Deploy Plate Recognizer Shipping Container Image on ZEDEDA

Introduction

Plate Recognizer’s Shipping Container Recognition software provides detection and decoding of shipping container IDs from camera feeds. When deployed on ZEDEDA-managed edge infrastructure, organizations can achieve real‑time inventory tracking, gate automation, yard visibility, and logistics optimization across distributed sites.

This article walks you through deploying the Plate Recognizer Shipping Container Recognition docker container app (deployment type: container) on a ZEDEDA edge node, including configuration, networking, persistent storage, and validation.

Prerequisites 

• You have onboarded your edge node. 
• The edge node must be running a supported version of EVE-OS.
• Outbound HTTPS (port 443) connectivity is required.
• You have either the SysManager or SysAdmin role in your ZEDEDA Cloud enterprise.
• After onboarding is complete, your edge node will appear as Active under Edge Nodes > Devices in the ZEDEDA dashboard.

Create and Attach a Persistent Volume

The Plate Recognizer Shipping Container app continuously processes image frames and metadata. To ensure cached images and logs persist through container restarts or updates, create a persistent volume.

1. Go to Library > Volume Instance > Add New

2. Fill in the following items:

   Attribute	Value
   Name	sc_volume_1
   Type	Block Storage
   Size	10 GB
   Access Mode	Read/Write
   Encryption	Yes
   Edge Node	onlogic
   Project	PR-Demo
   Label	prsc

3. Click Add.

Clone and Validate the App Configuration

Go to Marketplace > Edge Apps > Global Edge Apps to validate, import, or clone the configuration. 

Configure Network Access

Plate Recognizer requires properly configured inbound and outbound network rules for communication with RTSP cameras and its API endpoints. RTSP cameras and their API endpoints are configured on the Plate Recognizer site.

Outbound Rules:

Inbound Rules:

Port 8080 exposure is not required for Stream. If you want to monitor the service, you can expose port 8001 and access it through http://localhost:8001/status/. Port 554 is commonly used as the default port for RTSP; it might vary depending on the RTSP port configured by the end user.

Add Cloud-Init Configuration

To inject your Plate Recognizer license key and token securely at launch, use ZEDEDA’s built-in cloud-init system.

Plate Recognizer requires a valid license key. You can obtain a free trial license by registering on the Plate Recognizer website. Visit Shipping Container OCR and sign up to receive your trial key via email. After you have your license key, include it in the cloud-init configuration as follows.

Example:

#cloud-config
runcmd:
  - export LICENSE_KEY=###LICENSE_KEY###
  - export TOKEN=###TOKEN###
  - export EVE_ECO_CMD="/app/startup.sh"

write_files:
  - path: /app/startup.sh
    permissions: '0755'
    content: |
      #!/bin/sh
      echo "Initializing container..."
      cp -v /app/container-video-config.ini /container-video-data/container-video-config.ini || {
        echo "ERROR: Config file not found"; exit 1;
      }
      echo "Starting Plate Recognizer..."
      exec python3 /app/main.py

  - path: /app/container-video-config.ini
    permissions: '0644'
    content: |
      timezone = UTC

      [cameras]
        image_format = $(camera)_screenshots/%y-%m-%d/%H-%M-%S.%f.jpg
        csv_file = $(camera)_%y-%m-%d.csv

        [[camera-1]]
          active = yes
          url =###RTSP_URL###
          webhook-target = webhook-1
          sample = 1

      [webhooks]
        [[webhook-1]]
          url = http://my-webhook-1.site
          image = texts, original

Configuration Settings:

• Name: cloud-init

• Variable Delimiter: ###
   

Deploy and Validate

Now you’re ready to deploy the Plate Recognizer Stream container to your device.

1. Go to Marketplace > Local Edge Apps > Plate Recognizer Shipping Container App.

2. Click Deploy.

3. Choose Project: PR-Demo, Edge Node: your onboarded device, Deployment Type: Container.

4. Attach volume sc_volume_1 → mount /user-data.

5. Apply cloud-init configuration.

6. Verify resource allocation: 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM.

7. Click Deploy.

Validation:

Open Edge App Instances > Logs to check for the following message:

Test connectivity via RTSP camera stream or http://<device-ip>:8001/status/

Hardware Sizing Recommendations

The performance and number of concurrent camera feeds depend on your device’s CPU, GPU, and available memory. Refer to Plate Recognizer’s official hardware sizing guide for system requirements: Stream Installation Guide | Plate Recognizer.

References & Support

Plate Recognizer: Shipping Container Live | Plate Recognizer

Plate Recognizer Docs: https://guides.platerecognizer.com 

ZEDEDA Tenant: https://zedcontrol.zededa.net

Support Email: support@platerecognizer.com

Conclusion

By following this article, you can deploy and operate Plate Recognizer Shipping Container on ZEDEDA with persistent storage, secured credentials, and optimal performance monitoring. ZEDEDA’s zero-touch orchestration, combined with Plate Recognizer’s computer vision intelligence, enables scalable and efficient edge deployments that deliver real business outcomes—from reducing operational costs to improving situational awareness and safety. For additional customization or scaling guidance, consult the previous links or contact your ZEDEDA or Plate Recognizer representative.