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Shinobi

lastmod 2026-02-27created 2023-12-263 edits

Shinobi CE - The Free Open Source CCTV platform written in Node.JS (Camera Recorder - Security Surveillance Software - Restreamer

Shinobi Pro - The Next Generation in Open-Source Video Management Software with support for over 6000 IP and USB Cameras http://shinobi.video

Shinobi is an open-source CCTV/NVR solution based on Node.js. It uses FFmpeg as its backend, so it is very lightweight, and through its web interface it runs on all of Windows/Linux/macOS. It was developed as a modern alternative to ZoneMinder.

How to install 

bash <(curl -s https://gitlab.com/Shinobi-Systems/Shinobi-Installer/raw/master/shinobi-docker.sh)

It runs with docker-compose.

After it starts, go to http://YOUR_SHINOBI_SERVER_IP_ADDRESS:8080/super (you must add the /super path at the end).

Login with the default Superuser credentials.

After adding a new user, go to http://YOUR_SHINOBI_SERVER_IP_ADDRESS:8080 and log in with the user you added.

Add Camera

Pricing details

Edition

Price

Cameras

Notes

CE (Community Edition)

Free

Unlimited

Home, non-commercial use

Pro (low-cost plan)

Contact sales

Limited to 5

Commercial

Pro (standard)

$175/year

20

Commercial, includes developer support

Key features

  • Lightweight design built on FFmpeg ("thin shell around FFmpeg")
  • Web interface (mobile responsive — no separate app needed)
  • ONVIF/RTSP support
  • MP4/WebM recording formats
  • Real-time streaming over WebSocket
  • Multi-user/group management (per-account camera access control)
  • Node.js — supports all of Mac/Windows/Linux
  • Motion detection (based on frame comparison)
  • API (RESTful)
  • Plugin system

Pros

  • Very lightweight — can continuously record 16 cameras at 1080p 15fps on a Pentium E5500 with 3GB RAM
  • Cross-platform (Linux/Windows/macOS)
  • Much easier to install than ZoneMinder (installs in minutes)
  • Modern web UI
  • Multi-tenant support (can be run as SaaS)

Cons

  • No native mobile app (uses the web browser)
  • Limited AI analytics (basic motion detection level)
  • Smaller community than Blue Iris/Frigate
  • Paid license required for commercial use
  • Documentation is lacking in places

System requirements

  • Node.js runtime
  • FFmpeg
  • MySQL/MariaDB
  • Linux recommended (Docker deployment possible)

Best suited for

Linux server operators, those who prefer lightweight solutions, building multi-tenant cloud NVRs, an alternative to ZoneMinder

See also

Favorite site

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