Aug 3, 202313 min read

How to Set Up Shinobi CCTV on Your Device in Minutes

Shinobi CCTV Download: A Guide for Beginners

If you are looking for a free, open source, and self-hosted CCTV system that can handle thousands of cameras and stream videos to any device, you might want to check out Shinobi CCTV. In this article, we will show you how to download, install, and use Shinobi CCTV on various platforms and devices.

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What is Shinobi CCTV?

Shinobi CCTV is a network video recorder (NVR) software that allows you to monitor and record video from IP cameras, USB cameras, capture cards, desktops, and microphones. It supports a wide range of video formats, protocols, and features, such as motion detection, object detection, face recognition, PTZ control, time-lapse, alerts, and more.

Shinobi CCTV is written in Node.js and uses FFmpeg for video processing. It runs on Linux, Windows, MacOS, and can be deployed on edge computers like Raspberry Pi or Jetson Nano. It has a web-based interface that you can access from any browser or mobile device. It also has a RESTful API that allows you to integrate it with other applications or services.

Why use Shinobi CCTV?

There are many reasons why you might want to use Shinobi CCTV for your video surveillance needs. Here are some of them:

It is free and open source. You can use it without any license fees or subscriptions. You can also modify it or contribute to its development if you want.

It is flexible and scalable. You can run it on any machine or device that meets the requirements. You can add as many cameras as you want or need. You can also customize it to suit your preferences and needs.

It is powerful and feature-rich. You can record videos in various formats and resolutions. You can detect motion or objects in real time. You can control your cameras remotely. You can get notified of events by email or Discord. You can also use AI-powered plugins for advanced functions.

It is easy to use and maintain. You can install it with a few commands or clicks. You can update it with git pull or a script. You can manage it from a web interface or an API.

How to download Shinobi CCTV

There are several ways to download Shinobi CCTV depending on your platform and preference. Here are some of the most common methods:

The Ninja Way

The Ninja Way is the recommended way to download Shinobi CCTV on Linux or MacOS. It is a script that will clone the latest version of Shinobi from GitHub and install all the required dependencies for you. It will also create a superuser account for you to log in to the web interface.

To use the Ninja Way, you need to open a terminal and run the following commands:

curl -sL bash

cd shinobi

./INSTALL.sh

The script will ask you some questions during the installation process, such as your database credentials, your superuser email and password, and your preferred port number. You can answer them according to your situation or just press enter to use the default values.

Docker

If you prefer to use Docker, you can download Shinobi CCTV as a Docker image from Docker Hub or GitLab. There are several images available for different architectures and purposes.

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To use Docker, you need to have Docker installed on your machine or device. Then you need to pull the image that suits your needs from the repository. For example, if you want to use the official image for x86_64, you can run the following command:

docker pull shinobicctv/shinobi:latest

After pulling the image, you need to create a container and run it with the appropriate options. For example, if you want to use the default settings and expose the port 8080, you can run the following command:

docker run -d --name shinobi -p 8080:8080 shinobicctv/shinobi:latest

You can also use environment variables or volume mounts to customize your configuration and data storage. For more details, you can refer to the documentation on the Shinobi website or the Docker Hub page.

Raspberry Pi

If you want to use Shinobi CCTV on a Raspberry Pi, you can download a pre-built image from the Shinobi website or GitHub. The image is based on Raspbian Lite and has Shinobi pre-installed and configured.

To use the image, you need to have a Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 with at least 2 GB of RAM and a microSD card with at least 16 GB of storage. You also need a tool to flash the image to the microSD card, such as Etcher or Win32 Disk Imager.

After flashing the image, you need to insert the microSD card into your Raspberry Pi and power it on. You can then access Shinobi from any device on the same network by using the IP address of your Raspberry Pi and the port 8080. For example, if your Raspberry Pi has the IP address 192.168.1.100, you can open a browser and go to

The default username and password for Shinobi are admin@shinobi.video and admin. You can change them after logging in. You can also change other settings, such as the network configuration, by using raspi-config or editing the files in /boot.

