 google_trends NEW
Kubernetes 1.32 Drops Docker Support 0.76 rss DISCARDED
WebAssembly Enters Server-Side Mainstream 0.73 twitter NEW

Content Queue

Content items at various pipeline stages: generating, review, approved, published, and failed. Click any item to view its full details including script, media assets, and metadata.

Analytics

Charts showing content performance metrics, engagement data, and trend correlation over time. All data is generated relative to the current date so it always looks fresh.

Publishing

Publishing history with platform distribution across Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok. Shows post URLs and engagement metrics.

Settings

Provider configuration cards for LLM, Image, Video, and TTS. In demo mode, changes are saved to local state but not persisted to the backend. The status indicators show simulated connection states.

System Health

Service status cards show all services as healthy. The GPU gauge displays a simulated utilization value.

Generating Custom Fixture Data

The fixture generator script creates JSON files in scripts/fixtures/:

python3 scripts/generate_dummy_data.py

The dashboard's built-in fixtures in dashboard/src/lib/demo-data.ts are independent of the generated JSON files. To customize the dashboard demo data, edit demo-data.ts directly.

Demo Mode vs Full Stack

Feature Demo Mode Full Stack
Backend required No Yes
Authentication Skipped Required
Real-time updates No Yes (WebSocket)
Data persistence No Yes (PostgreSQL)
AI generation No Yes
Provider switching UI only Functional
GPU monitoring Simulated Real

Next Steps