Install Homebridge on Raspbian
This guide provides step-by-step instructions to show you how to install Homebridge on Debian, Ubuntu or Raspbian as a service so it will automatically start on boot.
- Prerequisites
- Installing Homebridge
- How To Uninstall Homebridge
- Multiple Instances
- Major Node.js Version Updates
- Configuration Reference
Before you get started, make sure you have the following ready:
- A Debian, Ubuntu or Raspbian Linux machine.
- Access to the Terminal. This can be via a desktop Terminal app, or remotely via SSH. You will need the ability to copy and paste commands from this guide into the terminal.
- This guide is intended for a fresh install of Debian, Ubuntu or Raspbian Linux, at the very least you should ensure you do not already have Homebridge or Node.js installed on your system before getting started.
💡 Homebridge also provides a Raspberry Pi Image built on Raspbian Lite.
Install the LTS version of Node.js from the official repository, as well as additional dependencies:
# setup repo
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x | sudo bash -
# install Node.js
sudo apt install -y nodejs gcc g++ make python net-tools
# test node is working
node -v⚠️ Raspberry Pi 1 and Zero users click here for alternative Node.js installation instructions.
The installation of Node.js on arm32v6 devices such as the Raspberry Pi 1 and Raspberry Pi Zero is not supported by the official repository using the steps above. Instead use the following commands to install Node.js.
# update repos
sudo apt update
# install deps
sudo apt install -y gcc g++ make python git
# install node and npm
sudo curl -Lf# "https://unofficial-builds.nodejs.org/download/release/v14.16.0/node-v14.16.0-linux-armv6l.tar.gz" | sudo tar xzf - -C /usr/local --strip-components=1 --no-same-owner
# test node is working
node -vInstall Homebridge and Homebridge Config UI X using the following command:
sudo npm install -g --unsafe-perm homebridge homebridge-config-ui-x
To setup Homebridge as a service that will start on boot you can use the provided hb-service command.
sudo hb-service install --user homebridge
This command will do everything that is required to setup Homebridge and the Homebridge UI as a service on your system, it will create the user if it does not already exist, and create the default Homebridge config.json under /var/lib/homebridge if it does not already exist.
When setting up Homebridge as a service using this command, the UI will stay online even if Homebridge is crashing due to a bad plugin or configuration error.
The Homebridge UI web interface will allow you to install, remove and update plugins, and modify the Homebridge config.json and manage other aspects of your Homebridge service.
Login to the web interface by going to http://<ip address of your server>:8581.
The default user is admin with password admin.
To find the IP address of your server you can run:
hostname -I
Review the Configuration Reference at the bottom of this guide.
To remove the Homebridge service run:
sudo hb-service uninstall
To remove Homebridge and Homebridge Config UI X run:
sudo npm uninstall -g homebridge homebridge-config-ui-x
💡 Homebridge now supports Child Bridges which are an easier to manage alternative to running multiple instances.
Some users like to run multiple instances of Homebridge.
The hb-service command makes this easy to do via the --service-name flag.
See the hb-service documentation for instructions.
It is recommended to run Homebridge on the current stable LTS version of Node.js. You can update Node.js to the current LTS version of Node.js by running:
sudo hb-service update-node This table contains important information about your setup. You can use the information provided here as a reference when configuring or troubleshooting your environment after setting up Homebridge using the instructions below.
| File Location / Command | |
|---|---|
| Config File Path | /var/lib/homebridge/config.json |
| Storage Path | /var/lib/homebridge |
| Restart Command | sudo hb-service restart |
| Stop Command | sudo hb-service stop |
| Start Command | sudo hb-service start |
| View Logs Command | sudo hb-service logs |
| Systemd Service File | /etc/systemd/system/homebridge.service |
| Systemd Env File | /etc/default/homebridge |
Click here for the configuration reference for setups done before January 2020
| File Location / Command | |
|---|---|
| Config File Path | /var/lib/homebridge/config.json |
| Storage Path | /var/lib/homebridge |
| Restart Command | systemctl restart homebridge |
| Stop Command | systemctl stop homebridge |
| Start Command | systemctl start homebridge |
| View Logs Command | journalctl -f -n 100 -u homebridge |
| Systemd Service File | /etc/systemd/system/homebridge.service |
| Systemd Env File | /etc/default/homebridge |