Bluecherry vs Kerberos Vault
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video surveillance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Bluecherry | Kerberos Vault |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 68 · Good | 37 · At risk |
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 275 | ★ 42 |
| First released | 2010 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Milestone XProtect | Milestone XProtect |
What are Bluecherry and Kerberos Vault?
Bluecherry
Bluecherry is an open-source video surveillance application that supports IP and analog cameras through ONVIF and RTSP. It offers continuous and motion-based recording with a web interface and desktop client.
- ONVIF and RTSP support
- Continuous and motion recording
- Web and desktop clients
- Multi-user access
Kerberos Vault
Kerberos Vault is a storage system that securely receives and manages recordings from Kerberos Agents and other surveillance sources. It connects to object storage backends and handles retention and routing of footage.
- Centralized recording storage
- Object storage integration
- Retention management
- Works with Kerberos Agents
Bluecherry vs Kerberos Vault: key differences
Bluecherry is written in C++, while Kerberos Vault is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Bluecherry versus MIT for Kerberos Vault. Kerberos Vault is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Bluecherry. Bluecherry is the more established project (first released 2010), while Kerberos Vault arrived in 2021. Bluecherry has the considerably larger community, at 275 GitHub stars versus 42.
Why pick each one
Choose Bluecherry if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C++
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Commercial edition exists
Choose Kerberos Vault if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in Go
Watch out for
- Part of a larger stack
- Hard to set up alone
Frequently asked questions
Is Bluecherry or Kerberos Vault better?
Bluecherry is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Kerberos Vault if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Bluecherry and Kerberos Vault free and open-source?
Yes. Bluecherry is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Kerberos Vault under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bluecherry and Kerberos Vault with Docker?
Bluecherry: yes. Kerberos Vault: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Bluecherry or Kerberos Vault?
Kerberos Vault has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Bluecherry. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.