Frigate Install

Overview

This role deploys Frigate NVR as a Docker Compose stack on a dedicated Debian server, where it has replaced ZoneMinder as the active NVR. Frigate runs alongside Nginx Proxy Manager, which provides a reverse proxy and TLS termination point for its web interface. This deployment is recording-only. Object detection and Home Assistant integration are disabled, since the server has no GPU or hardware accelerator.

What This Role Does

1. Installs Docker via the docker_install role dependency
2. Deploys Frigate and Nginx Proxy Manager as a single Docker Compose stack
3. Configures camera streams from a list of RTSP sources, re-streaming each one locally so Frigate only opens a single connection per camera
4. Mounts dedicated storage for recordings and configuration
5. Restarts the stack automatically whenever the configuration or Compose file changes

Role Variables

Variable	Description
frigate_install_compose_dir	Directory holding the Docker Compose file
frigate_install_media_dir	Directory mounted into the container for recordings
frigate_install_shm_size	Shared memory allocated to the Frigate container
frigate_install_cameras	List of cameras to configure (name, RTSP URL, resolution, retention)

Notes

• RTSP camera credentials are stored in Ansible Vault, never hardcoded
• Object detection and Home Assistant integration are disabled. This deployment is used purely for recording
• Nginx Proxy Manager is included for reverse proxy / TLS termination, configured manually through its own web UI after deployment
• No GPU or Coral accelerator is used; the server has no hardware video acceleration
• The zoneminder_install and zoneminder_monitors roles are kept in the repo on standby, in case ZoneMinder ever needs to be reinstalled