MagicMirror² — Open-Source Smart Mirror Platform

Introduction

MagicMirror² is an open-source modular smart mirror platform built on Electron and Node.js. It lets you build a voice-free information dashboard behind a two-way mirror, displaying weather, calendar events, news headlines, and virtually anything else via community-contributed modules.

What MagicMirror² Does

• Renders a full-screen dashboard designed for two-way mirror displays
• Ships with built-in modules for clock, calendar, weather, news feed, and compliments
• Supports over 1,000 third-party modules contributed by the community
• Runs on Raspberry Pi, Linux desktops, or any system with Node.js
• Provides a simple JSON config file for module selection and layout

Architecture Overview

MagicMirror² is an Electron application that loads a local web page as the mirror UI. The server component runs on Node.js and manages module lifecycle, configuration, and a socket-based notification system. Each module is a self-contained JavaScript class that registers with the core, receives periodic updates, and renders its own DOM fragment into a configurable screen region.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Requires Node.js 20+ and npm; Raspberry Pi OS is the recommended platform
• Edit config/config.js to add or remove modules and set their positions
• Install third-party modules by cloning them into the modules/ directory
• Configure the built-in weather module with a free OpenWeatherMap API key
• Run as a systemd service with pm2 for automatic startup on boot

Key Features

• Completely modular architecture with hot-reloadable modules
• Position-based layout system (top_bar, upper_third, middle_center, etc.)
• Module notification system for inter-module communication
• Built-in update mechanism for core and third-party modules
• Active community with a dedicated forum and module registry

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Home Assistant dashboards — full home automation but heavier; MagicMirror² is purpose-built for mirror displays
• Dakboard — commercial SaaS dashboard; MagicMirror² is fully self-hosted and free
• Grafana panels — metrics-focused; MagicMirror² targets consumer info at a glance
• Smart Homey — proprietary hardware; MagicMirror² runs on commodity Raspberry Pi

FAQ

Q: Do I need a Raspberry Pi? A: No. MagicMirror² runs on any system with Node.js, but a Pi is the most common deployment for physical mirror builds.

Q: Can I control it remotely? A: Yes. The MMM-Remote-Control module exposes an HTTP API for managing the mirror from a phone or browser.

Q: Does it support voice control? A: Community modules integrate with Alexa, Google Assistant, and local wake-word engines like Porcupine.

Q: How do I create my own module? A: Extend the base Module class in JavaScript, register your module in config.js, and follow the developer documentation for lifecycle hooks.

Sources

• https://github.com/MagicMirrorOrg/MagicMirror
• https://magicmirror.builders/