Cloud Security Camera Recording
With Your Own Cameras
LightNVR is a cloud-hosted Network Video Recorder (NVR) — software that connects to your existing security cameras, records their footage off-site, and lets you watch live or review recordings from any device, anywhere in the world.
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Open-source since 2024 175+ GitHub stars Built in Maine
Up and Running in Minutes
No hardware to buy. No software to install. Just cameras and a browser.
Create Your Account
Sign up in 30 seconds — no credit card, no commitment. Your free testing window starts immediately.
Choose Your Resources
Pick CPU, memory, and storage for your NVR instance. Start small, scale anytime.
Connect Your Cameras
Point any RTSP/ONVIF camera at your cloud NVR via WireGuard VPN. Watch live or review recordings from anywhere.
See LightNVR in Action
Real screenshots from a live instance — explore different views and themes.
*Your cameras must support RTSP or ONVIF — open standards used by most professional IP cameras (Reolink, Hikvision, Dahua, Amcrest, etc.).
Many consumer smart home cameras (Ring, Nest, Arlo) use proprietary protocols and are not compatible.
†Stream latency depends on your local network speed, camera encoding settings, and internet connection quality.
"After upgrading, all the Axis M10 Series cameras are now recording perfectly — clean MP4s, correct framerate (30fps), proper durations. Everything is working correctly now."
"Thank you for your explanation — it makes sense now. I appreciate it, excellent project."
Works With Your Cameras
The common thread is RTSP and open standards. If your camera streams RTSP or speaks ONVIF, LightNVR can record it. We deliberately don't support proprietary closed protocols like Ring's, Arlo's, or Nest's native streams — those are designed to keep you locked into their ecosystem.
RLC-810A, RLC-823A, E1 Pro, Duo 3 PoE
Excellent RTSP support out of the box
IP5M-T1179, ProHD, UltraHD series
ONVIF-compliant, budget-friendly
4K PoE series, W882CAD, E891AB
US brand, full RTSP/ONVIF support
C800, NC400, I91BL series
Affordable, ONVIF-compliant
R2C, G4P, FI9926P
Budget-friendly, standard RTSP
DS-2CD series, DS-2DE PTZ
⚠️ Not NDAA-compliant — consumer/commercial use only
IPC-HDW, IPC-HFW series
⚠️ Not NDAA-compliant — consumer/commercial use only
Don't see your camera? Ask us — if it speaks RTSP, it almost certainly works.
Provision Your First Recording Server — No Charge
We're in our go-live testing window. Right now you can get a fully functional cloud recording server running with just two steps — no billing, no strings attached.
No credit card required. No automatic billing — ever. After your free month, we reach out personally. If you want to continue, we send a Stripe invoice. If not, no hard feelings.
Two Ways to Use LightNVR
LightNVR is free, open source software — run it yourself on your own hardware, or let us run it for you in the cloud. Same great software, two very different levels of effort.
Self-Hosted
Free foreverDownload LightNVR and run it on your own computer, home server, or Raspberry Pi. Great if you're comfortable with a bit of tech setup and want full control.
- ✓Completely free and open source
- ✓Your data stays on your own hardware
- ✓Full customization and control
- –You manage installation, updates, and keeping it running
- –Recordings stored locally — if your hardware is stolen, damaged, or loses power, so are your recordings
Cloud Hosted
From $20/moWe run LightNVR for you in the cloud — whether you're securing one location or deploying for dozens of client sites. Connect your cameras and start recording. We handle everything.
- ✓We handle all setup, updates, and maintenance — no technical knowledge needed
- ✓Recordings stored safely off-site — protected even if your cameras are stolen, or there's a fire, flood, or power outage
- ✓Watch live and review past footage from any phone, tablet, or computer
- ✓Always recording — 99.5% uptime SLA, no local hardware to fail
- ✓No server hardware to buy or manage
How it fits together
Cameras at your site connect over an encrypted tunnel to your own isolated tenant instance. Recordings stay encrypted at rest. You watch from any browser.
Everything You Need
Professional security camera recording features — without the enterprise price tag or requirement to buy proprietary hardware.
Secure Private Tunnels
Cameras connect over an encrypted VPN (WireGuard) — no port forwarding or IT setup needed, even if your cameras are behind a home router or office firewall.
Bring Your Own Cameras
Works with most standard IP security cameras — Reolink, Hikvision, Dahua, Amcrest, and many more. No need to buy new or proprietary hardware.
Your Own Private Server
Every site gets its own dedicated recording server — footage is never mixed between accounts. Ideal for MSPs managing multiple client locations.
Watch From Any Browser
View live camera feeds on any phone, tablet, or computer — no app download required.
Cloud Recording
Continuous or motion-triggered recording stored safely off-site, with configurable retention periods.
