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Uploading files to Hetzner and broadcasting them continuously on YouTube are two separate jobs. Use SFTP or SCP to transfer videos to a Storage Box or Cloud server, then run a separate playback and encoder process on an always-on host to send the feed to YouTube Live. A Storage Box stores and serves files; it is not an interactive server that runs your encoder.
Choose the right Hetzner destination
Hetzner Storage Boxes and Hetzner Cloud servers are different products. A Storage Box is for file storage and transfer; a Cloud server is a general-purpose virtual machine where you can install and run software. Decide which role you need before uploading.
| Destination | What it does in this workflow | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Storage Box | Stores video files and accepts SFTP or SCP transfers over port 22. | It does not provide interactive SSH on port 22 for running a playback or encoding process. Enable External Reachability in the Hetzner Console for external connections. Hetzner Storage Box access documentation |
| Cloud server | Can store files and host the playback/encoding stack that sends the broadcast. | It is a separate product from a Storage Box. You are responsible for securing and maintaining the server and its services. Hetzner Cloud server documentation |
If you plan to keep media in a Storage Box and broadcast from a Cloud server, confirm that your chosen player can access the files using a supported method. Do not assume that Storage Box access gives you a shell or that the Storage Box itself can encode video.
Check YouTube Live eligibility and content rights first
Before building the setup, confirm that your channel can livestream. YouTube says livestreaming requires a verified channel with no livestreaming restriction in the previous 90 days; its getting-started guidance gives a minimum age of 16. Check the current requirements for your account in YouTube Help’s livestreaming overview.
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You must have the rights needed to broadcast every video and audio track in the playlist, including music. Prerecorded content remains subject to YouTube’s copyright enforcement, Community Guidelines, livestream terms, and applicable laws. Review YouTube’s Terms of Service and YouTube’s copyright guidance for live streams before scheduling a continuous loop.
Upload the videos to Hetzner
Prepare the destination
- For a Storage Box: In the Hetzner Console, enable External Reachability if you will connect from outside Hetzner, then note the documented hostname and account details. Use SFTP or SCP on port 22. See Hetzner’s Storage Box connection instructions.
- For a Cloud server: Obtain its public address and configure SSH access. Keep the server’s access rules limited to the ports your actual setup needs; do not apply Storage Box connection assumptions to a Cloud VM. Hetzner recommends opening only required firewall ports. See Hetzner Cloud firewall documentation.
- Choose an SFTP client such as WinSCP or FileZilla, or use the command-line SFTP/SCP client available on your computer. Authenticate with the password or SSH key supported by your destination.
- Verify the SSH host fingerprint against an independent trusted source before accepting it. Never paste a password, private key, or YouTube stream key into a public page, shared script, or support request.
Transfer and verify
In an SFTP client, connect to the documented hostname on port 22, sign in, open the intended destination directory, and upload the video files. With command-line tools, use the host, account, and path provided for your own Hetzner product; exact hostnames and remote paths vary by account and server. After transfer, confirm that every file appears at the destination and that its size is plausible. If a transfer is interrupted, reconnect and verify the remote file before trying again so you do not mistake a partial upload for a complete video.
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SFTP and SCP move files; they do not create a YouTube broadcast. You still need a playback process and an encoder on an always-on host to read the videos in order and send a live feed. The official Hetzner and YouTube pages cited here do not validate a particular playlist-loop command or server size, so choose a player/encoder using its current documentation and test the exact configuration on your host before relying on it.
Configure YouTube Live and the outgoing feed
- In YouTube Studio, open Create > Go live and create or select the stream in Live Control Room.
- Copy the stream URL and stream key from YouTube into the encoder configuration. Treat the key like a password: anyone who obtains it may be able to broadcast to your channel. Reset it in Live Control Room if it is exposed. YouTube explains stream-key handling in its encoder setup guidance.
- Use RTMPS rather than unencrypted RTMP when your encoder supports it. YouTube describes RTMPS as an encrypted extension to RTMP.
- Set the encoder according to YouTube’s current guidance. YouTube recommends H.264 video, constant bitrate encoding, a two-second keyframe interval (not more than four seconds), and AAC or MP3 audio. These are ingest recommendations, not a guarantee that a particular Hetzner server can encode your chosen resolution in real time. Check YouTube’s recommended encoder settings and the encoder’s own documentation.
- Start the playback/encoding process, then check the Live Control Room preview and the public live page. Verify that the playlist advances, audio is present, and the picture remains stable before treating the broadcast as operational.
YouTube also supports HLS ingest for compatible encoders. Its HLS requirements include HTTPS POST/PUT requests, TS segments lasting 1–4 seconds, and a rolling ingest playlist with no more than five outstanding segments. That is a protocol-level playlist for sending segments; it is not the playlist of source videos you want to play. HLS has higher latency than RTMP. See YouTube’s HLS ingest guidance.
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Plan for a genuinely continuous broadcast
- Keep the sending host running. If the encoder runs on a Cloud server, the server, player, network connection, and output process all need to remain available. A stopped process or inaccessible source file interrupts the feed.
- Monitor the broadcast. Check the host, outgoing network, YouTube preview, and audio/video continuity. Self-hosting makes you responsible for operating-system updates, access security, backups, monitoring, and recovery.
- Design recovery explicitly. Decide how you will detect a stopped player or dropped YouTube connection and restart or reconfigure it. The platform documentation does not certify a specific 24/7 looping deployment or automatic-restart setup.
- Do not rely on long-stream auto-archiving. YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. A continuous stream exceeding 12 hours is not covered by that promise; arrange a separate recording and archive plan if retaining the broadcast matters. See YouTube’s live-stream archive guidance.
Common problems and practical checks
| Symptom | Likely check | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| SFTP connection fails | For a Storage Box, check that External Reachability is enabled, that you are using the documented hostname and port 22, and that credentials are correct. | Confirm the access settings and connection details in the Hetzner Console and Storage Box documentation. Do not try to use interactive SSH on a Storage Box. |
| Upload completes but no broadcast appears | File transfer does not start an encoder. Check whether a separate playback/encoding process is running on an always-on host. | Start and test the playback/encoder stage, then inspect the YouTube Live Control Room preview. |
| YouTube does not receive the feed | Check that the encoder uses the stream URL and current stream key, that the channel is eligible, and that the host can reach the selected ingest endpoint. | Re-copy the key securely if needed, use RTMPS where supported, and check YouTube’s encoder settings guidance. |
| Feed starts but drops or has gaps | Check the host and process status, network stability, access to the source files, and whether the encoder is meeting its configured output settings. | Monitor the host and YouTube preview; implement and test a recovery plan appropriate to the specific player and encoder. |
| Live stream is not archived as expected | Check whether the broadcast lasted 12 hours or more. | For longer continuous broadcasts, keep a separate recording if you need a dependable archive. |
DIY Hetzner hosting or a managed cloud service?
Self-hosting on a Cloud server gives you control over the files, server environment, and configuration, but you also own setup, monitoring, recovery, security, and availability. A Storage Box can be part of the storage arrangement, but cannot replace the running encoder host. A managed prerecorded-live-stream service reduces the need to keep your own computer or server process operating; check the provider’s current features, service terms, territory availability, and pricing before choosing. YouTube’s encoder guide lists Gyre as a cloud-based 24/7 prerecorded-video streaming option, but that listing alone does not establish its current commercial terms.
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