Picamera2
Python library for the Raspberry Pi camera with streaming support
Picamera2 is the official Python library for controlling Raspberry Pi cameras using the libcamera stack. It can be used to build self-hosted surveillance applications with live streaming, capture, and motion-based recording.
Key features
- libcamera-based Pi camera control
- MJPEG and H.264 streaming
- Capture and recording
- Scriptable in Python
Pros & cons
Strengths
- Official and well-documented
- Flexible for DIY systems
Trade-offs
- Library, not a full NVR
- Raspberry Pi specific
Picamera2 replaces
Compare Picamera2
25 head-to-head comparisons.
- Picamera2 vs MediaMTX
- Picamera2 vs go2rtc
- Picamera2 vs OpenALPR
- Picamera2 vs CompreFace
- Picamera2 vs OpenCvSharp
- Picamera2 vs ZoneMinder
- Picamera2 vs Frigate Mobile Companion
- Picamera2 vs Cameradar
- Picamera2 vs CameraView
- Picamera2 vs motionEye
- Picamera2 vs Motion
- Picamera2 vs Shinobi
- Picamera2 vs Viseron
- Picamera2 vs mjpg-streamer
- Picamera2 vs WebRTC Camera
- Picamera2 vs OpenIPC
- Picamera2 vs uStreamer
- Picamera2 vs RTSPtoWebRTC
- Picamera2 vs Moonfire NVR
- Picamera2 vs RtspToWeb
- Picamera2 vs iSpy
- Picamera2 vs RPi Cam Web Interface
- Picamera2 vs Double Take
- Picamera2 vs Frigate Home Assistant Integration
- Picamera2 vs Kerberos Agent
Similar video surveillance apps
MediaMTX
Video SurveillanceReady-to-use media server and RTSP/WebRTC proxy
Replaces Wowza
go2rtc
Video SurveillanceUltimate camera streaming gateway with low latency
Replaces Nest Cam
OpenALPR
Video SurveillanceAutomatic license plate recognition library
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CompreFace
Video SurveillanceSelf-hosted face recognition service with REST API
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OpenCvSharp
Video Surveillance.NET wrapper for OpenCV computer vision
Replaces Commercial vision SDKs
ZoneMinder
Video SurveillanceFull-featured closed-circuit television software suite
Replaces Blue Iris, Milestone XProtect