Server

@alpha-sdk/api is the npm distribution of the Alpha Camera REST API. A single install gives you three things:

The native REST API server binary (CameraWebApp) for macOS, Linux, and Windows.
The camera-server CLI for installing, starting, stopping, and inspecting the server.
A small ServerManager Node.js class for embedding the server lifecycle inside a Node application.

The matching platform binary (@alpha-sdk/darwin-arm64, @alpha-sdk/linux-arm64, @alpha-sdk/linux-x64, @alpha-sdk/win32-x64) is pulled in automatically as an optionalDependency.

ServerManager is a Node.js convenience class, not a separate SDK. Python and Swift clients do not ship a ServerManager equivalent. From those languages, run camera-server start, spawn the binary as a subprocess, or connect to a server already running elsewhere on the network.

Install

# Globally — CLI / scripting
npm install -g @alpha-sdk/api

# Per-project — when embedding ServerManager
npm install @alpha-sdk/api

After install, the Sony Camera Remote SDK License Agreement prompt appears once. Accept it to unlock the binary.

CLI

camera-server start             # spawn the server on :8080
camera-server stop
camera-server status            # check what's running

camera-server info              # version, platform, binary path
camera-server doctor            # verify prerequisites
camera-server platforms         # list installed/available platforms

camera-server install-sdk ts        # install @alpha-sdk/client in current project
camera-server install-sdk python    # install alpha-sdk-client
camera-server install-sdk swift     # print SwiftPM snippet
camera-server install-sdk all       # install all three

camera-server playground start      # browser-based interactive playground
camera-server mcp install <agent>   # install Camera Help Guides MCP server
camera-server docs                  # open https://crsdk.app

Run camera-server with no arguments to launch the interactive TUI.

ServerManager (Node.js)

A small class for embedding the server lifecycle inside a Node, Electron, or Tauri application.

import { ServerManager } from "@alpha-sdk/api";

const server = new ServerManager();
await server.start();
console.log(`server on :${server.getPort()}`);

// ... do work against http://localhost:${server.getPort()}/api ...

await server.stop();

Constructor options

new ServerManager({
  port: 8080,
  binaryPath: "...",
  autoPort: true,
  detached: false,
});

Methods

Method	Description
`start()` → `Promise<void>`	Spawn the binary. Resolves when `/api/server/status` responds 200.
`stop()` → `Promise<void>`	Graceful shutdown. Falls back to SIGTERM → SIGKILL if the binary does not exit.
`kill()` → `void`	Synchronous no-fallback kill. Useful inside signal handlers.
`isRunning()` → `Promise<boolean>`	Pings `/api/server/status`.
`getPort()` → `number`	Currently bound port.
`getPid()` → `number \| undefined`	Child process PID or detached PID.
`getStdout()` → `string[]`	Captured stdout lines.
`getStderr()` → `string[]`	Captured stderr lines.

End-to-end example

Pair ServerManager with the TypeScript Client SDK — start the server, connect to a camera, change a setting, fire the shutter, list and download the resulting photo, then disconnect:

import { ServerManager } from "@alpha-sdk/api";
import { AlphaSDKClient } from "@alpha-sdk/client";

const server = new ServerManager();
await server.start();

const client = new AlphaSDKClient({
  environment: `http://localhost:${server.getPort()}`,
});

const { cameras } = await client.cameras.list();
const cameraId = cameras[0].id;

await client.cameras.connect({
  cameraId,
  mode: "remote-transfer",
  reconnecting: "on",
});

await client.properties.setPriorityKey({ cameraId, setting: "pc-remote" });
await client.properties.set({ cameraId, propertyName: "shutter-speed", value: "1/250" });
await client.actions.shutter({ cameraId });

await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 1500));
const { files } = await client.sdCard.list({ cameraId, slotNumber: 1 });
const latest = files[files.length - 1];

await client.sdCard.download({
  cameraId,
  slotNumber: 1,
  contentId: latest.contentId,
  fileId: latest.fileId,
  body: {},
});

await client.cameras.disconnect({ cameraId });
await server.stop();

