Can You Run Mirakurun on a Raspberry Pi?
Yes — Mirakurun runs on Raspberry Pi, but it requires some extra steps compared to a standard Ubuntu or Debian server. The main challenge is that Raspberry Pi OS Lite and similar lightweight distributions often do not include DVB kernel modules by default, so you may need to build them manually.
Recommended Hardware
- Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB or 8GB) — recommended for smooth multi-tuner operation
- Raspberry Pi 3B+ — works but may struggle with multiple simultaneous streams
- A compatible USB or PCIe TV tuner (DVB or chardev)
- A fast microSD card (Class 10 or better) or USB SSD for better I/O
Step 1 — Install Raspberry Pi OS
Use Raspberry Pi Imager to flash Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit recommended) to your SD card. The full desktop version includes more kernel modules by default than the Lite version.
Step 2 — Check for DVB Kernel Modules
After booting, connect your tuner and run:
ls /dev/dvb/
If your tuner appears here, DVB modules are already loaded and you can proceed to install Docker. If nothing appears, you need to build the modules.
Step 3 — Install Docker on Raspberry Pi
curl -sSL https://get.docker.com/ | CHANNEL=stable sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
Log out and back in after running these commands for group permissions to take effect.
Step 4 — Pull and Run Mirakurun
docker pull chinachu/mirakurun
docker compose run --rm -e SETUP=true mirakurun
docker compose up -d mirakurun
Performance Tips for Raspberry Pi
- Use a USB SSD instead of an SD card for recording storage to avoid write wear
- Keep simultaneous streams to 2 or fewer on Raspberry Pi 3
- Use a powered USB hub if your tuner draws more than 500mA
- Enable overclocking cautiously on Pi 4 if you need more CPU headroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Raspberry Pi model is best for Mirakurun?▼
Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB or 8GB RAM is the best choice. It handles multiple simultaneous streams comfortably and has enough CPU for any additional processing.
Can I use Mirakurun with Raspberry Pi Zero?▼
Not recommended. Raspberry Pi Zero has very limited CPU and RAM, and Docker support is limited on its ARMv6 architecture.