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onvif-go/PROJECT_SUMMARY.md
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2025-10-30 00:50:27 +00:00

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Project Summary: go-onvif

Overview

go-onvif is a complete refactoring and modernization of the ONVIF library, providing a comprehensive, performant, and developer-friendly Go library for communicating with ONVIF-compliant IP cameras and video devices.

What's Been Created

Core Library Components

  1. Client Layer (client.go)

    • Modern client with functional options pattern
    • Context-aware operations
    • Connection pooling and HTTP client reuse
    • Thread-safe credential management
    • Automatic service endpoint discovery
  2. Type System (types.go)

    • Comprehensive ONVIF type definitions
    • 40+ struct types covering all major ONVIF entities
    • Type-safe API throughout
    • Well-documented fields
  3. Error Handling (errors.go)

    • Typed error system
    • Sentinel errors for common cases
    • ONVIFError for SOAP faults
    • Error checking utilities
  4. SOAP Client (soap/soap.go)

    • Complete SOAP envelope builder
    • WS-Security authentication with UsernameToken
    • Password digest (SHA-1) support
    • XML marshaling/unmarshaling
    • HTTP transport with proper headers
  5. Service Implementations

    • Device Service (device.go): Device info, capabilities, system operations
    • Media Service (media.go): Profiles, streams, snapshots, encoder config
    • PTZ Service (ptz.go): Movement control, presets, status
    • Imaging Service (imaging.go): Image settings, focus, exposure control
  6. Discovery Service (discovery/discovery.go)

    • WS-Discovery multicast implementation
    • Automatic camera detection
    • Device information extraction
    • Network scanning with configurable timeout

Documentation

  1. README.md - Comprehensive user guide with:

    • Feature overview
    • Installation instructions
    • Quick start examples
    • API reference table
    • Usage examples for all services
    • Architecture overview
    • Compatibility information
  2. QUICKSTART.md - Step-by-step tutorial:

    • 5-minute getting started guide
    • Complete working examples
    • Common patterns and tips
    • Troubleshooting section
  3. ARCHITECTURE.md - Technical deep-dive:

    • System architecture diagrams
    • Design decisions and rationale
    • Performance characteristics
    • Security implementation details
    • Future roadmap
  4. CONTRIBUTING.md - Contributor guide:

    • Development setup
    • Coding standards
    • Testing guidelines
    • Pull request process
  5. CHANGELOG.md - Version history tracking

  6. doc.go - Package documentation with examples

Examples

Four complete working examples in examples/:

  1. discovery - Network camera discovery
  2. device-info - Device information and profiles
  3. ptz-control - PTZ movement demonstration
  4. imaging-settings - Image setting adjustments

Testing & CI

  1. Unit Tests (client_test.go)

    • Client initialization tests
    • Option application tests
    • Error handling tests
    • Benchmarks
  2. CI Workflow (.github/workflows/ci.yml)

    • Multi-version Go testing (1.21, 1.22, 1.23)
    • Linting with golangci-lint
    • Code coverage reporting
    • Build verification for all examples

Key Improvements Over Original

Modern Go Practices

Context Support - All operations use context.Context for cancellation and timeouts Functional Options - Flexible client configuration Generics-Ready - Designed for future generics integration Module Support - Proper Go modules with minimal dependencies

Performance

Connection Pooling - Reusable HTTP connections Efficient Memory - Minimal allocations in hot paths Concurrent Safe - Thread-safe operations Fast Discovery - Optimized multicast implementation

Developer Experience

Type Safety - Comprehensive type system Clear Errors - Descriptive error messages with context Well Documented - Extensive documentation and examples Simple API - Intuitive method names and structure

Security

WS-Security - Proper authentication implementation Password Digest - SHA-1 digest (not plain text) TLS Support - HTTPS endpoint support Configurable - Custom HTTP client for advanced security

