# NextNVR

A simple, single-binary IP camera recorder. Think of it as a dashcam for your property.

---

## Why NextNVR?

The open-source NVR landscape is rich with incredible projects — Frigate, Shinobi, ZoneMinder, Blue Iris alternatives — backed by passionate communities. They're powerful. They're feature-packed. But they've also become complex. Docker containers, AI pipelines, multi-service architectures, cloud integrations — for many users, it's too much.

**NextNVR is different.** It does one thing: continuously record your IP cameras to disk and let you review the footage. No AI, no cloud, no Docker — just a single Go binary you can run on a Raspberry Pi 5, an old thin client, or a VM. Deploy in 30 seconds — download, run, done.

This project was built with the help of AI — designed through conversation, refined through iteration, and shaped by the simple principle that surveillance software should be boring. It should just work.

---

## Quick Install

```bash
curl -sSLO https://git.lohmar.co.uk/cclohmar/NextNVR/raw/branch/main/deploy_nvr.sh
chmod +x deploy_nvr.sh
./deploy_nvr.sh
```

The script asks where to store recordings, then installs everything. Press Enter for the default (`~/nvr_data`) or type your own path.

**To update an existing installation** — run the same script again. It stops the service, pulls the latest code, rebuilds, and restarts.

**To pre-set the storage path:**

```bash
STORAGE_PATH=/mnt/recordings ./deploy_nvr.sh
```

---

## Supported Systems

| Distro | Package Manager | Architecture |
|---|---|---|
| Debian 12+ / Ubuntu 22.04+ | `apt` | amd64, arm64 |
| Fedora 40+ / RHEL 9+ | `dnf` / `yum` | amd64, arm64 |
| Arch Linux | `pacman` | amd64, arm64 |
| Alpine Linux | `apk` | amd64, arm64 |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | any above | arm64 |

---

## What It Does

| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| 📹 **Recording** | Up to 8 cameras simultaneously, 5-minute MP4 clips, zero transcoding |
| 💾 **Storage** | Set any path — local disk, USB drive, or network mount |
| 🖥️ **Live Wall** | 4×2 grid with auto-refreshing snapshots. Click for full live stream |
| 🔍 **Playback** | Browse recordings by camera and date with snapshot thumbnails |
| ⚙️ **Setup Wizard** | ONVIF network scan + camera naming. Add cameras manually too. |
| 🔐 **Two-Port Auth** | `:8080` with optional master login, `:8090` always-open viewer for LAN |
| 🔒 **100% Local** | Everything runs on your hardware. No cloud, no subscriptions, no telemetry |

---

## Where to Store Recordings

NextNVR saves video clips and snapshots to a directory you choose. By default this is `~/nvr_data`. You can change it in **Settings → Storage path** or by editing `config.json`.

### Local disk
```bash
# Use the system drive (default)
Storage path: /home/pi/nvr_data

# Use a second internal drive
sudo mkdir /data/nvr
sudo chown $USER:$USER /data/nvr
# Then set: /data/nvr
```

### USB drive
```bash
# Plug in the drive, find it:
lsblk
# Mount it:
sudo mkdir /mnt/usb-drive
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb-drive
# Make it permanent (/etc/fstab):
# /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb-drive ext4 defaults 0 2
# Then set: /mnt/usb-drive/nvr
```

### Network share (NAS / NFS)
```bash
# Install NFS client:
sudo apt install nfs-common
# Mount the share:
sudo mkdir /mnt/nas
sudo mount 192.168.1.100:/volume1/nvr /mnt/nas
# Make it permanent (/etc/fstab):
# 192.168.1.100:/volume1/nvr /mnt/nas nfs defaults 0 0
# Then set: /mnt/nas
```

---

## Authentication

NextNVR runs two HTTP servers:

| Port | Audience | Auth | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| `8080` | You (admin) | Optional master login | Live Wall, Playback, Settings |
| `8090` | Guests / LAN | None | Live Wall only |

Auth is disabled by default. To enable it, open Settings → **🔐 Authentication** card, set a master username and password, check "Require login", and save. Port 8090 stays open regardless — ideal for a QR code at a guesthouse: "Watch what we watch."

To reset the master password, edit `/opt/nextnvr/config.json` and set `"auth": {"enabled": false}`, then restart.

---

## Removing

```bash
curl -sSLO https://git.lohmar.co.uk/cclohmar/NextNVR/raw/branch/main/remove.sh
chmod +x remove.sh
./remove.sh
```

Stops the service, removes `/opt/nextnvr/`, cleans up systemd. Recordings on disk are untouched.

---

## Remote Access (Optional)

1. **Dynamic DNS** — use DuckDNS, No-IP, or Cloudflare for a domain name
2. **Port forwarding** — forward port `8080` to the NextNVR server (and `8090` if you want LAN guests to have open access)
3. For production, put NextNVR behind a reverse proxy (Zoraxy, Nginx) with HTTPS

---

## Roadmap

| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Continuous recording (`-c copy`, zero transcoding) | ✅ Done |
| ONVIF auto-discovery + web setup wizard | ✅ Done |
| Live wall with snapshot grid + focus view | ✅ Done |
| Playback browser with date presets | ✅ Done |
| 7-day retention with auto-cleanup | ✅ Done |
| Two-port authentication (master + viewer) | ✅ Done |
| **NAS / Network storage** (point recordings to any mounted path — NFS, SMB, USB) | ✅ Done |
| **Camera-triggered recording** (ONVIF motion/person detection events via API) | 🔜 Planned |
| **Multi-platform builds** (Raspberry Pi, ARM SBCs) | 🔜 Planned |

### Not Planned

- ❌ Cloud connectivity of any kind
- ❌ AI/ML object detection (use your camera's built-in detection)
- ❌ Mobile apps (the web UI is responsive and PWA-ready)

---

## Server Commands

```bash
sudo systemctl status nextnvr      # is it running?
sudo systemctl restart nextnvr     # restart
sudo journalctl -u nextnvr -f      # watch logs
```

Config file: `/opt/nextnvr/config.json`
Recordings: `/mnt/recordings/`

---

## License

MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE)

Built with ❤️ and AI in Mindelo, Portugal. 🇵🇹