Custom RTMP is an encoder setting that sends your live audio and video to an ingest address you enter yourself, rather than to a destination selected from a built-in service list. Usually, you enter two values supplied by the streaming platform: a server URL and a stream key. The platform receives the feed at that endpoint, checks its authorization, and prepares it for viewers.
It is a connection method, not a guarantee that every platform accepts the same URL format, protocol, or encoder settings. Always use the current address and key shown by the destination service.
What “custom RTMP” means
An encoder captures and combines sources—such as a camera, gameplay, a display, or a capture card—encodes them as audio and video, then sends the result over the internet to an ingest server. Twitch describes ingest as the stream’s first stop: the system receives it, authorizes and registers it, and prepares it for viewers (Twitch’s video broadcast documentation).
“Custom” refers to how you configure the encoder. Instead of choosing only a built-in service preset, you supply the destination’s server address and the required authorization value. OBS calls this option “Custom Streaming Server”; its overview guide describes entering a URL and stream key.
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RTMP stands for Real-Time Messaging Protocol. RTMPS is RTMP carried over TLS/SSL, which encrypts the connection in transit. YouTube recommends RTMPS for YouTube Live (YouTube Help).
What the server URL and stream key do
- Server URL: identifies the ingest endpoint that should receive the encoder’s output.
- Stream key: identifies or authorizes the broadcast at that destination. Treat it as a credential, not a public viewing link.
The destination may provide separate fields or one combined address. Twitch documents a general format of rtmp://<ingest-server>/app/<stream-key>; this is Twitch’s documented pattern, not a universal template. YouTube’s API exposes ingestion URLs and stream names, and an encoder may handle the stream URL and name separately or together (YouTube LiveStreams API).
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Do not copy a key from an old setup or assume an address from one service will work on another. Create or select the broadcast in the destination’s dashboard, then copy its current connection details. Twitch warns that sharing a stream key can compromise the channel; if it is exposed, replace or reset it using the platform’s key controls (Twitch Stream Key FAQ).
Set up a custom RTMP destination in OBS
- Get the destination details. In the service’s dashboard, create or select the live broadcast and retrieve its current server URL and stream key. For YouTube, Live Control Room provides the Stream URL and key; Twitch assigns keys through its broadcaster tools. Use the labels and format the destination actually supplies.
- Open the stream settings. In OBS, go to Settings → Stream, choose Custom Streaming Server, and enter the destination URL and stream key in the corresponding fields.
- Choose the correct transport. If the destination offers RTMPS and OBS or your encoder supports it, use the RTMPS address. In YouTube Live Control Room, the lock icon reveals the RTMPS variant; the default display may show ordinary RTMP instead. YouTube’s guidance is at Encrypt your stream using RTMPS.
- Configure output to match the destination. Set resolution, frame rate, video codec, keyframe interval, and bitrate according to that platform’s current requirements and the upload capacity of your connection. Do not treat one service’s settings as universal.
- Start and verify before announcing. Start streaming from OBS, then check the destination dashboard for incoming video and audio and a usable stream status. Indicators and processing delays vary by platform. Confirm the picture and sound before publishing or promoting the broadcast.
Never include a stream key in a screenshot, public documentation, or an untrusted service. A key grants access to the broadcast workflow; it is not intended for viewers.
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When to use RTMPS instead of RTMP
RTMPS encrypts the RTMP connection using TLS/SSL. For YouTube, use the RTMPS address supplied in Live Control Room rather than assuming an RTMP address can simply be relabeled. Google’s RTMPS ingestion guide, last updated 2026-09-14, specifies port 443 and hostname information for TLS authentication (Google for Developers).
If an encoder or device does not support RTMPS, check the encoder’s documentation and the platform’s currently supported ingestion options. Do not silently substitute a different protocol or port: the endpoint and transport have to match.
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Match encoder settings to the platform and connection
There is no single bitrate or codec configuration that works for every custom destination. Check the destination’s current guidance and compare these settings before going live:
- Protocol and security: Confirm whether the endpoint accepts RTMP, RTMPS, or another method, and whether encryption is required or recommended.
- Address format: Determine whether the encoder expects separate server and key fields or a combined address. Follow the destination’s exact format.
- Video compatibility: Check supported codecs, resolutions, frame rates, and keyframe interval. YouTube’s published guidance lists RTMP/RTMPS and H.264, H.265 (HEVC), and AV1, supports up to 60 fps, recommends a two-second keyframe interval, and says not to exceed four seconds. Those are YouTube specifications, not general RTMP rules (YouTube encoder settings).
- Bitrate and upload capacity: Set bitrate within both the destination’s limits and what your internet connection can sustain. OBS notes that bitrate depends on available upload speed and service limits (OBS Studio Overview Guide).
- Redundancy: Check whether the platform provides a backup ingest address. YouTube’s LiveStreams API includes primary and backup ingestion addresses, but availability and setup depend on the platform and workflow (YouTube LiveStreams API).
Troubleshoot custom RTMP connection problems
“The RTMP server sent an invalid SSL certificate”
- For YouTube RTMPS, verify that the URL begins with
rtmps, notrtmp, and that you copied the RTMPS hostname and port 443. - Confirm the encoder supports RTMPS and is actually making a TLS connection.
- If you maintain a custom encoder implementation, check that TLS SNI uses the destination hostname. Incorrect protocol, port, server name, or SSL setup can cause certificate errors (Google’s RTMPS guide).
“Failed to connect” or “connection timed out”
- Check for a truncated or mistyped URL and confirm it belongs to the selected broadcast.
- For YouTube RTMPS, verify the encoder is using TLS rather than cleartext RTMP, the endpoint uses port 443, and the encoder supports RTMPS.
- Retrieve the address and key again from the destination dashboard if you are unsure they match.
The encoder connects, but the platform shows no usable live stream
- Confirm that the key belongs to the selected broadcast and is paired with the right endpoint. A successful connection alone does not prove the destination has registered a usable video feed.
- Check that the video and audio formats meet the platform’s requirements, then review the destination’s stream status.
- Remember that the key authorizes the incoming broadcast; it is not the public URL viewers use.
Dropped frames or unstable output
- Compare the configured bitrate with sustained upload capacity and reduce bitrate, resolution, or frame rate if the connection cannot carry the selected output reliably.
- Check encoding load and source capture separately. Dropped frames do not by themselves prove an RTMP protocol problem; network capacity, encoder performance, and source capture are different parts of the chain.
Do you need a capture card?
Only if your source needs one. A USB HDMI capture card can bring an HDMI camera or console into the computer running OBS; OBS supports capture cards as scene sources. It is an optional way to acquire video, not a requirement for custom RTMP. The RTMP setup itself consists of the encoder configuration and destination connection details. No particular capture-card model is specified here.
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