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Installation

Installation takes about five minutes. The installer guides you through every step.

Before you start

You’ll need:

  • A server that meets the requirements
  • Your license key (emailed to you after purchase)
  • FTP access to your server (to upload the zip)
  • The path to your FTP footage folder

Step 1: download Lunetta

Download lunetta.zip from lunetta.io/releases.

Step 2: upload and extract

Upload lunetta.zip to your server and extract it. You can install Lunetta:

  • In the web root — accessible at https://yourcamera.example.com/
  • In a subdirectory — accessible at https://example.com/cam/

Use your hosting control panel’s file manager, or FTP:

unzip lunetta.zip -d /path/to/your/webroot/

Step 3: run the installer

Open your browser and navigate to your Lunetta URL. If the installation hasn’t run yet, you’ll be redirected to the installer automatically.

The installer has five steps:

Step 1: system check

The installer checks for PHP 8.1+, PDO SQLite, ZipArchive, mod_rewrite, and cURL. All items must show a green checkmark before you can continue. If something is missing, contact your hosting provider.

Step 2: license key

Enter your license key. It looks like this:

LUNETTA-XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX

The installer verifies the key with lunetta.io. If your server can’t reach the internet, the installer will warn you but still let you continue — the key is verified again on the next page load.

Step 3: footage path and timezone

Enter the absolute path to the folder where your camera uploads its footage. This must be the same folder you configured as the FTP destination on your camera.

Example paths:

/home/username/footage/
/var/www/html/cam-footage/

Set your timezone so timestamps display correctly in the dashboard.

You’ll also see a toggle for automatic scanning via lunetta.io. When enabled, lunetta.io pings your installation every minute to trigger a scan — this replaces the need for a server cron job. Requires an active license and an internet-accessible server.

Step 4: create your account

Enter your email address and a password (minimum 10 characters). This creates the first admin account.

When you click Install Lunetta, the installer:

  1. Creates the SQLite database
  2. Scans the footage folder for existing files
  3. Writes the configuration file
  4. Logs you in

Step 5: done

You’ll see a summary of what was set up. Click Go to Lunetta to open your new dashboard and save your recovery codes.

Cron job (optional)

If you didn’t enable Lunetta Ping, you’ll need a server cron job to scan for new footage automatically:

* * * * * php /absolute/path/to/lunetta/cron.php >> /dev/null 2>&1

Set this up in your hosting control panel under “Cron jobs” or “Scheduled tasks”. Replace the path with the actual path to your Lunetta installation.

Next step

Continue to First login to set up your cameras and explore the dashboard.