A cloud relay can forward your fireplace stream to YouTube while taking some of the delivery work off your local setup—but it cannot keep a stream alive if its source disappears. For a resilient 24/7 channel, configure a source encoder to send to a relay, select YouTube as a destination, and plan separately for source failure with a fallback clip or backup encoder. Test the full path and understand the relay’s duration and plan limits before relying on it.
How a cloud relay fits into a 24/7 fireplace stream
The stream path has three parts: your source, the relay, and the destination. A source encoder sends a live feed to an account-issued RTMP or SRT endpoint. The relay forwards that feed to the platform endpoint you select. Google Cloud documents remote output in push mode using RTMP or SRT, and Restream documents encoder ingest and destination setup.
A relay helps separate delivery from the computer or connection producing the feed. It does not create a fireplace feed, repair a missing input, or guarantee uninterrupted viewing. If the encoder stops sending, the relay needs a distinct recovery mechanism—such as a fallback video or another live source—to show viewers something while the primary feed is unavailable.
Choose the source and relay arrangement
Managed relay
A managed relay such as Restream provides encoder ingest and destination configuration. Its guides also describe disconnect protection and backup-stream features, with availability depending on the feature and plan. Check current plan eligibility, protocols, destination support, fallback duration, and continuous-stream limits before choosing it.
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Cloud distribution service
Google Cloud Live Stream API documents distributing output to remote RTMP or SRT endpoints in push mode. This is a cloud distribution option, not a turnkey assurance that a particular 24/7 YouTube workflow will run without interruption. You need to configure the endpoint and assess regional availability, billing, duration, destination compatibility, and who will operate the setup.
Self-managed VPS relay
A community project demonstrates one possible topology: OBS sends SRT to a VPS-hosted MediaMTX relay, which then provides downstream outputs. That example establishes a possible architecture, not a reliability guarantee, price, security assessment, hosting limit, or maintenance service. A self-managed relay means you are responsible for deployment, network access, process supervision, monitoring, and recovery.
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Configure the source-to-destination path
- Choose a source workflow. Decide whether a continuously running encoder will produce the live feed or whether a cloud service will provide it. The relay workflow documented by Google Cloud and Restream concerns live encoder or cloud output; it does not establish one best source architecture for every fireplace channel.
- Create the relay input and select the destination. In a managed relay, create an encoder stream and choose the destination platform in the service dashboard. In Google Cloud Live Stream API, configure the documented remote RTMP or SRT output endpoint. Follow the current provider setup for your account rather than copying example credentials.
- Enter the issued connection details in your encoder. Use the exact server URL and stream key, or SRT connection URL and stream ID, supplied for your relay input. Restream’s SRT instructions show OBS using a Custom service with the provided URL. Treat these values as credentials: do not publish them, reuse sample values, or expose them in a public scene or screen capture.
- Start the encoder and check the relay. Start sending from the source, then confirm the relay sees the incoming feed and that the destination receives it. A configured destination alone is not evidence that the live input is reaching viewers.
- Verify the viewer-facing result. Watch the destination output and test a controlled source disconnect and reconnect before treating the setup as ready. Check what viewers see during the interruption and whether the source reconnects within the configured recovery window.
Plan for disconnections: fallback video or backup stream
Fallback video
A fallback video is a holding clip shown when the live input disconnects. Restream’s disconnect-protection documentation offers fallback durations of 5, 15, or 30 minutes and says protection must be configured before going live. Those intervals and requirements describe Restream’s feature, not relays generally. If the source does not reconnect before the configured interval ends, Restream says the stream ends at destinations.
Backup stream
A backup stream is a second live input, normally supplied by a second encoder. It is different from a fallback clip: one is another live feed, the other is preselected holding video. Restream documents backup streams separately from disconnect protection, and feature access depends on plan. If using a main and backup feed, keep them closely matched so that switching is less jarring for viewers.
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What protection cannot do
- A relay cannot repair a broken source feed by itself.
- A fallback clip only covers its configured interval; it does not restore the original encoder.
- A second input helps only if it is available and the relay is configured to use it.
- Provider feature descriptions are not independent measurements of uptime or proof of seamless switching.
Is a cloud relay enough for continuous streaming?
No relay should be treated as a universal 24/7 guarantee. Restream says, “Restream doesn’t guarantee that a stream will be live for more than 24 hours, even with the backup feature,” and recommends restarting continuous streams every 24 hours. That is Restream-specific guidance, not a limit that can be generalized to all cloud relays. For longer-duration operation with Restream, its help documentation says to ask about a custom plan.
Build an operating routine around the service you actually choose: monitor relay and destination status, document how to restart and reconnect the source, and schedule restarts if the provider specifies duration constraints. No measured uptime figure is established for the options described here, so do not interpret a relay or backup feature as a promise of uninterrupted playback.
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Check protocol and firewall compatibility
Use the current network requirements for the chosen relay and encoder. Restream’s network guide lists RTMP/RTMPS on port 1935 and SRT encoder traffic on UDP port 2010. A blocked firewall or gateway setting can prevent the encoder from connecting, so verify that the relevant traffic is allowed on the source network and any server firewall. These port requirements are Restream-specific guidance, not universal settings for every provider.
Common problems and practical fixes
- The relay shows no incoming feed. Recheck the provider-issued URL, stream key or SRT stream ID, and encoder service selection. Confirm that firewall rules allow the required protocol and port for your provider.
- The relay receives the feed, but the destination is not live. Confirm that the intended destination is selected and enabled in the relay, then check the destination’s live status. Relay ingest and destination delivery are separate parts of the path.
- Viewers see an interruption when the source drops. Configure a fallback clip or a second live input before going live if the selected service and plan support it. Test a controlled disconnect and reconnect so you know what the destination displays.
- The stream ends after an extended run. Check the service’s documented duration guidance and restart procedure. Restream recommends a 24-hour restart for the continuous-stream case covered by its help article; do not assume the same limit applies to other relays.
- The backup transition looks noticeably different. Align the main and backup feeds as closely as possible, including the fireplace scene and its audio, to reduce the visible or audible change when switching.
Or let it run in the cloud
For a pre-recorded fireplace video that should loop on YouTube, StreamNeo is the cloud option to try first: upload the video, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It keeps the loop running without a computer or home connection staying on. Each slot streams the uploaded video as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot; there are no quality tiers or re-encoding. StreamNeo automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card, with a one-free-day limit per account. Monthly billing is $9.99 per month.
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