Enterprise Security
All video encrypted in transit and at rest. SOC 2 compliance roadmap.
How We Compare
Same features, fraction of the cost. No proprietary hardware required.
| Provider | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ivideon | $9-25/cam/mo | Per-camera pricing adds up fast |
| Verkada | $17-150/cam/mo | Requires proprietary cameras |
| Rhombus | $12+/cam/mo | Annual contracts, hardware lock-in |
| LightNVR Best Value | From $20/mo | No per-camera fees, BYO cameras, pay for what you need |
Simple, Flexible Pricing
Pay only for what you need — scale up or down any time.
Create your account in 30 seconds. Free testing window — no credit card, no automatic charges.
Try the live demo first · No account needed
*No artificial camera limits. Actual capacity depends on resolution, frame rate, and encoding settings.
Resources above Starter (500m CPU, 512Mi RAM, 20GB storage) require billing setup after signup.
Or start from a fixed-price tier
If you'd rather not slide knobs, here are the three most common configurations as flat-rate plans. Same software, same isolation.
Starter
A small allocation to try the workflow end-to-end.
- 0.5 vCPU · 512 MB RAM · 20 GB recording
- Roughly 2–4 cameras at 720p
- WireGuard tunnel · isolated tenant
- Drag the calculator on /pricing to fit
Standard
The most common starting point for a small site.
- 1 vCPU · 1 GB RAM · 50 GB recording
- Roughly 4–8 cameras at 1080p
- WireGuard tunnel · isolated tenant
- Drag the calculator on /pricing to fit
Professional
A larger allocation for full-site or 4K deployments.
- 2 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 100 GB recording
- Roughly 8–16+ cameras or 4K
- WireGuard tunnel · isolated tenant
- Drag the calculator on /pricing to fit
Larger deployment, multi-site, or compliance contract? Let's talk.
Built With Privacy as a Default
Security camera footage is sensitive. We've designed LightNVR Cloud so that keeping your data private isn't a premium add-on — it's how the system works by default.
Your footage stays yours
Every instance runs in a fully isolated Kubernetes namespace. Your recordings are never co-mingled with another customer's data — not even on the same volume.
Encrypted in transit, always
Camera traffic travels over WireGuard VPN — a modern, audited protocol with no legacy cipher baggage. Your dashboard and API are served exclusively over TLS 1.2+.
Open source core
LightNVR itself is open source. You can read exactly what runs on your server, build it yourself, or self-host entirely. No black boxes.
You choose where your data lives
Instances run in DigitalOcean datacenters. Pick the region closest to your cameras — or the one that satisfies your compliance requirements. We don't move your data without asking.
We don't scan your footage
We have no access to your recordings and run no AI analysis on them unless you explicitly opt into a feature that requires it. Your cameras, your business.
Delete means delete
When you terminate an instance, the PVC and all recordings are permanently deleted from our infrastructure. No soft-deletes, no 30-day retention on our end.
Have a specific compliance requirement (GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA-adjacent)? Get in touch — we're happy to discuss your setup.
Deploy Camera Recording Across All Your Client Sites
If you manage security systems for multiple businesses, LightNVR Cloud fits the way you work. Spin up a dedicated, isolated recording server for each client — billed per site, not per camera. Scale up as you win new clients, without surprises on your invoice.
- ✓One platform, all your clients — manage every site from a single login
- ✓Per-site pricing, no per-camera fees — easy to bundle into your existing service contracts
- ✓Complete client isolation — each client gets their own private server; footage is never shared or mixed
- ✓Works with cameras your clients already own — no forced hardware upgrades or proprietary equipment
- ✓Multi-region ready — infrastructure built on DigitalOcean; we can expand to Amsterdam, Bangalore, San Francisco, or other DO regions with your clients
- ✓Volume pricing available — reach out if you're managing five or more sites
Why MSPs choose LightNVR
Expanding Your Footprint?
Our infrastructure is built on DigitalOcean and ready to grow with you — New York today, Amsterdam, Bangalore, or San Francisco tomorrow. If your clients need data kept in a specific region, let's talk .
Common Questions
If your question isn't here, email support@lightnvr.com — a real human responds.
Does it work with my camera?
What is RTSP / ONVIF and why does it matter?
What if my cameras use Hikvision or Dahua firmware?
What happens to my recordings if I cancel?
What happens if my internet goes down?
How do I connect my cameras?
How many cameras can I use per instance?
Is this GDPR / privacy regulation compliant?
What exactly happens after the free trial month?
Do I need to install anything on my own servers?
Still have questions? Email us — a real human responds.
Ready to Get Started?
Start recording your security cameras in the cloud — no per-camera fees, no new hardware required.
No credit card required · Create account in 30 seconds · Free testing window open now