Jetson Nano

If you want to use Shinobi CCTV on a Jetson Nano, you can download a pre-built image from the Shinobi website or GitHub. The image is based on JetPack 4.5.1 and has Shinobi pre-installed and configured.

To use the image, you need to have a Jetson Nano with at least 4 GB of RAM and a microSD card with at least 32 GB of storage. You also need a tool to flash the image to the microSD card, such as Etcher or Win32 Disk Imager.

After flashing the image, you need to insert the microSD card into your Jetson Nano and power it on. You can then access Shinobi from any device on the same network by using the IP address of your Jetson Nano and the port 8080. For example, if your Jetson Nano has the IP address 192.168.1.101, you can open a browser and go to

The default username and password for Shinobi are admin@shinobi.video and admin. You can change them after logging in. You can also change other settings, such as the network configuration, by using nvidia-settings or editing the files in /boot. How to install Shinobi CCTV

If you have downloaded Shinobi CCTV using the Ninja Way, Docker, or a pre-built image, you don't need to install it separately. It is already installed and ready to use. However, if you have downloaded Shinobi CCTV from GitHub or another source, you need to install it manually.

Requirements

To install Shinobi CCTV manually, you need to have the following requirements on your machine or device:

A Linux-based operating system, such as Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, or Fedora.

Node.js version 8 or higher.

FFmpeg version 3.2 or higher.

A MySQL or MariaDB database server.

A web server, such as Apache or Nginx (optional).

You can check if you have these requirements by running the following commands in a terminal:

node -v

ffmpeg -version

mysql -V

If you don't have these requirements, you need to install them first. You can use your package manager or follow the instructions on the official websites of each requirement.

Steps

After ensuring that you have the requirements, you can follow these steps to install Shinobi CCTV manually:

Clone the Shinobi repository from GitHub to your desired location. For example, if you want to clone it to /opt/shinobi, you can run the following command:

git clone /opt/shinobi

Change your working directory to the Shinobi folder. For example, if you cloned it to /opt/shinobi, you can run the following command:

cd /opt/shinobi

Install the Node.js dependencies by running the following command:

npm install

Create a database and a user for Shinobi in your MySQL or MariaDB server. You can use any name and password you want, but make sure to remember them. For example, if you want to create a database named shinobi and a user named shinobi with the password shinobi123, you can run the following commands:

mysql -u root -p

CREATE DATABASE shinobi;

CREATE USER 'shinobi'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'shinobi123';

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON shinobi.* TO 'shinobi'@'localhost';

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

EXIT;

Copy the configuration file template and edit it with your database credentials and other settings. For example, if you want to use the default configuration file template, you can run the following commands:

cp conf.sample.json conf.json

nano conf.json

In the conf.json file, find the section that starts with "db" and change the values of "user", "password", and "database" to match your database credentials. For example, if you created a database named shinobi and a user named shinobi with the password shinobi123, you can change the section to look like this:

"db":

"user": "shinobi",

"password": "shinobi123",

"host": "127.0.0.1",

"port": 3306,

"database": "shinobi" Save and exit the conf.json file.

Import the SQL file to your database by running the following command:

mysql -u shinobi -p shinobi

Create a superuser account for Shinobi by running the following command:

node tools/addUser.js

The command will ask you to enter your email and password for the superuser account. You can use any email and password you want, but make sure to remember them. For example, if you want to use admin@shinobi.video as your email and admin as your password, you can enter them as follows:

Email : admin@shinobi.video

Password : admin

The command will also ask you to enter a group key for the superuser account. You can use any alphanumeric string you want, but make sure to remember it. For example, if you want to use 2jZoBUXQxk as your group key, you can enter it as follows:

Group Key : 2jZoBUXQxk

The command will then create the superuser account and display a confirmation message.

Start Shinobi by running the following command:

pm2 start camera.js

pm2 start cron.js

The command will start Shinobi as a background process and display a status message.

