AXIS Camera Application Platform (ACAP)
An open application platform for software-based solutions built around Axis devices.
Launched in 2009, ACAP is a well-established, proven platform that continues to evolve and enable new opportunities for creating software solutions for Axis products. You can develop applications for various use cases and segments with ACAP.
The ACAP Computer Vision SDK is targeted towards video analytics application developers running their application entirely or partially on an Axis device. New users that may not be well acquainted with developing applications for edge should still feel at home with the standard toolchain and well-known APIs that come with this SDK. Integration with backend server or cloud should be easy, supporting an application design where the benefits of combining edge-based computing with the more capable server/cloud can be achieved.
The ACAP Native SDK is targeted towards users that want to develop plug-in style, event generating applications that fit well into a VMS centric system. This SDK offers high performance by integrating closely with AXIS OS and hardware. Existing ACAP users should feel at home using this SDK and migrating from previous version, ACAP version 3, to this SDK should be straightforward.
ACAP version 3 is still supported, however all new features will be released in version 4. ACAP SDK version 3 allows you to develop ACAP applications on any Docker capable platform, including Windows 10 Professional, Mac OS X 10.13 (or later), or any modern Linux distribution. The Docker-based build flow can easily be used for continuous integration and automated testing. Also, integration with 3rd party editors, like Microsoft VS Code, can add many new possibilities to your development workflow.
Which SDK to use depends on the architecture of the specific product. You can find information such as SoC details, chip and compute capabilities (MLPU/DLPU), and flash and RAM for specific products in the product selector. Always make sure that you are using the latest firmware for your product.
Chip | Architecture |
ARTPEC-8 | aarch64 |
ARTPEC-7 | armv7hf |
ARTPEC-6 | armv7hf |
S2E | armv7hf |
S2L | armv7hf |
S3L | armv7hf |
S5 | aarch64 |
S5L | aarch64 |
Axis cameras have developed into incredibly advanced visual sensors. ACAP is designed to allow developers to take advantage of this sophistication and develop applications that unlock new opportunities for computer vision applications across many different segments.
With the latest version of ACAP, version 4, developers will be able to modernize existing applications and explore new opportunities by using familiar tools to develop the most advanced video sensors and imaging technologies.
The powerful capabilities of Axis devices, including edge-based deep learning processing, will increase the incentive to run applications, partially or entirely, on the edge. Being close to the image source comes with several benefits. It reduces latency in the system as the images can be processed as soon as they are captured. Access to the raw video leads to better accuracy of the analytics compared to using compressed video. Furthermore, because the video doesn’t leave the device, it helps ensure privacy is respected.
Axis offers digital onboarding with access to SDK, online documentation, examples, and tutorials hosted on well-known developer platforms. You can test your applications remotely on Axis products with AXIS Virtual Loan Tool.