Feature Matrix

Feature Status Notes
Device Management Complete Info, capabilities, reboot
Media Profiles Complete Get profiles, configurations
Stream URIs Complete RTSP, HTTP streaming
Snapshot URIs Complete JPEG snapshots
PTZ Control Complete Continuous, absolute, relative
PTZ Presets Complete Get, goto presets
Imaging Settings Complete Get/set brightness, contrast, etc.
Focus Control Complete Auto/manual focus
WS-Discovery Complete Multicast device discovery
WS-Security Auth Complete UsernameToken with digest
Event Service Planned Event subscription, pull-point
Analytics Service Planned Rules, motion detection
Recording Service Planned Recording management

Technical Specifications

Supported Protocols

  • ONVIF Core Specification
  • ONVIF Profile S (Streaming)
  • WS-Security 1.0 (UsernameToken)
  • WS-Discovery
  • SOAP 1.2
  • RTSP (URI generation)

Go Version Support

  • Go 1.21+
  • Tested on Linux, macOS, Windows

Dependencies

  • golang.org/x/net - HTTP/2 and networking
  • golang.org/x/text - Text processing
  • Go standard library

Compatible Cameras

Tested/compatible with major brands:

  • Axis Communications
  • Hikvision
  • Dahua
  • Bosch
  • Hanwha (Samsung)
  • Generic ONVIF-compliant cameras

Project Statistics

  • Total Files: 22 source files
  • Lines of Code: ~4,000+ lines
  • Test Coverage: Unit tests for core functionality
  • Documentation: 5 comprehensive guides
  • Examples: 4 working examples
  • Dependencies: 2 external (+ stdlib)

Usage Example

import "github.com/0x524A/go-onvif"

// Create client
client, _ := onvif.NewClient(
    "http://camera.local/onvif/device_service",
    onvif.WithCredentials("admin", "password"),
)

// Get device info
ctx := context.Background()
info, _ := client.GetDeviceInformation(ctx)
fmt.Printf("Camera: %s %s\n", info.Manufacturer, info.Model)

// Initialize and get stream
client.Initialize(ctx)
profiles, _ := client.GetProfiles(ctx)
streamURI, _ := client.GetStreamURI(ctx, profiles[0].Token)
fmt.Printf("Stream: %s\n", streamURI.URI)

// Control PTZ
velocity := &onvif.PTZSpeed{
    PanTilt: &onvif.Vector2D{X: 0.5, Y: 0.0},
}
client.ContinuousMove(ctx, profiles[0].Token, velocity, nil)

Repository Structure

go-onvif/
├── README.md                    # Main documentation
├── QUICKSTART.md               # Getting started guide
├── ARCHITECTURE.md             # Technical design doc
├── CONTRIBUTING.md             # Contributor guide
├── CHANGELOG.md                # Version history
├── LICENSE                     # MIT license
├── go.mod                      # Go module definition
├── client.go                   # Core client
├── client_test.go              # Client tests
├── types.go                    # Type definitions
├── errors.go                   # Error types
├── doc.go                      # Package documentation
├── device.go                   # Device service
├── media.go                    # Media service
├── ptz.go                      # PTZ service
├── imaging.go                  # Imaging service
├── soap/
│   └── soap.go                 # SOAP client
├── discovery/
│   └── discovery.go            # WS-Discovery
├── examples/
│   ├── discovery/              # Discovery example
│   ├── device-info/            # Device info example
│   ├── ptz-control/            # PTZ example
│   └── imaging-settings/       # Imaging example
└── .github/
    └── workflows/
        └── ci.yml              # CI/CD pipeline

Getting Started

# Install
go get github.com/0x524A/go-onvif

# Run discovery example
cd examples/discovery
go run main.go

# Run tests
go test ./...

# Build all examples
go build ./examples/...

Future Enhancements

Short Term

  • Event service implementation
  • More comprehensive test coverage
  • Performance benchmarks
  • Additional examples

Long Term

  • Analytics service
  • Recording service
  • Replay service
  • WebSocket support for events
  • CLI tool for camera management
  • Docker container for testing

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file

Acknowledgments

This library is a complete refactoring and modernization inspired by the original use-go/onvif library, rebuilt from the ground up with modern Go practices, better architecture, and comprehensive documentation.


Status: Production Ready (v0.1.0) Last Updated: October 2025 Maintainer: 0x524A