Homebridge

Homebridge is an open-source bridge that makes smart-home devices work with Apple HomeKit.

  • Automation
  • Home Automation
  • Other
  • Tools & Utilities
Homebridge is an open-source bridge that makes smart-home devices work with Apple HomeKit. It uses a large plugin ecosystem to add accessories that do not natively support HomeKit, for users who want local, extensible HomeKit support.

Platform availability

Available on 5 of 9 platforms

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

25/100 Low

Maintained
0GitHub repository no longer exists
Popular
No data
Easy to install
755 install platforms, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
No data

Based on 2 of 4 factors.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 15 days ago

No GitHub repository data collected yet.

Checked 14 days ago - source: GitHub (BigBearTechWorld/homebridge)

Resources & Compatibility

Minimum requirements: 4 GB disk. ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is supported.

Checked 14 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Start the Docker container first If you're using Docker, run docker start homebridge after setup so the container (the isolated app package) is actually running. If you forget, Homebridge isn't online and HomeKit (Apple's smart-home system) won't see your accessories. source
  • Make Homebridge start after reboot If your setup uses hb-service, run the service install command shown for your platform, such as sudo hb-service install on macOS, so Homebridge and its UI run in the background and start on boot. If you skip this, you'll need to start them manually after every reboot. source
  • Keep your Homebridge config safe Create or back up the Homebridge config file, typically config.json in ~/.homebridge. If you lose it, you lose your accessory and bridge setup, forcing a time-consuming re-setup. source

Fetched 14 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives (9)

  • Control4 - Control4 manufactures a complete line of affordable wired and wireless smart home systems and home automation software products to enable l…
  • Google Home - Easily control Chromecast and Google Home devices, manage settings, sync with smart devices, and discover new features with this comprehens…
  • Home - With the new Home app, you can securely control all your Homekit accessories from your favorite iOS device.
  • Home Assistant - Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that keeps all data local and private with no cloud dependency.
  • Homey-Wan-Kenobi-MCP - Homey-Wan-Kenobi MCP is a self-hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets local language-model assistants control Homey Pro smart…
  • Itsyhome - A native macOS menu bar app for controlling your smart home devices.
  • Scrypted - Scrypted is a high-performance, open-source video integration and automation platform.
  • ioBroker - ioBroker is an Open Source IoT platform (Fog computing) which has the ability to manage your IoT system through an graphical interface.
  • openHAB - openHAB is a vendor- and technology-agnostic open-source home automation platform.

Checked 11 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

Why are Homebridge accessories not visible in HomeKit after a Docker setup?

Start the container after setup with docker start homebridge. If the container is not running, Homebridge is not online and HomeKit will not see the accessories.

How can I make Homebridge start automatically after reboot on macOS?

Use the hb-service install command shown for your platform, such as sudo hb-service install on macOS. This makes Homebridge and its UI run in the background and start on boot.

Where is Homebridge's data directory on common self-hosted installations?

Linux service installations normally use /var/lib/homebridge, native macOS installations normally use ~/.homebridge under the service user's account, and Docker uses the host directory mounted at /homebridge. Check the installation guide or service configuration if you use a custom location.

What kinds of problems should I expect when troubleshooting Homebridge?

Troubleshooting common Homebridge issues can involve connectivity problems, plugin errors, and configuration mishaps.

Answers sourced from github.com, github.com, github.com, tutoacademy.com

Community

Collected 14 days ago - public community threads