Integration patterns

Application type	Pattern	Bundling
Node CLI / script	`ServerManager.start()`	Binary auto-installed via npm.
Electron	`ServerManager` + `extraResources`	Binary copied into the app bundle.
Tauri	Sidecar	Binary in `src-tauri/binaries/`.
Browser-only SPA	Talk to a server running elsewhere	Nothing bundled.
iOS / Android	Talk to a server running elsewhere	Nothing bundled.
Python / Swift / other languages	Spawn the binary as a subprocess, or run `camera-server start` separately	See the server subprocess example.

Health and control endpoints

For TypeScript projects, use ServerManager plus the published client and example patterns instead of calling these endpoints directly in application code.

See the auto-generated API reference for full request and response schemas.

Server status

GET /api/server/status returns server version, uptime, platform, and camera counts. ServerManager uses this endpoint to confirm the server is ready.

curl http://localhost:8080/api/server/status

{
  "success": true,
  "server": {
    "version": "3.0.0",
    "sdkVersion": "V2.01.00",
    "uptime": 42,
    "platform": "darwin-arm64"
  },
  "cameras": {
    "connected": 1,
    "discovered": 2
  }
}

Server logs

GET /api/server/logs returns buffered server log output. Query params: lines (default 100), level (default info).

curl http://localhost:8080/api/server/logs

{
  "success": true,
  "logs": [
    {
      "timestamp": "2026-03-02T12:18:45",
      "level": "info",
      "message": "GET /api/server/status"
    }
  ],
  "total": 47
}

Shutdown

POST /api/server/shutdown initiates graceful shutdown: disconnects all cameras, closes open SSE streams, then exits. ServerManager.stop() calls this before falling back to SIGTERM.

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/server/shutdown

Embedding in Electron or Tauri

The bundled binary lives at node_modules/@alpha-sdk/<platform>/CameraWebApp (or CameraWebApp.exe on Windows).

Electron-builder

{
  "build": {
    "extraResources": [
      {
        "from": "node_modules/@alpha-sdk/${platform}-${arch}",
        "to": "alpha-sdk-binary",
        "filter": ["**/*"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Then in your main process:

import path from "node:path";
import { ServerManager } from "@alpha-sdk/api";

const server = new ServerManager({
  binaryPath: path.join(
    process.resourcesPath,
    "alpha-sdk-binary",
    process.platform === "win32" ? "CameraWebApp.exe" : "CameraWebApp"
  ),
});
await server.start();

Tauri

Drop the binary into src-tauri/binaries/CameraWebApp-<triple> and declare it as a sidecar in tauri.conf.json:

{
  "tauri": {
    "bundle": {
      "externalBin": ["binaries/CameraWebApp"]
    }
  }
}

Versioning

@alpha-sdk/api follows SemVer.

Patch — bug fixes, bundled-binary updates, playground bundle refreshes.
Minor — new CLI commands, new ServerManager methods.
Major — breaking changes to the CLI surface or ServerManager API.

Introduction

REST API

SDK Reference

Examples

MCP Server

CLI

Install

CLI

ServerManager (Node.js)

Constructor options

Methods

End-to-end example

Integration patterns

Health and control endpoints

Server status

Server logs

Shutdown

Embedding in Electron or Tauri

Electron-builder

Tauri

Versioning

​Install

​CLI

​ServerManager (Node.js)

​Constructor options

​Methods

​End-to-end example

​Integration patterns

​Health and control endpoints

​Server status

​Server logs

​Shutdown

​Embedding in Electron or Tauri

​Electron-builder

​Tauri

​Versioning

Install

CLI

ServerManager (Node.js)

Constructor options

Methods

End-to-end example

Integration patterns

Health and control endpoints

Server status

Server logs

Shutdown

Embedding in Electron or Tauri

Electron-builder

Tauri

Versioning