ACAP version 13 Preview
The ACAP Native SDK 13 Preview is an early-access release intended for validation and migration planning, providing developers with early visibility into upcoming changes in AXIS OS 13, including breaking changes that may impact existing ACAP applications. It is not intended for production deployment.
Introduction
Welcome to the AXIS Camera Application Platform (ACAP) documentation for the ACAP Native SDK. For a complete list of updates, changes and new features, see the ACAP Native SDK release notes.
The ACAP SDK is an open development framework that enables developers to build custom applications that run directly on Axis network devices, such as cameras, intercoms, speakers, and radars. By leveraging the on‑device processing capabilities of these products, ACAP applications support edge computing, allowing data to be processed locally. This reduces system latency, minimizes bandwidth usage, and enables scalable, distributed solutions.
The ACAP Native SDK provides APIs, tools, and runtime environment required to develop, package, and deploy applications on devices running AXIS OS.
Where to start
To begin developing ACAP applications, see the Get started section. This section is the entry point for new developers and introduces the core concepts, tools, and steps required to develop, build, package, and run ACAP applications on Axis devices.
For guidance on application design and implementation, refer to Develop ACAP applications. This section covers topics such as application architecture, manifest schemas, and supported APIs to help developers build reliable and maintainable applications aligned with platform capabilities.
Detailed information about the available APIs can be found in the Supported APIs section.
For frequently asked questions, ACAP Native SDK 13 preview information, compatibility aspects, storage implications, and practical guidance, see the FAQ section.
Use cases
ACAP makes it possible to develop applications for a wide range of use cases:
- Security and safety applications that improve surveillance systems and facilitate investigation.
- Business intelligence applications that improve business efficiency.
- Product feature plug-ins that add value beyond the Axis product's core functionality.
- Address customer specific use cases that can't be solved with off-the-shelf products.
Key features
- Access to most common product features, including video, the event and parameter systems, I/O ports, and more.
- Enables hardware acceleration on specific functions such as image analysis computations and overlay graphics.
- Toolchain with support for multiple architectures to build applications for all ACAP-enabled Axis products.
- Documentation, tutorials and example applications for all APIs to kick-start your development.
Containerized SDK
ACAP development relies on the Docker toolchain, something we see many developers use to manage their software. An important advantage of distributing a containerized SDK is that the ACAP development environment can be decoupled from the underlying host operating system. This enables us to support development across all Docker capable platforms, including not only Linux, but also Windows and macOS. Docker also offers a rich set of tools to build and ship software.
ACAP versioning
When developing ACAP applications, it is important to use a supported ACAP version. What ACAP version is supported depends on which AXIS OS LTS is targeted. From AXIS OS 12.0 (but not before) the ACAP version aligns with the AXIS OS version. See the figure below to find what ACAP version is right for you. Note that the ACAP versions are clickable and take you to the corresponding ACAP documentation version. See Version history for more information.