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An RTMP server receives a live video stream from an encoder such as OBS. It can then make the stream available to viewers, forward it to another destination, record it, or convert it to another streaming protocol. For a small test, run a server that listens on RTMP, then point OBS at its address and stream path. A local Docker example is useful for learning, but it is not a complete secure or capacity-tested public deployment.

What an RTMP server does

RTMP—Real-Time Messaging Protocol—is commonly used to send a live stream from an encoder to a server. The server accepts that incoming connection, or ingest, and can route the media onward. Depending on the software and configuration, it may also let another client read the stream, proxy it, record it, play it back, or convert it to a different protocol.

MediaMTX describes itself as a live media server and proxy for publishing, reading, proxying, recording, playback, and real-time protocol conversion. Those are capabilities of that project; an RTMP server’s exact features depend on the software you choose. See the MediaMTX documentation and SRS documentation.

Ingest is not the same as viewer delivery

Receiving an RTMP stream does not mean that every viewer should connect using RTMP. Ingest and delivery are separate choices: an encoder may publish via RTMP, while the server delivers or converts the stream to a protocol better suited to viewers, devices, or a content delivery network. SRS describes RTMP as a contribution option, HLS as broadly supported but higher latency, and WebRTC, HTTP-FLV, or HTTP-TS as possible lower-latency delivery options. That is SRS’s qualitative guidance, not a universal benchmark; the right choice depends on your audience and latency requirements.

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What you need for a basic setup

  • A computer or server that can run your chosen RTMP server software. Docker is one documented way to try SRS.
  • An encoder such as OBS, configured to publish to the server’s reachable address and the path it expects.
  • For a remote publisher, a network route to the server and suitable firewall and host configuration. The examples using localhost work only when the publisher and server are on the same machine.

The RTMP address usually consists of a scheme (rtmp:// or rtmps://), a host and sometimes a port, followed by an application/path and possibly a stream key. The exact arrangement depends on the server. Do not assume that one product’s path-and-key convention applies to another.

Start a local SRS server with Docker

SRS documents this Docker command as a concise way to run its RTMP configuration for a local test. It publishes port 1935 from the container to the host:

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docker run --rm -it -p 1935:1935 ossrs/srs:5 
  ./objs/srs -c conf/rtmp.conf

Keep the process running while you publish. The command is a proof-of-concept starting point, not a public-server security plan, capacity guarantee, or complete deployment guide. SRS’s documented FFmpeg sample URL is rtmp://localhost/live/livestream; its example shows the application/path format expected by that setup. Consult the SRS getting-started documentation for the applicable publishing details.

Connect OBS to the server

  1. Confirm the server is running. For a same-machine test, keep the server process open and use localhost. For a publisher on another machine, use the server’s reachable host address instead.
  2. Open OBS’s stream settings. In OBS, go to Settings → Stream, select the custom server option, and enter the server URL and stream key or path arrangement required by that server.
  3. Use the MediaMTX local example only for MediaMTX. Its OBS guide uses rtmp://localhost/mystream as the server and leaves the separate stream-key field empty; the stream is then available at /mystream. That is a documented configuration example, not universal RTMP syntax.
  4. Start streaming and check the receiving endpoint. If OBS cannot connect, first verify that the address, port, path, and any required key match the server’s configuration. Check that the server is still running and that the relevant network path permits the connection.

See the MediaMTX OBS publishing guide for its exact example and configuration context.

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When to use RTMPS

RTMPS is RTMP over an encrypted connection. YouTube describes it as a secure extension of RTMP and advises supplying the server URL when an encoder does not offer a preset; see YouTube’s live encoder settings help.

For its documented OBS arrangement, MediaMTX gives rtmps://localhost:1936/mystream as an example and says encryption must be enabled in the server configuration. Its guide also warns that OBS expects a certificate signed by a publicly trusted certificate authority in that setup. A self-signed certificate is silently rejected unless a local certificate authority is configured and trusted on the OBS machine. These are implementation-specific instructions, so check the current documentation and configuration for the versions you deploy. See MediaMTX’s OBS guide.

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Plan a public deployment before exposing it

A local test avoids many of the decisions a public service requires. Before making a server reachable from remote publishers or viewers, decide who can publish, who can read, whether streams are forwarded, and which network ports need to be exposed. MediaMTX documents internal, HTTP, and JWT authentication options, as well as forwarding; see its documentation. The sample Docker command alone does not establish a firewall policy, secure authentication configuration, or expected capacity.

Choose software by the job it must do

  • Protocol support: Check that the server accepts the encoder’s ingest protocol and supports the viewer delivery protocols you need.
  • Routing and conversion: Determine whether you need forwarding, proxying, or protocol conversion rather than only receiving a stream.
  • Access control: Identify how publishing and reading are authenticated, and whether the available method fits your deployment.
  • Recording and monitoring: Verify these capabilities if they are operational requirements; do not assume they are included in every server.
  • Deployment and scale: Consider where it will run, how publishers and viewers reach it, and expected concurrency. The cited project documentation does not provide a fair performance benchmark between MediaMTX and SRS.
  • Latency and compatibility: Select the viewer protocol based on the audience’s devices, CDN path, and acceptable delay. SRS’s protocol guidance is qualitative rather than a comparative test.
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Troubleshooting common connection problems

  • OBS cannot connect on the same machine: Confirm the server process is running and listening, and that the URL uses the correct scheme, port, application, path, and key for that server.
  • A remote publisher cannot reach the server: Replace localhost with an address reachable from the publisher. Check host networking and firewall configuration for the port and protocol you intend to use.
  • The server accepts the connection but the expected stream is missing: Compare the published path and any stream key with the server’s configured path. A path such as /mystream is specific to the MediaMTX example, not a universal default.
  • RTMPS fails while RTMP works: Verify that encrypted RTMP is enabled and that the certificate is trusted by the OBS machine. For the cited MediaMTX setup, OBS rejects an untrusted self-signed certificate unless its issuing local authority has been trusted.
  • The stream reaches the server but viewers cannot play it: Check the output protocol and viewer URL separately from the ingest URL. RTMP ingest does not guarantee RTMP delivery compatibility for a viewer or CDN.

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