Redundancy with Shinobi Failover Servers

Shinobi Core servers (the server that does the Camera processing like live view and recording) can suddenly go offline in some environments. With a Failover server you can claim that downtime. And when the original Core server returns the Failover server will copy over the Videos and Events to the Core that it has captured during that downtime.

By : Moe Alam

Date Added : Tue Apr 14 2026 07:42:38 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Last Updated : Tue Apr 14 2026 08:10:05 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

What is this feature?

This is a failover backup for your Shinobi server, Redundancy for your Shinobi (Core) server. All cameras and users will automatically be imported to the Failover server when your main server dies or goes offline. And when it returns any recorded footage and events will be sent back from the Failover to the main server.

You may have multiple Failover servers connected to your Shinobi to ensure at least one Failover takes over.

This feature requires both servers are Activated with separate license keys for the feature to operate.

This feature is currently only in the "feature-failover" branch. This will be merged to "dev" in early May 2026. Then to "master" in early June 2026.

How does it work?

It's a very simple configuration process.

  1. Setup 2 Shinobi servers. One is your main with all the cameras and the other is going to be used for Failover.
  2. Set the Failover designation in the configuration. By toggling isFailover or adding it in the Configuration.
  3. Add a Connection Key to your Failover server.
  4. Set the Main server to connect to the Failover with your Connection Key.

Note : By default Cloud Uploaders are disabled when a Failover server starts up but this can be changed to make it upload to your specified Cloud Uploaders in your main server.

Configuring the Failover Setup

This guide assumes you have two Shinobi servers setup. One is the main Core server that has cameras running on it. Second is the Failover server that remains idle and waiting for the Core to go down.

1. Login to the Superuser panel for the Failover Server. Open the Configuration tab and toggle isFailover to on or add the following line to the JSON and save it. 

"isFailover": true

1b. If you want Cloud Uploads to continue on the Failover toggle on or add the following to the Configuration. 

"failoverAllowCloudUploaders": true

1c. Remember to configure where the Failover Server will record its local videos. This is not mirrored from the Core Server. If you are using addStorage, ensure you configure those same paths to be available on the Failover server. 

"videosDir": "__DIR__/videos"

2. Once saved, Restart Shinobi. Now you can refresh the Superuser panel to find the "Failover Keys" tab. Create a key here, it can be anything you want. This is the key the Core server will use to authenticate with the Failover server. Save it. No Server restart required after adding the key.

3. Login to the Superuser panel for the Core Server. Open the "Failover Servers" tab. Input the web address for the Shinobi server and the key that you created on the Failover server. The web address can be structured as the example below. 10.1.103.100 would be the IP address of your Failover server and `8080` would be the Port of your Failover server's web port (the port used to access the dashboard). 

ws://10.1.103.100:8080/failover

4. Save and it should immediately connect and now the Failover server is ready to take on downtime. You can test it by shutting off your Core server. The same User login will become available with your Monitors on the Failover. When the Core returns they will be removed after copying the Videos and Events to it.

Pro Tip : Central Management

Connect both these servers to a Central Management Portal to easily see them both from one panel. So if the Core server does go down you can still view your Cameras and Recordings from the same web interface.

How to Setup Central Management : https://docs.shinobi.video/system/central-management

You may notice an account named "[email protected]" exists on your failover after connecting to central. Leave this account as it is needed for the Central to see your server. You can switch accounts in the Central server to see the status of each at any time.

Important Notes, Please Read!

  • This setup REQUIRES that your Shinobi servers are activated with a license key.
  • This does not mirror Cloud Uploader configurations by default. You can make it mirror them and continue to upload from the Failover if you add "failoverAllowCloudUploaders": true to your Failover server's Configuration. A restart of the Failover is required for this to take effect.
  • Remember to configure where the Failover Server will record its local videos. This is not mirrored from the Core Server.
  • This feature is currently only in the "feature-failover" branch. This will be merged to "dev" in early May 2026. Then to "master" in early June 2026.