datarhei Core vs Restreamer
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video surveillance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Restreamer
Self-hosted streaming server for publishing live video
| Feature | datarhei Core | Restreamer |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 58 · Fair | 62 · Good |
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 282 | ★ 5,201 |
| First released | 2022 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Wowza, commercial video servers | Wowza |
What are datarhei Core and Restreamer?
datarhei Core
datarhei Core is a self-hosted media server that manages and processes video streams using FFmpeg. It can ingest RTSP camera feeds and republish them as HLS, RTMP, or SRT, serving as a backend for surveillance and streaming.
- FFmpeg-based stream processing
- RTSP ingest and republish
- REST API control
- Process management
Restreamer
Restreamer by datarhei is a self-hosted streaming server that ingests video sources such as RTSP camera feeds and publishes them to web pages or platforms like YouTube. It ships as a Docker image with a built-in web UI.
- Ingest and restream RTSP
- Built-in web UI
- Publish to multiple platforms
- Docker-based deployment
datarhei Core vs Restreamer: key differences
Datarhei Core is written in Go, while Restreamer is built with HTML. Restreamer is the more established project (first released 2015), while datarhei Core arrived in 2022. Restreamer has the considerably larger community, at 5,201 GitHub stars versus 282.
Why pick each one
Choose datarhei Core if…
- Flexible stream handling
- Good API
Watch out for
- Not a full NVR
- FFmpeg knowledge helps
Choose Restreamer if…
- Easy to publish camera feeds
- Polished interface
Watch out for
- Restreaming focus
- Not a full NVR with recording rules
Frequently asked questions
Is datarhei Core or Restreamer better?
Restreamer is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider datarhei Core if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are datarhei Core and Restreamer free and open-source?
Yes. datarhei Core is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Restreamer under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run datarhei Core and Restreamer with Docker?
datarhei Core: yes. Restreamer: yes.