SHSelfHostIndex

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 Open-source video surveillance recording engine VS SH Shinobi Open-source NVR and CCTV software for IP cameras
FeatureKerberos.io MachineryShinobi
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

Why pick each one

Choose Kerberos.io Machinery if…

  • Lightweight engine
  • Part of broader ecosystem
Kerberos.io Machinery details

Choose Shinobi if…

  • Flexible camera support
  • Active community
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.

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