ONVIF profiles explained: S, T, G, M, A, C and D, and how to specify them

What is ONVIF, and what is an ONVIF profile?

ONVIF is an open industry forum that writes standard network interfaces for physical security products, and an ONVIF profile is a fixed bundle of those interfaces that a product must implement to claim conformance. The aim is that a camera from one maker and video management software from another can work together without a custom driver.

ONVIF distinguishes three things. Specifications are the underlying network interface documents. A profile is a fixed collection of features, with mandatory and conditional parts, from which a working product can be built; profiles are not changed once released, so that products stay backward compatible. An add-on covers one use case that is not big enough to be a profile, can be updated faster, and can only be claimed by a product that also conforms to a profile.

Every profile has two sides. A device is the camera, encoder or door controller. A client is the software that talks to it, such as a video management system (VMS), a network video recorder (NVR) or access control software. ONVIF states that conformance to profiles is the only way to ensure compatibility between ONVIF conformant products. In practice, a camera and a VMS work together under ONVIF only for the profile they both conform to.

Which ONVIF profiles are current in 2026?

As of September 2026, ONVIF lists seven current profiles: S, T, G and M for video and analytics, and A, C and D for access control. Profile Q is deprecated, Profile S is being retired, and Profile V is a release candidate that products cannot yet rely on.

What do the video profiles S, T, G and M each do?

Profiles S and T cover live video, Profile G covers recording on the device, and Profile M covers analytics metadata and events. A surveillance tender usually needs T, often G, and M where analytics feed a command centre.

Profile S covers video streaming and configuration for IP-based video systems. Profile T, introduced in 2018 according to ONVIF, supports H.264 and H.265 encoding, imaging settings, and alarm events such as motion and tampering detection. ONVIF says Profile T contains virtually all the features of Profile S.

Profile G is for edge storage and retrieval. A Profile G device, such as a camera or video encoder, can record video over the network or on the device itself. A Profile G client, such as a VMS, can configure, request and control that recording. This matters wherever video must survive a network or server outage.

Profile M is for metadata and events used by analytics applications. It covers analytics configuration, metadata streaming, generic object classification, and metadata types including geolocation, vehicle, licence plate, human face and body. It includes event interfaces for object counting and for face and licence plate recognition, and events can be sent over the metadata stream, the ONVIF event service or MQTT, a lightweight messaging protocol.

What do the access control profiles A, C and D cover?

Profiles A and C cover the access control system and its management software, and Profile D covers the peripherals at the door. Together they let access control products from different makers work together in the same way the video profiles do for cameras.

Profile C is for products in an electronic access control system and covers site information, door access control, and event and alarm management. Profile A covers configuration: a Profile A client can set up access rules, credentials and schedules on a device, and retrieve status and events from it.

Profile D covers peripherals such as card, key, mobile or barcode readers, fingerprint readers, cameras used for iris, face or licence plate recognition, keypads, sensors for door or lock status, and outputs such as locks, displays and LEDs. The peripheral passes the credential to an access control unit, which decides whether to grant access and sends the command back. ONVIF released the Profile D specification in June 2021.

Why is ONVIF retiring Profile S, and what should replace it?

ONVIF is retiring Profile S because it mandates username token authentication, which ONVIF says is no longer consistent with current cybersecurity recommendations. ONVIF announced the change on 9 October 2025 and named Profile T as the replacement.

According to ONVIF, the June 2026 version of its conformance test tool is the last that lets manufacturers claim Profile S conformance, and after 31 March 2027 no new products, and no older products with new firmware, can be submitted for Profile S. A product already registered for Profile S at a given firmware version stays conformant until its manufacturer withdraws the declaration. ONVIF says the change has no effect on the operation of systems already deployed.

There is one catch. ONVIF notes that if manufacturers remove username token support in newer firmware, older Profile S systems may have compatibility problems. ONVIF recommends moving to digest authentication, supported in Profile T, or to TLS (Transport Layer Security, the encryption behind HTTPS). For a new tender in 2026, that means specifying Profile T for cameras and VMS, and treating Profile S only as a compatibility option for existing equipment.

How should a tender specify ONVIF conformance?

A tender should name the ONVIF profile required for each device type and for the software that will control it, and require proof from the ONVIF conformant products list. A line that says only 'ONVIF compliant' can be met by a product that shares no profile with the VMS.

• Cameras and encoders: Profile T, plus Profile G where edge recording is required, plus Profile M where analytics events feed the VMS or an integrated command and control centre (ICCC)
• VMS or NVR: the same profiles on the client side, so that every device feature specified can actually be used
• Access control: Profile C for doors and events, Profile A for credential and schedule management, Profile D for readers and locks where peripherals come from a different maker
• Proof: the ONVIF conformant products listing for each offered model, at the firmware version to be delivered
• Firmware discipline: a requirement that firmware updates during the contract keep the specified profile conformance
• Profile S only where it is needed to connect existing equipment, and not as the main requirement for new products

How do you check a product on the ONVIF conformant products list?

Search the ONVIF conformant products database by manufacturer, product name or profile, and check that the firmware version listed matches the version being delivered. ONVIF describes the database as the authoritative source for whether a product is officially ONVIF conformant.

ONVIF states that conformance is tied to a product's specific firmware or software version and is valid indefinitely for that version. A camera listed for Profile T at one firmware version is not automatically conformant at a later one until the maker registers it. Only ONVIF members can claim conformance, and ONVIF invites reports of products that claim conformance falsely.

• Search by manufacturer and product name, and note every profile and add-on listed
• Compare the listed version with the firmware on the delivery challan and on the device itself
• Check the client side too: the VMS or NVR should be listed for the same profiles
• Keep a copy of each listing with the handover documents

What does ONVIF conformance not guarantee?

ONVIF conformance guarantees that a set of standard interfaces works, not that every feature of a product is reachable through them or that the product is secure. Vendor-specific features outside the profile may still need the maker's own driver in the VMS.

Conformance is also not a security certification. In India, CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras are separately tested against the Essential Requirements for security set by MeitY, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and that requirement applies whatever ONVIF profiles a camera supports. ONVIF is also still finishing its cloud profile: it released Profile V as a release candidate on 9 July 2026 and expects to finalise it by the end of 2026. Until then, a cloud video tender cannot yet ask for ONVIF conformance for cloud connection.