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Short answer: FFmpeg’s -reconnect options are documented for HTTP connections. They are not a documented way to reconnect an RTMP or RTMPS output to YouTube Live. For a VPS, plan for two separate failures: a temporary break in the publishing connection and an FFmpeg process that exits. A process supervisor can restart the latter, but it cannot guarantee that YouTube will accept the stream again.
What FFmpeg’s reconnect options do—and do not do
FFmpeg documents options such as reconnect, reconnect_at_eof, reconnect_on_network_error, reconnect_on_http_error, and reconnect_streamed in its HTTP protocol section. YouTube Live publishing uses RTMP or RTMPS, which FFmpeg documents separately. Putting HTTP reconnect options on an RTMP(S) output does not turn them into a YouTube publishing reconnect switch.
Those HTTP options may be relevant to an HTTP input—for example, a source that FFmpeg reads over HTTP. They address that HTTP connection, not the separate connection used to publish the output to YouTube. Keep input-side recovery and output-side recovery distinct when designing a command.
Set up the YouTube Live destination
- In YouTube Live Control Room, select or create the live stream. Use the Live server URL and stream key shown in YouTube’s setup workflow.
- Configure FFmpeg to publish to that destination. Use the server URL and stream key as the RTMP or RTMPS destination information. Prefer RTMPS where supported.
- Keep the stream key private. It grants publishing access to the stream. Avoid putting it in public scripts, screenshots, shell history, or logs; use a suitably protected configuration or secret mechanism on the VPS.
- Start sending from FFmpeg. YouTube’s setup workflow requires the encoder to send the stream. Confirm in Live Control Room that the incoming stream is arriving before relying on it.
Do not publish a command containing a real stream key. The precise command syntax and available options can vary with the FFmpeg build and protocol support installed on the VPS; check the documentation for that build rather than assuming every option or codec is available.
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Choose encoder settings for YouTube
YouTube’s encoder guidance lists RTMP and RTMPS and recommends RTMPS. It lists H.264, H.265, and AV1 as codec choices, but that does not mean every FFmpeg build can encode every listed codec. Check the encoders available in your installed build and choose settings that both the build and your YouTube workflow support.
- Rate control: YouTube recommends constant bitrate (CBR).
- Keyframes: YouTube recommends a two-second keyframe interval and says not to exceed four seconds.
- Resolution and bitrate: Select values appropriate to your content, available VPS resources, and YouTube’s current encoder guidance. No single resolution or bitrate is established here as right for every stream.
- Protocol: Use RTMPS where supported; do not treat HTTP input reconnect options as output recovery settings.
Design recovery around the failure you need to handle
| Failure | What a supervisor can do | What remains unproven until you test it |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary RTMP(S) transport interruption while FFmpeg is still running | A process supervisor that only watches whether FFmpeg exits may do nothing, because the process may remain alive. | Whether the running FFmpeg process reconnects, resumes publishing, or needs to be restarted is not established by the documented HTTP reconnect options. Validate the behavior with your FFmpeg build, VPS network, and YouTube stream. |
| FFmpeg exits | A supervisor or watchdog can detect the stopped process and attempt to start it again. | A successful process restart does not guarantee that YouTube will accept the new connection or that the stream returns to the intended state. |
Use a supervisor for process exits
Configure a service manager or equivalent watchdog to monitor the FFmpeg process and restart it after an unexpected exit. Treat this as an operational starting point, not a universal FFmpeg reconnect command: the exact unit, restart policy, and command depend on the VPS operating system and deployment. Set bounded restart pacing so a persistent configuration error does not trigger an uncontrolled rapid restart loop, and arrange alerting so repeated failures are visible rather than silently cycling.
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Supply the stream key through a protected mechanism appropriate to the host, and ensure the supervisor starts FFmpeg with the same intended input, output, and encoder settings each time. Test that a deliberate process exit is detected and that the restarted process can publish to the intended YouTube stream.
Test transport recovery separately
A process restart policy does not answer what happens when the network path fails but FFmpeg stays alive. Test that case independently in a controlled stream: observe whether FFmpeg reports an error, exits, remains stuck, or resumes publishing. If it remains running without recovering, a process-only watchdog may not detect the problem; use monitoring that can identify a stalled or unavailable stream and define a deliberate recovery action. Confirm the result on the actual FFmpeg version, VPS network, and YouTube stream configuration before depending on it.
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Troubleshoot a stream that does not return
- FFmpeg exits and does not restart: Check the supervisor’s service status and logs, then verify that its configured command and protected stream-key source are available to the service account.
- FFmpeg restarts but YouTube shows no incoming stream: Check that the Live server URL and stream key are current and correspond to the intended YouTube stream. Confirm the VPS can reach the destination and inspect FFmpeg’s output for connection errors.
- FFmpeg remains running after a disconnect: The supervisor may only react to process exit. Determine whether FFmpeg has recovered or is stuck, and add a tested health check or watchdog action if process status alone is insufficient.
- The stream connects but encoding is rejected or unsuitable: Verify that the chosen codec is supported by the installed FFmpeg build, use CBR, and check the keyframe interval against YouTube’s two-second recommendation and four-second maximum.
- Repeated restarts fail: Use bounded restart pacing and alerting; investigate the underlying network, destination, credential, or encoder problem instead of allowing an endless rapid loop.
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