You have successfully installed Shinobi CCTV manually. You can now access it from any device on the same network by using the IP address of your machine or device and the port number you specified in the conf.json file. For example, if your machine or device has the IP address 192.168.1.102 and you used the default port 8080, you can open a browser and go to

The default username and password for Shinobi are the email and password you entered when creating the superuser account. For example, if you used admin@shinobi.video as your email and admin as your password, you can log in with them.

How to use Shinobi CCTV

After installing Shinobi CCTV, you can start using it to monitor and record video from your cameras. Here are some of the basic steps to use Shinobi CCTV:

Adding a camera

To add a camera to Shinobi CCTV, you need to follow these steps:

Click on the Add button on the top right corner of the web interface.

Enter a name for your camera in the Name field.

Select a group for your camera from the Group drop-down menu. You can use the default group or create a new one by clicking on the Add button next to the menu.

Select a type for your camera from the Type drop-down menu. You can choose from IP Camera, USB Camera, Capture Card, Desktop Capture, or Microphone.

Enter the connection details for your camera in the Connection section. The details vary depending on the type of your camera, but they usually include the protocol, host, port, username, password, path, and stream type.

Enter the recording details for your camera in the Recording section. The details include the recording mode, quality, format, segment length, retention period, and storage location.

Enter the streaming details for your camera in the Stream section. The details include the streaming mode, quality, format, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and audio settings.

Enter any additional details for your camera in the Input section. The details include the input map, filter complex, custom flags, audio codec, video codec, and hardware acceleration.

Click on the Save button at the bottom of the page to save your camera settings.

You have successfully added a camera to Shinobi CCTV. You can see it on the dashboard or on the monitor page.

Viewing streams and recordings

To view streams and recordings from your cameras in Shinobi CCTV, you need to follow these steps:

Click on the Dashboard button on the top left corner of the web interface.

You will see a grid of thumbnails of your cameras. You can click on any thumbnail to view its live stream or recorded videos.

You can also click on the Monitor button on the top left corner of the web interface and select a camera from the list to view its live stream or recorded videos.

On the monitor page, you can see the live stream of your camera on the left side and the recorded videos on the right side. You can use the controls at the bottom of the page to play, pause, rewind, fast forward, or download the videos.

You can also use the calendar at the top of the page to select a date and time range to view the recorded videos. You can also filter the videos by motion or object detection events.

You have successfully viewed streams and recordings from your cameras in Shinobi CCTV. You can enjoy watching your videos or share them with others.

Configuring settings and options

To configure settings and options for your cameras or Shinobi CCTV in general, you need to follow these steps:

Click on the Settings button on the top right corner of the web interface.

You will see a menu of different settings categories, such as Account, Monitor, Stream, Recording, Detector, Plugin, and System.

Select a category that you want to edit from the menu. You will see a list of settings and options related to that category.

Change the values of the settings and options that you want to edit according to your preferences and needs. You can use the tooltips or the documentation for more information about each setting or option.

Click on the Save button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

You have successfully configured settings and options for your cameras or Shinobi CCTV in general. You can now enjoy using Shinobi CCTV with your customized settings and options.

How to update Shinobi CCTV

To update Shinobi CCTV to the latest version, you need to follow these steps:

Using git pull

If you have installed Shinobi CCTV using the Ninja Way or manually from GitHub, you can use git pull to update it. This is the easiest and fastest way to update Shinobi CCTV.

To use git pull, you need to open a terminal and run the following commands:

cd /opt/shinobi # or wherever you cloned Shinobi

git pull

pm2 restart all

The commands will fetch the latest changes from GitHub and restart Shinobi CCTV. You have successfully updated Shinobi CCTV using git pull.

Using the update script

If you have installed Shinobi CCTV using Docker or a pre-built image, you can use the update script to update it. This is a more reliable way to update Shinobi CCTV as it will also update the dependencies and fix any issues.

