Short answer: a simple Nginx RTMP relay uses about one stream bitrate on each network leg. If you send a 5 Mbps stream from an encoder to an Nginx relay and then to YouTube, the encoder-to-relay link needs about 5 Mbps upload, the relay-to-YouTube link needs about 5 Mbps upload, and the relay handles roughly 5 Mbps received plus 5 Mbps sent. These are planning estimates; overhead and other network traffic add to them.
The bandwidth depends on bitrate and topology
The encoded video bitrate is the main number to plan around. Nginx RTMP does not impose a universal extra multiplier when it forwards one incoming stream to one destination without transcoding. Instead, count every network leg that carries the stream.
- Direct to YouTube: the encoder sends one copy, so its upload requirement is approximately the stream bitrate.
- Through one relay: the encoder uploads one copy to the relay, and the relay uploads one copy to YouTube. Each link carries approximately the stream bitrate.
- At the relay host: count inbound and outbound traffic separately. A one-input, one-output relay receives and sends roughly one stream bitrate each.
- Multiple destinations: the relay sends another outgoing copy for each additional destination. Do not multiply by YouTube viewers; YouTube distributes the stream to viewers.
NGINX documents RTMP as functionality provided by a third-party RTMP module, which supports RTMP, HLS and DASH. In a forwarding-only relay, the encoded feed stays at approximately its original bitrate. If your workflow transcodes the feed or creates multiple renditions, account for each output bitrate separately; there is no fixed bandwidth multiplier for Nginx itself.
YouTube recommended ingest bitrates
YouTube’s current encoder-settings guidance lists the following recommended ingest bitrates. They are recommendations, not hard minimum internet-plan speeds, and are not measurements of every Nginx setup. Select a bitrate for the actual codec, resolution, frame rate and quality target.
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| Resolution and frame rate | H.264 recommended | AV1 / H.265 recommended |
|---|---|---|
| 4K / 2160p at 60 fps | 50 Mbps | 35 Mbps |
| 4K / 2160p at 30 fps | 42 Mbps | 30 Mbps |
| 1440p at 60 fps | 34 Mbps | 24 Mbps |
| 1440p at 30 fps | 21 Mbps | 15 Mbps |
| 1080p at 60 fps | 17 Mbps | 12 Mbps |
| 1080p at 30 fps | 14 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
| 720p at 60 fps | 8 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
| 720p at 30 fps | 8 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
For example, a 1080p30 H.264 stream at YouTube’s 5 Mbps minimum bitrate setting would carry approximately 5 Mbps on each relay link; the recommended H.264 setting for that mode is 14 Mbps. At 1080p60, the recommended H.264 bitrate is 17 Mbps. Use the recommendation as a starting point, not a guarantee that a connection with exactly that measured capacity will stream reliably.
Estimate data transferred per hour
For a steady stream, a useful decimal conversion is GB per hour ≈ bitrate in Mbps × 0.45. This is a unit calculation, not a provider’s billing figure, and excludes protocol overhead and any additional copies.
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| Bitrate per copy | Approximate data per hour per network leg |
|---|---|
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| 10 Mbps | 4.5 GB |
| 14 Mbps | 6.3 GB |
| 17 Mbps | 7.65 GB |
| 50 Mbps | 22.5 GB |
For a one-destination relay, estimate the encoder’s transfer using the encoder-to-relay leg, and estimate the relay host’s total transfer by adding its received and sent data. For instance, a steady 5 Mbps stream is about 2.25 GB per hour in each direction at the relay, or roughly 4.5 GB per hour combined there, before overhead. A second outgoing destination adds roughly another copy on the relay’s outbound side. Actual ISP or hosting-provider billing depends on that provider’s measurement and billing policy.
Plan capacity for a stable stream
- Set the encoder bitrate. Choose for the codec, resolution, frame rate and quality target. YouTube’s guidance lists CBR, up to 60 fps, a recommended 2-second keyframe interval (not over 4 seconds), and 128 Kbps stereo audio.
- Map the route. For a direct stream, plan the encoder’s upload. For an Nginx relay, verify the encoder can upload to the relay and the relay can upload to YouTube; size the relay’s network transfer for both inbound and outbound traffic, plus any additional destinations.
- Measure available upload capacity. YouTube advises running a speed test to test upload bitrate. Leave headroom for protocol overhead, bitrate variation and other traffic; the cited guidance does not specify one universal headroom percentage.
- Test the actual stream. Test with representative audio and motion before an event. A speed test alone does not establish that the complete encoder-to-relay-to-YouTube path is healthy.
- Monitor stream health while live. YouTube’s LiveStreams API health status can flag low bitrate, mismatched frame rate, missing audio or bitrate settings outside recommendations.
RTMPS and transport overhead
YouTube recommends RTMPS. Its developer documentation describes RTMPS as regular RTMP tunneled through SSL and specifies an ingestion URL using port 443. The cited documentation does not quantify protocol overhead, so do not add a supposedly exact RTMPS percentage to the bitrate calculation; allow reasonable network headroom instead.
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