ZoneMinder Docker Container

Containerized ZoneMinder on Debian, built from upstream source using the official Debian packaging path. Multi-arch: linux/amd64, linux/arm64. Tested on Raspberry Pi 4 (64-bit OS).

Status: community-maintained, no active testing by the original author. Functional and stable for personal use. Issues and PRs welcome.

Why this image

• ZoneMinder's official image hasn't been updated in years.
• Other popular images (e.g. dlandon's) bundle Event Notification Server and ML add-ons. This image stays focused: just ZoneMinder.
• Built on Debian bookworm, the same base as current Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit.

Quick Start

services:
  zoneminder:
    image: nardo86/zoneminder:latest
    container_name: zoneminder
    ports:
      - "443:443"
    environment:
      TZ: Europe/Rome
      FQDN: zm.example.local
      SELFSIGNED: "1"
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config                       # MariaDB data + msmtp config
      - ./zmcache:/var/cache/zoneminder        # events + recordings
    shm_size: 1gb
    restart: unless-stopped

Access at https://<FQDN>:443/zm once the container reports healthy.

Configuration

Variable	Description	Default
TZ	Timezone (also written to ZM's ZM_TIMEZONE)	Etc/UTC
FQDN	Server hostname for Apache ServerName and SSL	localhost
SELFSIGNED	1 → generate a self-signed cert on first run, 0 → expect certs under /sslcert/live/$FQDN/	0

Shared memory

ZoneMinder uses /dev/shm for live capture buffers. Start with shm_size: 1gb and bump if you have many cameras at high resolution — don't over-allocate, the host will swap.

Volumes

Path	What's inside
/config	MariaDB data dir + msmtprc
/var/cache/zoneminder	Events, images, temp
/sslcert	Mount your Let's Encrypt live/archive

Custom SSL (e.g. SWAG / Let's Encrypt)

Set SELFSIGNED=0 and mount certs:

volumes:
  - /path/to/swag/etc/letsencrypt/live:/sslcert/live
  - /path/to/swag/etc/letsencrypt/archive:/sslcert/archive

Apache reads /sslcert/live/$FQDN/fullchain.pem and privkey.pem.

Email (msmtp)

A template config is written to /config/msmtprc on first run. Edit it with your SMTP credentials and restart the container.

Upgrading from 1.36 → 1.38

ZoneMinder 1.38 introduces major changes (RBAC, monitor Function field split into Capturing/Analysing/Recording, new tables). Database migrations run automatically via zmupdate.pl on container start when a version mismatch is detected.

Back up /config/mysql before the first start on 1.38 — the migration is one-way. See the upstream 1.38.0 release notes for details.

Migrating data from another instance

Reference thread.

# On the old system
mysqldump -p zm > zm-dbbackup.sql

# On the new system, after first container start
docker exec -i zoneminder mysql -u root zm < zm-dbbackup.sql
rsync -avP --delete /path/to/old/events/* zmcache/events/
docker exec zoneminder zmaudit.pl

Troubleshooting

• Container stuck "Waiting for MariaDB startup...": open a shell with docker exec -it zoneminder bash and run /usr/bin/mysqld_safe --skip-syslog to see the actual error.
• HTTPS not responding: check docker logs for Apache errors and verify FQDN matches the cert subject when using custom SSL.
• DB version mismatch warning: the entrypoint will run zmupdate.pl automatically. If it fails repeatedly, restore your backup and check the ZoneMinder logs under /var/log/zm/ inside the container.

Image

hub.docker.com/r/nardo86/zoneminder

Tags published by the workflow:

• latest — last successful build from master
• zm-<version> — the ZoneMinder version that was built
• YYYY.MM — monthly cron snapshot
• 1.34, amd64-1.34, arm32v7-1.34, arm64v8-1.34 — frozen 2021 images on ZoneMinder 1.34, kept for users who pinned them. Not updated.

Notes

• Built with help from Claude (Anthropic). Review the configuration before exposing to anything beyond your LAN — defaults are convenient, not hardened.
• Not affiliated with the ZoneMinder project. See ZoneMinder/zoneminder for the upstream.
• No warranty. Back up your recordings.

Support

⭐ Star • 🐛 Issue • 🔧 PR • ☕ https://paypal.me/ErosNardi