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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →For one already-encoded stream that a Hetzner server only relays to YouTube, CPX12 is a reasonable low-resource plan to evaluate first—not a guaranteed fit. Hetzner lists it with 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM and 40 GB disk in European locations. If the server must encode the video, the available official information does not establish a minimum Hetzner plan: compare larger shared-vCPU CPX instances with dedicated-vCPU CCX instances using your actual encoding workload.
First decide whether the server relays or encodes
“A 24/7 livestream” can describe two different server jobs. A relay forwards a feed that is already encoded; encoding converts a source video into the stream format YouTube receives. They do not have the same CPU requirements, so a plan recommendation without this distinction can be misleading.
- Relay-only: If another system has already encoded the stream and the Hetzner VM only forwards it, evaluate CPX12 as a starting point for one feed. This is a reasoned starting hypothesis based on its published specifications, not a performance guarantee or a Hetzner benchmark.
- Encoding on the VM: Compare larger CPX plans with CCX dedicated-vCPU plans. Choose by testing the exact encoder, codec, resolution, frame rate and number of simultaneous outputs you intend to run. No official benchmark establishes a particular Hetzner plan as adequate for a specific encode.
Before choosing, write down whether encoding happens on the VM, the codec, resolution and frame rate, target bitrate, and how many feeds or outputs will run at once. Without those inputs, no exact minimum can be established.
What CPX12 does—and does not—tell you
Hetzner’s July 2026 update lists CPX12 in European locations FSN1, HEL1 and NBG1 with 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM and 40 GB disk. Hetzner describes the plan for low-resource, single-purpose uses; that description does not certify video-encoding capacity.
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For a relay-only stream, those published specifications make CPX12 a sensible low-cost candidate to test, provided its real CPU, memory, network throughput and reconnection behavior remain adequate during a representative run. Do not treat the 40 GB disk as a video-stream requirement: the sources establish no required disk size for relaying. Disk needs depend on whether you also store recordings, buffers, logs or other application data.
Set the stream bitrate and network headroom
YouTube’s current live encoder guidance recommends H.264 video bitrates of 10 Mbps for 1080p at 30 fps and 17 Mbps for 1080p at 60 fps. These are YouTube ingest recommendations, not estimates of the CPU needed to encode at those settings.
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YouTube recommends that total stream bitrate fit within available upload bandwidth, with 20% headroom. Apply that to the actual outbound path from your VM’s location to YouTube; a suitable CPU plan does not compensate for inadequate or disrupted connectivity. YouTube warns that a connectivity disruption can break the stream.
When comparing Hetzner locations and plans, check current outbound capacity and included traffic allowances as well as price. These vary by location and may change. The 20% headroom recommendation is from YouTube’s current Streaming tips guidance, accessed in 2026.
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Use YouTube’s ingest settings and test the complete path
- Protocol: YouTube recommends RTMPS.
- Bitrate mode: Use constant bitrate (CBR), as YouTube recommends.
- Keyframes: Set a two-second keyframe interval; YouTube says not to exceed four seconds.
- Test content: Include representative audio and movement, rather than testing only a static or silent feed.
- Monitor: Watch YouTube stream health during the test and through a representative operating period.
YouTube’s encoder guidance explicitly recommends testing with audio and movement similar to the planned stream. A 24/7 label on a VM does not itself provide high availability: test the whole path, monitor it, and decide how you will detect and recover from a stopped process or network interruption.
How to choose and validate a Hetzner plan
- Define the workload. Confirm whether the VM only relays a pre-encoded feed or also encodes it. Record codec, resolution, frame rate, target bitrate and simultaneous outputs.
- Choose candidates by workload. For one relay-only feed, evaluate CPX12 first. For encoding, compare larger shared-vCPU CPX plans with dedicated-vCPU CCX plans; CCX is a candidate where predictable CPU availability matters, not proof of a particular encoder performance level.
- Check the region and current plan details. Compare the selected location’s current price and traffic allowance, and confirm the available plan specifications. Hetzner announced updated prices for new cloud orders and rescales effective June 15, 2026; regional prices and traffic allowances can differ and change.
- Run a representative test. Use the intended encoder settings and content, then observe CPU and memory use, network throughput, YouTube stream health and reconnection behavior. Test long enough to expose problems that a brief launch check would miss; no universal test duration or benchmark is established by the cited official material.
- Adjust based on the bottleneck. If encoding saturates CPU, compare a larger CPX or a CCX plan under the same workload. If network throughput or connectivity is the problem, changing CPU class alone may not fix it. Size disk only for actual local storage needs.
What to compare between Hetzner plans
| Factor | What to check |
|---|---|
| Workload | Relay-only or encoding; include the codec, resolution, frame rate and number of outputs. |
| CPU type | Whether vCPUs are shared or dedicated. Hetzner identifies CCX as dedicated-vCPU instances; dedicated cores do not establish a particular encoder’s performance. |
| Observed CPU headroom | Measure with the actual encoder workload; no official plan-to-resolution benchmark is available. |
| Network and traffic | Check outbound capacity and location-specific included traffic against the stream bitrate, allowing YouTube’s recommended 20% upload headroom. |
| Memory and disk | Account for the complete application and any local recordings, buffers or logs; a relay has no established disk minimum in the cited guidance. |
| Price and operations | Check current regional pricing, then consider monitoring and recovery for process or network interruption. |
Common sizing and reliability problems
- The stream drops despite low CPU use: Check outbound connectivity, available bandwidth and stream health. YouTube cautions that a connectivity disruption can break a stream.
- The server is overloaded while encoding: The chosen plan may not have enough CPU headroom for the actual codec, resolution, frame rate or number of outputs. Compare larger plans using the same workload rather than assuming a vCPU count guarantees capacity.
- The test looked fine, but the live content does not: Repeat the test with representative movement and audio; YouTube specifically recommends that kind of test.
- The stream stops and does not resume: Check whether the relay or encoder process restarted, whether the VM can reach YouTube again, and whether your setup handles reconnection. A continuously running VM is not, by itself, an automatic recovery plan.
- Disk fills up: Review local recordings, buffering and logs. Do not attribute this to the relay itself without identifying what the VM stores.
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