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Kerberos.io Machinery vs Shinobi

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?
KE Kerberos.io Machinery Archived Open-source video surveillance recording engine VS SH Shinobi Open-source NVR and CCTV software for IP cameras
FeatureKerberos.io MachineryShinobi
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
StatusArchivedActively maintained
CategoryVideo SurveillanceVideo Surveillance
LicenseApache-2.0GPL-3.0
LanguageC++JavaScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcedocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 486★ 4,000
First released20142017
ReplacesMilestone XProtect, Blue IrisBlue Iris

What are Kerberos.io Machinery and Shinobi?

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

Shinobi

Shinobi is an open-source network video recorder and CCTV solution that supports a wide range of IP cameras over RTSP, ONVIF, and other protocols. It offers motion detection, a web dashboard, and many integrations.

  • Wide IP camera support
  • Motion detection
  • Web dashboard
  • Multiple recording modes

Read the full Shinobi guide →

Kerberos.io Machinery vs Shinobi: key differences

The biggest difference is maintenance: Kerberos.io Machinery's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Shinobi is actively maintained. Kerberos.io Machinery is written in C++, while Shinobi is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Kerberos.io Machinery versus GPL-3.0 for Shinobi. Kerberos.io Machinery is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Shinobi. Kerberos.io Machinery is the more established project (first released 2014), while Shinobi arrived in 2017. Shinobi has the considerably larger community, at 4,000 GitHub stars versus 486.

Why pick each one

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

Choose Shinobi if…

  • Flexible camera support
  • Active community

Watch out for

  • Configuration can be complex
  • Documentation is scattered
Shinobi details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kerberos.io Machinery or Shinobi better?

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

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

Yes. Kerberos.io Machinery is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Shinobi under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

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

Kerberos.io Machinery: yes. Shinobi: yes.

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

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

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