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FFmpeg

How to Stream Vertical Videos in a Continuous YouTube Livestream From a VPS

Set up a vertical YouTube livestream from a VPS: choose direct 9:16 or YouTube’s crop, configure keys before going live, loop a file, and test recovery.

By DocumentaryTube Team 7 min read

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To stream a vertical video continuously on YouTube from a VPS, configure a 9:16 output in YouTube Live Control Room before going live, then have an encoder such as FFmpeg send the video to YouTube’s ingestion endpoint. To loop a file, the encoder must repeat it; to keep the broadcast running through process or network failures, you also need monitoring and a recovery plan. A loop option alone does not guarantee uninterrupted streaming.

You can send a portrait feed directly or send a horizontal feed and let YouTube create a vertical view. Choose the method based on where viewers will watch and how much control you need over portrait framing.

Choose how to make the vertical stream

YouTube’s vertical live experience is full-screen on mobile and can be discovered while viewers browse Shorts. The format you choose affects framing, configured outputs, and the features viewers can use.

Send a direct 9:16 feed

Use this when your source video is already portrait, or when you want to control the portrait composition yourself. Set the encoder output to a 9:16 frame and check that faces, captions, and other important details remain inside it.

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Send horizontal video and let YouTube create the vertical view

Live Control Room supports simultaneous 16:9 and 9:16 output. By default, YouTube makes the vertical version as a center crop of the horizontal image. Its layout canvas also offers center crop, fit-to-phone-width, and stacked layouts. Review the result before going live: a center crop may cut off subjects or text near the sides.

For a third-party encoder, YouTube documents using RTMP(S), a second stream key for the vertical feed, and assigning each output format to its corresponding key. Configure the vertical format before the encoder starts; YouTube says it cannot be added after the stream has begun. These current format and feature details are in YouTube’s guide to vertical live streams.

Check channel eligibility and configure YouTube

YouTube requires the channel to be verified and free of live-streaming restrictions in the preceding 90 days. Confirm eligibility in YouTube Studio before setting up a long-running broadcast.

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  1. Open Live Control Room. Create or schedule the live stream and select the third-party encoder option.
  2. Choose the output arrangement. Select the vertical output or simultaneous horizontal and vertical output appropriate to your plan. If YouTube is generating the portrait view, inspect the layout canvas and select the crop or layout that keeps the important content visible.
  3. Get the current ingestion details from YouTube. Use the server URL, application path, and stream key shown for the stream. For dual output, use the second key assigned to the vertical feed and match each encoder output to its own key.
  4. Keep keys private. Treat stream keys as credentials. Do not publish them in screenshots, logs, public scripts, or a code repository. Use YouTube Studio or the Live Streaming API for current values and rotate a key if it is exposed.
  5. Start the encoder only after configuration is complete. YouTube does not allow the vertical format to be added once the live stream has started.

YouTube’s Live Streaming API describes a liveStream resource with ingestion details, resolution, frame rate, and health status. Its documented ingestion types include RTMP (including RTMPS), HLS, and DASH; the actual endpoint and supported setup should come from your YouTube stream configuration. See the LiveStream resource reference.

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Prepare the VPS and FFmpeg workflow

The basic path is: a video file on the VPS, an encoder/muxer that reads and emits it as a live stream, and YouTube’s ingestion destination. FFmpeg can provide the encoding and muxing, but the exact command depends on the input’s codecs, desired output dimensions and frame rate, whether you are transcoding, and the ingestion details YouTube supplies.

Set up the portrait output

For a direct vertical feed, configure the output frame as 9:16 and decide whether the source should be scaled, cropped, padded, or left with unused space. Verify the composition in YouTube’s preview. A landscape source does not automatically become a good portrait video merely because it is placed in a 9:16 frame.

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For dual output, configure separate encoder outputs and use the matching stream key for each format. Do not send both formats to one key or assume the platform will infer which output is which.

