Fregata Defaults

[nulledy]

For new users, we are considering adding default configuration options that differ from Frigate.

For example, Frigate has both recording and object detection OFF by default. This matters less for users that are familiar with Frigate or users migrating from Frigate to Fregata.

However for new users, they may be confused why an NVR would not have recording and detection turned on as soon as they add their cameras. We want to correct this.

In the next version (v0.17.1.2) we are planning on making the following the default configuration:

#############################################################
# Fregata starter config — the headline features turned ON.
# Replace the example camera with your own, then restart
# Fregata (tray → Restart Frigate).
#
# Full key-by-key schema: https://docs.frigate.video/configuration/
#############################################################

# ── Detector ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# Object detection on the Apple Neural Engine.
detectors:
  coreml:
    type: coreml
    inference_backend: ane      # ane = Apple Neural Engine (default) · gpu = Metal

# ── Object detection (global = applies to every camera) ──────────────
# OFF by default in Frigate — turned ON here. 
detect:
  enabled: true

# Objects to track. The bundled model uses the COCO label set, so valid
# entries include: person, car (trucks map to car), bicycle, motorcycle,
# bus, dog, cat, bird. NOTE: "package" is NOT a COCO label — detecting
# packages needs a custom / Frigate+ model.
objects:
  track:
    - person
    - car
    - dog
    - cat

# ── Recording (global) ───────────────────────────────────────────────
# OFF by default — turned ON here. Event clips around alerts (person/car)
# and detections are kept 30 days (cheap). Continuous 24/7 footage is the
# disk-hungry part - roughly 25–40 GB per 1080p camera per day - so it's
# kept 1 days here. Set `continuous.days: 0` for event-only recording.
record:
  enabled: true
  # Tiered retention - tune to your disk budget:
  continuous:
    days: 1        # keep ALL footage 24/7 for 1 day (disk-hungry tier; set 0 for event-only)
  motion:
    days: 14       # keep segments containing motion for 14 days
  alerts:
    retain:
      days: 30     # footage around alerts (person/car) — 30 days
  detections:
    retain:
      days: 30     # footage around other detections — 30 days

# ── Snapshots (global) ───────────────────────────────────────────────
# OFF by default — turned ON here. One JPEG per tracked object, kept
# 30 days, with the bounding box drawn on.
snapshots:
  enabled: true
  retain:
    default: 30

# ── Live view + re-streaming via go2rtc ──────────────────────────────
# Define ONE stream per camera, pointing at the real camera URL. go2rtc
# then pulls a single connection and fans it out: detection, recording,
# AND the browser all share it - and the browser gets sub-second MSE/
# WebRTC playback instead of the low-res jsmpeg fallback. This is the
# piece the web UI wizard normally writes for you. If you are using the WebUI to add cameras, you can leave this commented out, otherwise uncomment this block and add your cameras here.
#go2rtc:
#  streams:
#    front_door:
#      - rtsp://USERNAME:PASSWORD@CAMERA_IP:554/your-main-stream

# ── Cameras ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# One camera; the full-resolution stream feeds BOTH detection and
# recording — no low-res sub-stream needed on Apple Silicon. ffmpeg pulls
# from go2rtc (127.0.0.1:8554), not the camera directly: that's the
# single-connection win. Copy this block to add more cameras.
#  If you are using the WebUI to add cameras, you can leave this commented out, otherwise uncomment this block and add your cameras here.
#cameras:
#  front_door:
#    ffmpeg:
#      inputs:
#        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/front_door
#          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
#          roles:
#            - detect
#            - record

# ── Home Assistant / MQTT (optional, off by default) ─────────────────
# Uncomment and point at your broker to use the Frigate HACS integration.
mqtt:
  enabled: false
  # host: 192.168.1.10
  # user: mqtt_user
  # password: mqtt_pass

Our goal is that these are sensible defaults for new users.

• Recording: ON
• AI Object Detection: ON for common objects
• Object Snapshots: ON

We will likely ship a new patch build with these defaults later today (will only apply to new users). If there are any other defaults you think will be beneficial for new users, feel free to share them below and we will consider them for a future release.

[404technology]

I was so lost trying to setup Frigate for the first time this is so helpful

[nulledy]

@404technology Fregata v0.17.1.2 is building as we speak. However, the new defaults will only apply to new installs.

You can either start over, or just copy the relevant parts of the new default config which can be found in the docs here: https://docs.fregata.app/getting-started/first-camera/#your-config-file-explained

If you need any help, just start a new discussion.

[nulledy]

The above defaults have been released in v0.17.1.2. They apply to new installs only

Let's leave this discussion open for feedback on the current defaults and any future suggested defaults to add.

[Perry-The-Cynic]

Would you mind putting a "default diff" (how Fregata's defaults differ from https://docs.frigate.video/configuration/reference/) in some conspicuous place in your docs? I found this discussion way too late and it would have helped in the beginning. :)
(Actually, just a link to this thread would do fine, as long as you update it with changes.)

[nulledy]

Great idea! We already had a table of the differing defaults, but added a diff as well here: https://docs.fregata.app/getting-started/first-camera/#defaults-that-differ-from-frigate