picamera2-webstream

PiCamera2 Web Streamer

A Flask-based web streaming solution for Raspberry Pi cameras using PiCamera2. Stream your Raspberry Pi camera feed securely over HTTPS with minimal latency.

Features

• Real-time MJPEG streaming over HTTPS
• Adaptive frame rate based on client connections
• Clean shutdown handling
• Mobile-responsive web interface
• Thread-safe implementation
• Configurable camera parameters
• Resource-efficient with multiple client support

Dependencies

A split installation approach ensures compatibility with Raspberry Pi OS while keeping application-specific dependencies isolated.

System Packages (installed via apt)

• python3-libcamera
• python3-picamera2
• python3-opencv
• python3-numpy

Virtual Environment Packages (installed via pip)

• flask
• Additional Python-only dependencies

Installation

Via pip

pip install picamera2-webstream

Quick Installation

For a quick automated installation:

git clone https://github.com/glassontin/picamera2-webstream.git
cd picamera2-webstream

For an ffmpeg based webstream:

./install_ffmpeg.sh

For a picamera2 OpenCV based webstream use:

./install_picamera.sh

The installation script will:

1. Install all required system dependencies
2. Enable the camera interface
3. Set up a Python virtual environment
4. Install Python package dependencies
5. Generate SSL certificates
6. Add your user to the video group
7. Verify camera detection

After installation completes:

1. Log out and log back in (required for video group access)
2. Activate the virtual environment: source venv/bin/activate
3. Run the example: python examples/ffmpeg_stream.py
4. Open https://your-pi-ip in your browser

To uninstall:

./uninstall.sh

Usage

Two streaming implementations are available:

1. FFmpeg-based (Recommended)

from picamera2_webstream import FFmpegStream, create_ffmpeg_app

stream = FFmpegStream(
    width=1280,
    height=720,
    framerate=30,
    device='/dev/video0'
).start()

app = create_ffmpeg_app(stream)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=443, ssl_context=('cert.pem', 'key.pem'))

Advantages:

• Lighter weight (fewer dependencies)
• Hardware acceleration where available
• Better performance for basic streaming
• Works with both USB and CSI cameras
• Lower CPU usage

2. PiCamera2-based

from picamera2_webstream import VideoStream, create_picamera_app

stream = VideoStream(
    resolution=(1280, 720),
    framerate=30,
    brightness=0.0,
    contrast=1.0
).start()

app = create_picamera_app(stream)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=443, ssl_context=('cert.pem', 'key.pem'))

Advantages:

• Full PiCamera2 feature set
• More camera controls
• Better for image processing
• Native Raspberry Pi camera support
• Access to raw camera data

Choosing the Right Implementation

Use FFmpeg-based streaming when:

• You need basic video streaming
• You want minimal dependencies
• CPU resources are limited
• You're using a USB webcam

Use PiCamera2-based streaming when:

• You need advanced camera controls
• You want to do image processing
• You need raw camera data
• You're using the Raspberry Pi camera module

Accessing the Stream

For either implementation:

1. Open your browser and navigate to https://your-pi-ip
2. Accept the self-signed certificate warning
3. View your camera stream!

Camera Configuration

Automatic Configuration

To find the optimal settings for your camera, run the diagnostic tool:

python examples/camera_diagnostics.py

This will:

1. Detect all available cameras
2. Show detailed camera capabilities
3. Test different resolutions and formats
4. Measure actual achievable framerates
5. Suggest optimal configuration settings

Manual Configuration

You can customize various parameters when initializing the VideoStream:

stream = VideoStream(
    resolution=(1280, 720),  # Width x Height
    framerate=30,           # Target framerate
    format="MJPEG",        # Video format
    brightness=0.0,        # -1.0 to 1.0
    contrast=1.0,          # 0.0 to 2.0
    saturation=1.0         # 0.0 to 2.0
)

Common camera settings:

1. Resolution: Common values include (1920, 1080), (1280, 720), (640, 480)
2. Format: Usually "MJPEG" for web streaming
3. Framerate: Higher values (30+) for smooth video, lower values (15-) for reduced bandwidth

To see all available settings for your camera:

# List all video devices
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

# Show device capabilities (replace X with your device number)
v4l2-ctl -d /dev/videoX --all

# List supported formats
v4l2-ctl -d /dev/videoX --list-formats-ext

For USB cameras, you might also want to check:

# Show detailed USB device information
lsusb -v | grep -A 10 "Video"

Performance Considerations

• Higher resolutions and framerates require more CPU and bandwidth
• MJPEG format provides good quality with reasonable bandwidth usage
• If streaming over the internet, consider lower resolutions and framerates
• Monitor CPU usage and network bandwidth to find optimal settings

Development

If you want to modify the code:

1. Create a development environment:

# Clone and enter the repository
git clone https://github.com/glassontin/picamera2-webstream.git
cd picamera2-webstream

# Create and activate virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Install in editable mode
pip install -e .

1. Run tests (once implemented):

pip install pytest
pytest

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to the picamera2 team for their excellent camera interface
• The Flask team for their lightweight web framework

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions:

1. Camera not detected:

   • Ensure the camera is properly connected
   • Check if the camera interface is enabled in raspi-config
   • Verify with libcamera-hello command

2. ImportError for picamera2:

   • Make sure system packages are installed: sudo apt install python3-libcamera python3-picamera2
   • Ensure you're using the virtual environment

3. SSL Certificate issues:

   • Regenerate certificates if they've expired
   • Ensure certificates are in the same directory as the script

4. Permission denied errors:

   • Ensure your user is in the video group: sudo usermod -a -G video $USER
   • Logout and login again for group changes to take effect