NodeMediaServer Multi-Platform Relay

A simple, powerful RTMP relay server that simultaneously streams to multiple platforms (Twitch, YouTube, Rumble, Kick, and more) from a single input stream.

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Features

• ✅ Stream to multiple platforms simultaneously
• ✅ HLS output with copy codecs (no re-encoding, low CPU usage)
• ✅ Automatic reconnection on failures
• ✅ Watchdog monitoring for stalled connections
• ✅ Detailed logging per destination
• ✅ Easy platform enable/disable
• ✅ Graceful shutdown handling
• ✅ PM2 process management support

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• FFmpeg installed (sudo apt install ffmpeg on Ubuntu/Debian)
• PM2 for process management (optional but recommended)

Installation

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Install PM2 (optional)
npm install -g pm2

Configuration

Edit app.js and update the destinations array with your stream keys:

const destinations = [
  {
    name: 'Twitch',
    enabled: true,
    url: 'rtmp://live.twitch.tv/app/YOUR_TWITCH_STREAM_KEY'
  },
  {
    name: 'YouTube',
    enabled: true,
    url: 'rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/YOUR_YOUTUBE_STREAM_KEY'
  },
  // Add more as needed...
];

Configuration Options

Each destination supports these options:

• name - Display name for logging
• enabled - Set to false to disable a destination
• url - Full RTMP/RTMPS URL with stream key
• autoReconnect - Auto-reconnect on disconnect (optional)
• watchdog - Monitor for stalls and restart (optional, default: true)

Usage

Running with PM2 (Recommended)

# Start the server
pm2 start app.js --name nms

# Save configuration
pm2 save

# Setup auto-start on boot
pm2 startup

# View logs
pm2 logs nms

# Stop the server
pm2 stop nms

Running with Node

node app.js

Streaming to the Server

Point your streaming software (OBS, Streamlabs, etc.) to:

Server: rtmp://YOUR_SERVER_IP:1935/live
Stream Key: YOUR_STREAM_KEY (can be anything, e.g., "test123")

Example OBS settings:

• Service: Custom
• Server: rtmp://45.55.54.155:1935/live
• Stream Key: mystream

HLS Output

The server automatically generates HLS streams for each active stream. HLS uses copy codecs (no re-encoding), keeping CPU usage very low.

How it works:

• HLS stream keys work exactly like RTMP - you use any stream key you want
• The HLS path is automatically derived from your RTMP stream path
• When you stream to rtmp://server:1935/live/YOUR_KEY, HLS is created at http://server:8001/hls/live__YOUR_KEY/index.m3u8

HLS URL Format:

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8001/hls/[STREAM_PATH]/index.m3u8

(Stream path has / replaced with __)

Examples:

When streaming with OBS settings:

• Server: rtmp://server:1935/live
• Stream Key: mystream

The full RTMP path is /live/mystream, which becomes HLS path live__mystream:

OBS Settings	Full RTMP Path	HLS URL
Server: rtmp://server:1935/live Key: mystream	/live/mystream	http://server:8001/hls/live__mystream/index.m3u8
Server: rtmp://server:1935/live Key: test123	/live/test123	http://server:8001/hls/live__test123/index.m3u8
Server: rtmp://server:1935/app Key: streamkey	/app/streamkey	http://server:8001/hls/app__streamkey/index.m3u8

Note: The format is [APP_NAME]__[STREAM_KEY] where __ replaces the / in the full RTMP path.

Important: HLS uses copy codecs, so your input stream must be:

• Video: H.264 codec (most RTMP streams from OBS are H.264)
• Audio: AAC codec (most RTMP streams from OBS are AAC)

If your stream uses different codecs, the copy mode will fail. For typical OBS/Streamlabs streams, this works perfectly!

HLS Configuration: You can customize HLS settings in app.js:

• HLS_ENABLED: Enable/disable HLS output (default: true)
• HLS_HTTP_PORT: HTTP port for serving HLS files (default: 8001)
• HLS_SEGMENT_TIME: Segment duration in seconds (default: 2)
• HLS_PLAYLIST_SIZE: Number of segments in playlist (default: 6)

Firewall: Make sure port 8001 (or your configured HLS port) is open:

ufw allow 8001/tcp

Testing HLS: You can test the HLS stream using VLC or any HLS-compatible player:

• VLC: Media → Open Network Stream → Enter the HLS URL
• Or use in an HTML5 video player:

<video src="http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8001/hls/live__mystream/index.m3u8" controls></video>

Logs

All FFmpeg logs are saved to the logs/ directory:

• logs/live__STREAMKEY--PlatformName.err.log - FFmpeg error output
• logs/live__STREAMKEY--PlatformName.out.log - FFmpeg standard output

View logs in real-time:

tail -f logs/*.err.log

Adding New Platforms

To add a new streaming platform:

1. Find their RTMP ingest URL and get your stream key
2. Add to the destinations array:

{
  name: 'Facebook',
  enabled: true,
  url: 'rtmps://live-api-s.facebook.com:443/rtmp/YOUR_FB_KEY'
}

Common platforms:

• Twitch: rtmp://live.twitch.tv/app/STREAM_KEY
• YouTube: rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/STREAM_KEY
• Facebook: rtmps://live-api-s.facebook.com:443/rtmp/STREAM_KEY
• Kick: rtmps://fa723fc1b171.global-contribute.live-video.net/live/STREAM_KEY
• Rumble: rtmp://rtmp.rumble.com/live/STREAM_KEY

Troubleshooting

Stream not starting

• Check FFmpeg is installed: ffmpeg -version
• Verify stream keys are correct
• Check logs: pm2 logs nms or tail -f logs/*.err.log

Platform disconnecting

• Check the platform's logs for specific errors
• Verify your stream key hasn't expired
• Some platforms have bitrate/resolution limits

Poor performance

• Ensure your server has sufficient CPU and bandwidth
• Check network connectivity to each platform
• Disable problematic platforms by setting enabled: false

Performance Notes

• CPU Usage: Uses very little CPU since streams are copied, not re-encoded
  • RTMP relays: Copy codecs (near-zero CPU)
  • HLS generation: Copy codecs (near-zero CPU, just remuxing/segmenting)
• Bandwidth: Upload bandwidth = (your bitrate) × (number of enabled platforms)
• Latency: Adds minimal latency (~1-2 seconds) to enable multi-platform distribution
• HLS Latency: ~2-12 seconds (depending on segment time and playlist size)

Known Issues

• Some platforms may have infrastructure issues causing extremely slow processing
• If a platform consistently fails, disable it with enabled: false

Credits

Built with Node-Media-Server by illuspas.

License

MIT License - Feel free to use and modify for your needs.