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You can run a free RTMP ingest server with OBS by using SRS, an open-source media server, and Docker. The software can cost nothing; a publicly reachable server, network service, electricity, and the time to administer and secure it may not. For a local test, send OBS to rtmp://localhost/live with the stream key livestream, then check the resulting stream in VLC.
What “free RTMP server” means
RTMP is commonly used to send a live stream from an encoder such as OBS to a media server. In the setup below, OBS publishes to SRS; viewers can then receive the stream through an appropriate playback route. The ingest protocol and the audience’s playback protocol do not have to be the same.
SRS describes its 8.0 release as free and MIT licensed, recommends Docker, and documents OBS publishing and VLC playback examples. Those are project statements, not independent performance measurements. A free server application does not provide a free internet connection or a public host by itself.
The OBS Project explains that “There are no OBS servers – the connection goes directly from your computer to the streaming service.” OBS is the publishing application in this guide, not the service hosting your server. Running SRS yourself is a separate arrangement.
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Choose where to run the server
- Local computer: Best for a contained test. OBS and SRS run on the same machine, and
localhostrefers to that machine. This does not make the stream publicly reachable. - Home server: Suitable if you can administer the machine and configure your router and firewall. To accept connections from outside your home network, you generally need to forward TCP port 1935 to the server. Dynamic DNS can help if your home IP address changes.
- Rented server: Provides a public endpoint without requiring you to maintain a home machine, but hosting may have a recurring cost. The OBS private-hosting wiki identifies a dedicated server as a prerequisite for its workflow.
Set up SRS with Docker
Use the SRS project’s current README and linked getting-started documentation as the authority for installation commands, configuration, and supported platforms: SRS project README and SRS getting-started documentation. The README recommends Docker and provides a Docker example that exposes the ports used by its sample. Follow the current project instructions for the tag, ports, and configuration you actually deploy.
Pay attention to version labels: the README describes SRS 8.0, while its example uses an image tag written as srs:6. Do not assume those labels identify the same release. Check the project’s current image and configuration guidance before adapting an example for a public server.
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- Install Docker using the instructions for your operating system, then follow the SRS README’s current Docker command and port guidance. The example requires the relevant RTMP port to be reachable by the publisher; playback routes may use other ports.
- Start SRS according to the project instructions. Confirm that the container is running and that its ports are exposed as intended before configuring OBS.
- Keep the service private while testing. Use a strong, unguessable stream key, and configure firewall or server-side access restrictions before accepting public publishing connections.
Connect OBS and verify the stream
Publish from OBS
- In OBS, open Settings → Stream.
- Set Service to Custom.
- For the local SRS example, enter
rtmp://localhost/liveas Server. - Enter
livestreamas Stream Key. - Apply the settings and start streaming. For a remote SRS host, replace
localhostwith the server’s reachable address and use the application and key configured for that server.
The server, application path, and key combine to form the sample ingest URL: rtmp://localhost/live/livestream. SRS also documents publishing with FFmpeg in its project materials; use those examples if you need a command-line publisher rather than OBS.
Check receipt and playback
Open the composed RTMP URL in VLC to test the local example. SRS also documents HTTP-FLV and HLS output URLs, with WebRTC options in its getting-started documentation. Choose the playback route your audience and delivery setup need; an RTMP ingest URL is not necessarily the URL you should give viewers.
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Make a home-hosted server reachable safely
For outside publishers or viewers to reach a home server, configure the router to forward TCP port 1935 to the server and allow the necessary traffic in the server firewall. The older OBS community tutorial discusses port forwarding and dynamic DNS, but its installation commands target an old Debian release and should not be treated as current setup instructions.
- Use a long, unguessable stream key and treat it like a password.
- Restrict publishing access by IP or another access-control mechanism where your chosen server supports it.
- Check router and host firewall rules carefully; opening a port broadly increases exposure.
- Keep the operating system, Docker image, and server software updated.
- Do not assume a stream key is private merely because it appears in a server example. The OBS private-hosting wiki’s example says its key is not private and demonstrates an IP whitelist approach; that describes that example, not every RTMP server.
How SRS compares with other free-server paths
| Option | Setup path and protocols | Compatibility and documentation | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRS | Open-source server with Docker recommended by the project. The README lists RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, HTTP-FLV, SRT, MPEG-DASH, and other protocols. | The project describes SRS 8.0 as cross-platform across the Linux and macOS architectures it lists and provides OBS and VLC examples. Check current tag and configuration guidance. | A documented route for a self-hosted media server that can ingest RTMP and offer different output protocols. |
| nginx-rtmp-module | Requires configuring or building NGINX with the RTMP module; the cited tutorial demonstrates a basic RTMP application and OBS/VLC test. | The OBS community tutorial was published and last updated in 2014. Its sample NGINX version and compilation steps are stale; consult current project and operating-system documentation rather than copying the commands as-is. | Useful for understanding the traditional NGINX-plus-module approach, but not the freshest turnkey installation guide. |
| NGINX Plus RTMP module | F5 documents a packaged RTMP module for NGINX Plus. | Commercial NGINX Plus offering; it is not the free-software route described here. | Consider only if you specifically want that commercial NGINX product. |
These options differ in setup path and documentation age; the available project descriptions do not establish comparative performance. SRS is the clearest documented starting point here because its project materials include Docker guidance and direct OBS and playback examples.
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Troubleshoot common connection problems
- OBS cannot connect: Confirm that SRS is running, the server address and application path are correct, and the configured port is exposed and allowed by the host firewall. For a remote home server, check the router’s TCP 1935 forwarding.
- OBS connects but VLC cannot play: Confirm that the publisher is actually streaming and that the URL includes the correct application and stream key. For HTTP-FLV or HLS, use the corresponding output URL documented by SRS rather than the RTMP ingest address.
- Local test works but remote publishing fails:
localhostworks only on the machine running SRS. Replace it with the server’s reachable address, and verify router forwarding, firewall rules, and any changing home IP address. - Publishing is rejected or access is too open: Check the configured key and any IP restrictions. Rotate a key if it has been exposed, and do not rely on a sample configuration’s security assumptions.
- Container starts on an unexpected release: Recheck the image tag against the current SRS project instructions. The README’s SRS 8.0 description and its
srs:6example tag should not be treated as interchangeable.
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