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ZLMediaKit review

Free#97 of 136 in Live Streaming Software

A protocol-rich open-source media server for building custom streaming infrastructure.

3.0/10Editor score
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

ZLMediaKit is an open-source C++11 streaming media server and development framework for developers building live streaming, surveillance, and embedded media systems. It runs across web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and API environments. The project can operate as an independent media server, expose RESTful APIs and webhook events, or provide a C API for application integration. Its audience is technical teams that need to assemble and control their own streaming stack rather than creators looking for a ready-made broadcast workspace.

The published offering is free and open source, with no paid plan required for the core project. Deployment options include Docker images and build instructions for Linux, macOS, and Windows. The feature set covers RTSP, RTMP, HLS, HTTP-FLV, WebSocket-FLV, SRT, WebRTC, and GB28181, along with protocol conversion between formats. WebRTC support includes streaming, playback, WHIP, and WHEP, while recording supports FLV, HLS, and MP4. This makes ZLMediaKit suitable for systems that need several ingest, delivery, and playback paths under one server layer.

ZLMediaKit is strongest when flexibility and application integration matter. RTMP and RTSP proxy and push clients, on-demand streaming, automatic shutdown when no viewers remain, authentication, virtual hosts, and traffic statistics provide useful infrastructure controls. It is less suited to teams that want a browser studio, built-in multistreaming, prerecorded streaming, or a wider commercial support package. Choose it when your team can manage deployment and application integration; choose an alternative when the priority is a creator-facing workflow with packaged production and distribution tools.

ZLMediaKit pros and cons

  • Where it wins
    • Supports RTSP, RTMP, HLS, SRT, WebRTC, and other streaming protocols
    • Converts between streaming formats and records to FLV, HLS, and MP4
    • Includes RESTful APIs, webhooks, C API SDK support, and Docker deployment
  • Where it doesn't
    • Infrastructure-focused rather than a browser-based streaming studio
    • Does not provide a packaged multistreaming workflow
    • Closed-source professional editions have no published prices

ZLMediaKit fact sheet, pricing and score →

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