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Nightjar is a self-hosted network video recorder (NVR) with an optional cloud service. You run the node on your own hardware — a NUC, a Raspberry Pi 5, a NAS — and point it at any camera that speaks RTSP. Recording, motion detection, and AI object detection all happen on your machine. The cloud at app.nightjar.ca adds remote access and cloud event history, and it is optional. Nightjar is an alternative to Google Nest Aware and Blue Iris. The whole stack is open source under AGPL-3.0.

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Three promises

Your footage stays home

24/7 recording goes to your own disk. Only the event clips you opt into ever reach the cloud.

Zero port forwarding

The node keeps a single outbound connection. Remote live view flows peer-to-peer over WebRTC. Nothing on your network is exposed to the internet.

AI on your hardware

Person, vehicle, animal, and package detection runs locally with a small ONNX model. No per-camera cloud inference fees.

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How it fits together

The node is a TypeScript service that supervises go2rtc for live streaming, runs ffmpeg for continuous recording, and runs motion and object detection itself. If you pair it with a cloud account, it holds one outbound realtime channel for signaling and status — that is the only link between your house and the internet. Everything in this diagram is in one repository: github.com/Snapsonic/nightjar.

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Works with open cameras

Anything that speaks RTSP works today: Reolink, Amcrest, Hikvision, Dahua, Ubiquiti, and most generic IP cameras. ONVIF discovery is on the roadmap. A bridge for Nest cameras (via Google’s Smart Device Management API) is planned but not built yet — see the honest details in the Nest migration guide.

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Where to go next

Quickstart

Self-host a node with Docker in about 10 minutes.

Moving from Nest

A realistic plan for leaving Nest Aware, including what you keep and what you lose.

Add cameras

RTSP URL patterns for the major brands, and why substreams matter.

Architecture

Node internals, data flow, and the security model.

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Pricing, briefly

Self-hosting is free forever, including remote live view. Paid plans fund development and add cloud event history: Free keeps event clips in the cloud for 3 days, Plus (4.99/mo)for30days,Pro(4.99/mo) for 30 days, Pro (9.99/mo) for 60 days. Details at nightjar.ca. Plans are in early access.