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Bluecherry vs Kerberos.io Machinery

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video surveillance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
BL Bluecherry Open-source IP camera surveillance and NVR application VS KE Kerberos.io Machinery Archived Open-source video surveillance recording engine
FeatureBluecherryKerberos.io Machinery
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score68 · Good10 · At risk
StatusActively maintainedArchived
CategoryVideo SurveillanceVideo Surveillance
LicenseGPL-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageC++C++
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM2,048 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 275★ 486
First released20102014
ReplacesMilestone XProtectMilestone XProtect, Blue Iris

What are Bluecherry and Kerberos.io Machinery?

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.io Machinery

Kerberos Machinery is the open-source video surveillance recording engine of the Kerberos.io ecosystem. It captures, records, and processes video from IP and USB cameras with motion detection and event-based recording.

  • Video recording engine
  • Motion-based capture
  • IP and USB camera support
  • Event-driven processing

Bluecherry vs Kerberos.io Machinery: key differences

The biggest difference is maintenance: Kerberos.io Machinery's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Bluecherry is actively maintained. Both projects are written in C++. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Bluecherry versus Apache-2.0 for Kerberos.io Machinery. Kerberos.io Machinery is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Bluecherry. Bluecherry is the more established project (first released 2010), while Kerberos.io Machinery arrived in 2014.

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
Bluecherry details

Choose Kerberos.io Machinery if…

  • Lightweight engine
  • Part of broader ecosystem

Watch out for

  • Best with Kerberos suite
  • Single-camera per instance
Kerberos.io Machinery details

Frequently asked questions

Is Bluecherry or Kerberos.io Machinery better?

Neither is universally better. Kerberos.io Machinery has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Bluecherry and Kerberos.io Machinery free and open-source?

Yes. Bluecherry is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Kerberos.io Machinery under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Bluecherry and Kerberos.io Machinery with Docker?

Bluecherry: yes. Kerberos.io Machinery: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, Bluecherry or Kerberos.io Machinery?

Kerberos.io Machinery has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Bluecherry. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

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