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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsYou can run OBS on an AWS EC2 virtual machine and send its output to YouTube, but installing OBS is only part of a dependable 24/7 setup. The VM needs a suitable graphical environment and enough capacity for your scene and encoder; YouTube’s stream URL and key connect OBS to the broadcast; and you must test the whole configuration and plan for failures. The official guidance documents these components, but does not certify a particular EC2 instance or a turnkey OBS-on-EC2 setup for uninterrupted streaming.
What you need before you start
This setup uses an AWS EC2 instance as the computer running OBS. It is not the same as a purpose-built streaming service: you choose and pay for the VM and its supporting resources, install and maintain the software, and decide how to monitor and recover the stream.
- An AWS account and an EC2 instance running a Linux distribution compatible with OBS.
- A graphical desktop session. OBS’s Linux requirements include an OpenGL 3.3-compatible graphics stack and X or Wayland; a bare headless server should not be assumed to meet them. See the OBS system requirements.
- A video or scene you have the rights to broadcast, plus audio if needed. Check YouTube’s current copyright and monetization policies for your content; rights to one element, such as a video, do not necessarily cover its music or other included material.
- A YouTube channel that can create a live stream, and a secure way to store its stream key.
- An EC2 configuration with enough graphics and encoding capacity for your actual resolution, frame rate, and scene complexity. OBS warns that meeting graphics compatibility requirements does not by itself guarantee adequate streaming performance.
Launch and prepare the AWS virtual machine
Choose the instance for the workload
Select an AMI, key pair, instance type, and AWS Region when launching the EC2 instance. Canonical’s Ubuntu EC2 launch guide describes the launch sequence for an Ubuntu instance. Neither that guide nor OBS specifies one EC2 size that is guaranteed to run every OBS scene. Your choice has to be tested against the content and encoder settings you intend to use.
Plan for a graphical desktop session as part of the setup. OBS’s stated Linux requirements call for X or Wayland; do not assume a command-line-only server will provide the environment OBS needs. The exact desktop and remote-access arrangement depends on your OS and AWS configuration, so secure it according to the relevant provider guidance rather than opening remote access broadly.
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Install OBS for your Linux distribution
Follow the current instructions on the OBS Linux installation page. OBS lists an Ubuntu package-repository method for Ubuntu 18.04 or newer and recommends Flathub on non-Ubuntu distributions. Those pages are dated 2021, so confirm that the package instructions still match the distribution release you selected before installing.
Once installed, open OBS in the graphical session, create a scene for the material you plan to broadcast, and add the appropriate video and audio sources. For a single video that should repeat, use a media source and enable its loop option in that source’s properties. Preview the scene and check that the picture and sound behave as intended before connecting it to YouTube.
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Create the YouTube stream and connect OBS
- Open YouTube Studio and go to the Live Control Room. Create or schedule a live stream, then select the encoder setup. YouTube’s encoder workflow explains how to obtain the server URL and stream key.
- Copy the connection details into OBS. In OBS, open the streaming settings, choose the YouTube service or the appropriate custom-server option, and enter YouTube’s stream server URL and stream key. The key is a connection credential, not a public identifier.
- Protect the key. Do not show it in a screenshot, recording, shared document, or public repository. If you believe it has been exposed, reset it using the controls in YouTube’s live stream settings, then update OBS with the replacement.
- Keep the Live Control Room open for the test. Start sending the encoder output from OBS and wait for YouTube to receive it. Check the preview and stream health before choosing to go live publicly.
Set the encoder to YouTube’s recommendations
YouTube recommends RTMPS, a secure extension of RTMP, for ingest. Its encoder guidance also recommends constant bitrate (CBR), a two-second keyframe interval (not over four seconds), and an appropriate bitrate for the selected resolution, frame rate, and codec. The exact bitrate is not universal.
| Setting | Starting point | How to apply it |
|---|---|---|
| Ingest protocol | RTMPS | Use the secure ingest option and server URL provided for the stream. YouTube’s encoder settings recommend RTMPS. |
| Rate control | CBR | Set the encoder to constant bitrate, as YouTube recommends. |
| Keyframe interval | 2 seconds | Use two seconds; YouTube says not to exceed four seconds. |
| Video bitrate | Choose the row matching your resolution, frame rate, and codec in YouTube’s current table. For H.264 at 1080p30, the listed recommendation is 10 Mbps. | This is a platform setting recommendation, not a guarantee of performance on your EC2 instance or network. |
| Audio codec | AAC or MP3 | YouTube’s general encoder guidance lists these audio codecs. |
Configure the OBS encoder and output to match the stream you intend to run; then check YouTube’s current table rather than reusing a bitrate intended for a different frame rate or codec. YouTube’s published recommendations can change, so consult the linked settings page when configuring a new stream.
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Test the stream before relying on it
- Match the real content. YouTube recommends a test with audio and movement similar to the planned broadcast. A static image test will not expose every issue caused by motion, sound, or a more complex scene.
- Check upload capacity. YouTube recommends about 20% spare upload capacity above the total stream bitrate. Check the VM’s available network capacity under the intended load; do not treat a nominal instance specification as proof that the stream will remain stable.
- Verify the preview and health indicators. Confirm the correct picture and audio in the Live Control Room, and monitor YouTube’s stream-health feedback while the test runs.
- Run a sustained test. Leave the complete scene and encoder running long enough to reveal instability. Confirm that the chosen VM remains capable under the actual workload. The available official guidance does not certify a specific EC2 configuration, test duration, or uptime for OBS on EC2.
- Test what happens after interruption. Simulate or otherwise plan tests for an OBS process exit, VM reboot, and lost YouTube connection. Decide how you will notice each failure and restore the broadcast. The cited setup guidance does not define a service manager, restart policy, alerting system, or failover design for this stack.
Plan continuity and archives separately
A running EC2 instance and an open OBS session do not, by themselves, establish that a broadcast will recover after a process, host, network, or ingest failure. Recovery, monitoring, restart behavior after a reboot, and failover are engineering decisions you need to design and test for your deployment. Do not describe this configuration as guaranteed 24/7 solely because the VM is intended to stay on.
Archiving has a separate limit: YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. Its encoder guide does not establish the archive outcome for one continuous stream longer than 12 hours. If you need a YouTube archive, plan sessions shorter than 12 hours and verify current YouTube behavior; starting separate sessions means planning the transitions rather than assuming a single broadcast will produce an archive.
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Estimate AWS costs before leaving it on
There is no reliable single monthly cost without choosing a Region, instance family and size, operating system, storage, network configuration, and runtime. AWS charges for On-Demand instance usage and describes per-second billing for several operating-system families with a 60-second minimum. Data transfer and related services can add costs. Check the current EC2 On-Demand pricing page or AWS calculator with your specific configuration; rates and billing details can change.
- Compute: estimate continuous runtime for the selected instance and OS.
- Storage: include the instance’s volumes and any local recordings you plan to keep.
- Network: account for the VM’s networking setup and applicable data-transfer charges.
- Operations: consider the time and additional resources required for desktop access, monitoring, recovery, and maintenance.
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If maintaining an EC2 desktop, OBS installation, and recovery plan is more work than you want, StreamNeo is a cloud service for keeping a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos. Upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. Nothing has to stay running on your computer or at home; StreamNeo loops the upload from the cloud. It automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream, and the video streams as uploaded up to 4K 60fps at one flat price per slot, with no re-encode or quality tiers.
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