Loop a prerecorded file

To repeat a local file, configure FFmpeg’s input or filter graph to replay that file, then map the desired video and audio streams to the live output. The loop behavior must be part of your encoder configuration; YouTube does not loop an uploaded file for you. Check the transition between the end and beginning of the file for black frames, audio gaps, or abrupt cuts.

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A looping input and a resilient live broadcast are separate problems. A loop can repeat while FFmpeg is running, but it does not by itself restart a crashed process, restore a dropped network connection, or ensure that YouTube resumes receiving at the right point. Those outcomes depend on your encoder options, service supervisor, network state, and recovery design. The official YouTube sources do not establish a universally valid FFmpeg command or guarantee that a particular VPS setup will run continuously.

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Use RTMPS where configured

YouTube’s technical guide defines RTMPS as RTMP carried through an SSL connection: “RTMPS is a regular RTMP (RealTime Messaging Protocol) video stream tunneled through an SSL connection.” The connection must use the correct rtmps protocol, YouTube ingestion endpoint and application path, port 443, and SNI hostname for authentication. A hostname or path mismatch can prevent connection even when the stream key is correct. Consult YouTube’s RTMPS guide and use the endpoint details supplied for your stream.

Plan for restart and recovery

  • Run the encoder under a process supervisor or equivalent service manager configured to detect and restart a failed process.
  • Monitor both the process and the stream’s health in YouTube Studio or through the Live Streaming API. A running process does not prove that YouTube is receiving usable video and audio.
  • Decide how to handle a network interruption, expired or changed stream key, unavailable source file, full disk, or VPS reboot. Test each recovery path rather than assuming a restart restores the broadcast correctly.
  • Keep logs useful for diagnosing connection and encoding errors, but prevent stream keys from being written to shared or public logs.
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Rehearse and check stream health

Before scheduling a long run, use YouTube Studio’s available practice path or a short test stream. Confirm the portrait framing, audio, and intended output in the encoder preview and YouTube’s preview. Check that the video is moving, audio is present, and the stream health indicator is clear before committing to a continuous run.

YouTube’s API health status can report issues including low video bitrate, a frame-rate mismatch, or no audio stream. If a warning appears, check the encoder’s actual output and the settings configured for the stream rather than guessing from the source file’s properties.

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Understand vertical-viewer trade-offs

YouTube’s feature comparison lists clickable links, pre- and mid-roll live ads, premieres, live redirect, and 4K broadcast as horizontal-feed features, rather than vertical-feed features. Memberships and gifted memberships are listed for both. YouTube describes one go-live notification, a shared stream URL, and the same chat for the horizontal and vertical versions. Metrics specific to the vertical stream become available 24 hours after the stream, according to the Help page.

YouTube also documents limits of 10 active streams per channel and three active streams per stream key. These are platform configuration limits, not guarantees about VPS capacity or stable operation.

Choose VPS capacity for your actual workload

There is no universal VPS size established by YouTube for this job. Requirements change depending on whether FFmpeg copies compatible streams or encodes/transcodes them, the source resolution and frame rate, output bitrate, number of simultaneous outputs, and how much network transfer your provider includes. Long-run reliability also depends on the network, process supervision, monitoring, and recovery design.

  • CPU and encoding: Check whether your workflow encodes or transcodes and whether the VPS has enough capacity for that workload. A second output can add work, especially if it requires another encode.
  • Outbound traffic: Estimate transfer from the combined output bitrate and total streaming time, then compare it with the provider’s allowance and overage terms. Include both feeds if you send horizontal and vertical outputs.
  • Network and location: Review the provider’s network limits and available regions in relation to your source files and YouTube ingestion route.
  • Operations and total cost: Include storage, transfer overages, backups if needed, monitoring, and the time required to maintain the server. Check current prices and service terms directly with the provider.

Do not choose a plan based only on a label such as “streaming VPS.” Match the resources and terms to your specific encode, bitrate, number of outputs, and recovery requirements, then rehearse under the same conditions you expect to use.

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Or let it run in the cloud

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