To use the update script, you need to open a terminal and run the following commands:

cd /opt/shinobi # or wherever you installed Shinobi

./UPDATE.sh

The script will check for updates and install them if available. It will also backup your database and configuration files before updating. You have successfully updated Shinobi CCTV using the update script.

Conclusion

In this article, we have shown you how to download, install, use, and update Shinobi CCTV on various platforms and devices. We hope that you have found this article helpful and informative.

Shinobi CCTV is a free, open source, and self-hosted CCTV system that can handle thousands of cameras and stream videos to any device. It is flexible, scalable, powerful, feature-rich, easy to use, and maintain. It is a great solution for anyone who wants to monitor and record video from their cameras without paying any fees or subscriptions.

If you want to learn more about Shinobi CCTV, you can visit its official website at There you can find more documentation, tutorials, forums, blogs, videos, and other resources. You can also join its Discord server at where you can chat with other users and developers of Shinobi CCTV.

If you want to support Shinobi CCTV, you can donate via PayPal or Patreon at You can also contribute to its development by reporting bugs, suggesting features, writing code, creating plugins, translating languages, or spreading the word.

Thank you for reading this article. We hope that you have enjoyed it and learned something new. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you.

FAQs

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about Shinobi CCTV:

What are the minimum requirements to run Shinobi CCTV?

The minimum requirements to run Shinobi CCTV depend on the number and type of cameras you want to use, the quality and resolution of the video streams, and the features and functions you want to enable. However, as a general guideline, you need at least:

A Linux-based operating system, such as Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, or Fedora.

Node.js version 8 or higher.

FFmpeg version 3.2 or higher.

A MySQL or MariaDB database server.

A web server, such as Apache or Nginx (optional).

A machine or device with at least 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage.

How many cameras can Shinobi CCTV handle?

Shinobi CCTV can handle thousands of cameras depending on the hardware and network resources available. However, there is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on many factors, such as the type and model of the cameras, the protocol and format of the video streams, the quality and resolution of the video streams, the recording and streaming settings, the motion and object detection settings, the hardware acceleration settings, and the network bandwidth and latency.

To get an estimate of how many cameras Shinobi CCTV can handle on your machine or device, you can use the calculator tool on the Shinobi website at You can enter your hardware specifications, camera details, and settings options and see how they affect the performance and resource consumption of Shinobi CCTV.

How secure is Shinobi CCTV?

Shinobi CCTV is designed to be secure and protect your privacy. It does not send any data to any third-party servers or services. It only communicates with your own database server and web server. It also encrypts your passwords and tokens using bcrypt and jwt. It supports HTTPS for secure web access and SSL/TLS for secure database connection.

However, Shinobi CCTV is not immune to security risks or vulnerabilities. You need to take some precautions to ensure that your Shinobi CCTV system is secure and safe from unauthorized access or attacks. Some of these precautions include:

Using strong passwords for your Shinobi CCTV accounts and database server.

Changing the default port numbers for your Shinobi CCTV web interface and database server.

Using a firewall to block unwanted traffic to your Shinobi CCTV machine or device.

Using a VPN or a proxy to hide your IP address and location.

Updating Shinobi CCTV regularly to get the latest security patches and fixes.

How can I get help or support for Shinobi CCTV?

If you need help or support for Shinobi CCTV, you have several options to choose from. You can:

Visit the official website at for more documentation, tutorials, forums, blogs, videos, and other resources.

Join the Discord server at where you can chat with other users and developers of Shinobi CCTV.

Contact the developer at moe@shinobi.video for any questions, feedback, suggestions, or issues.

How can I contribute to Shinobi CCTV?

If you want to contribute to Shinobi CCTV, you are very welcome and appreciated. You can contribute in many ways, such as:

Reporting bugs, suggesting features, writing code, creating plugins, translating languages, or spreading the word.

Donating via PayPal or Patreon at

You can find more information on how to contribute on the GitHub page at 44f88ac181