You can use an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Ubuntu virtual machine to run OBS and send a continuous stream to YouTube, but installing OBS is only one part of the setup. OBS needs a working Linux graphics session, the VM must sustain the chosen encode and outbound bitrate, and you must test how your session and process recover from failures. This guide targets Ubuntu 24.04, the release covered by the OBS Project download guidance described here; it does not prescribe a CPU architecture, OCI shape, region, or guaranteed 24/7 configuration.
What you need to decide before creating the VPS
OCI supplies the virtual machine and its network; OBS is the application that encodes and sends the stream. OBS lists OpenGL 3.3 and X Window System or Wayland among its Linux requirements. A minimal Ubuntu server image does not necessarily provide a usable graphical session, so a shell-only install should not be treated as ready to run OBS.
There is no universally established OCI shape or region for this workload. CPU use depends on the encoder, resolution, frame rate, and scene complexity, and passing OBS’s basic system requirements does not prove that a VM can sustain a stream. Choose an Ubuntu 24.04 platform image and an architecture for which the current OBS package and your intended encoder are available. Check the OBS Project’s current download instructions for your exact image before installing; the guidance described here lists its Ubuntu PPA for Ubuntu 24.04 and newer.
- Decide whether OBS will run in a desktop session, a virtual display arrangement, or another display setup you can test. No OCI-specific display recipe is established here.
- Choose the stream resolution, frame rate, codec, and scene complexity before sizing the VM; do not infer encoding capacity from vCPU count alone.
- Plan a way to administer the VM securely, maintain outbound access to YouTube’s ingest service, and observe failures without leaving an interactive shell open.
Create the OCI instance and restrict network access
- Launch an Ubuntu instance. In OCI, create a Compute instance from an Ubuntu 24.04 platform image and place its VNIC in the subnet appropriate to your access design. A public IP can support direct internet administration; a bastion or another private-access approach can avoid exposing SSH directly. Select the shape and region based on your own sustained-load validation rather than an assumed OBS benchmark.
- Permit only required administration. In the VCN rules, allow SSH from a trusted source range where possible. Oracle recommends network security groups over security lists for instance-level rules. Keep outbound connectivity available so OBS can reach YouTube’s ingest service.
- Do not open an inbound YouTube port for this workflow. OBS pushes the stream outbound. Open other inbound ports only when a separately justified service needs them.
- Be cautious with the guest firewall. OCI network rules and the Ubuntu host firewall are separate controls. Oracle’s Ubuntu platform-image guidance warns that UFW changes might prevent an instance from booting; follow Oracle’s Ubuntu-specific guidance if you need host firewall changes rather than applying a generic UFW recipe.
- Connect and update the instance. Use your chosen secure administration method and confirm that the VM can reach the internet. Keep a record of the image, architecture, shape, region, and network rules so you can reproduce the setup.
Install OBS on Ubuntu 24.04
Use the OBS Project’s current download and installation instructions for the exact Ubuntu image and architecture you launched. At the time reflected by the guidance used for this walkthrough, the OBS download page described its official Ubuntu PPA for Ubuntu 24.04 and newer and showed these commands:
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sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject/obs-studio
sudo apt update
sudo apt install obs-studioThese commands add the OBS Project PPA, refresh package metadata, and install OBS. The OBS Linux installation article dated 2021-08-26 also gives this command sequence and says Ubuntu 18.04 or newer, but that older statement should not be taken as proof of current support for every Ubuntu release. If the PPA is unavailable for your architecture or image, stop and follow the current OBS Project instructions rather than assuming another package source is equivalent.
Provide and validate a Linux display session
Installing the package does not create the graphics environment OBS needs. Before configuring a stream, establish a desktop session, virtual display, or other arrangement that provides OBS’s Linux display requirements. Then launch OBS in that exact arrangement and verify that it opens and can render the scenes and sources your broadcast needs.
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The available official requirements identify OpenGL 3.3 and X Window System or Wayland, but do not prescribe an OCI-specific virtual-display setup or an unattended startup recipe. Do not assume that a headless SSH shell alone is enough, or that a session which works interactively will survive logout, reboot, or process failure. Treat display setup and unattended session startup as implementation choices that must be validated on your VM.
Enable YouTube Live and connect OBS
- Enable live streaming on the channel in advance. YouTube says first-time activation can take up to 24 hours, so do this before the planned broadcast.
- Create or configure the broadcast in YouTube Live Control Room. Obtain the stream key from the live-stream setup. Handle it like a password: do not expose it in screenshots, command history, source code, or logs.
- Configure OBS’s streaming settings. Select YouTube and an RTMPS ingest option, then enter the stream key. YouTube recommends RTMPS, a secure extension of RTMP.
- Set the video and audio output to match your intended stream. Choose the codec, resolution, frame rate, and bitrate together; use the corresponding row in YouTube’s current encoder recommendations rather than treating one bitrate as universal.
- Start a private or unlisted test and check the preview. Confirm YouTube receives the stream in Live Control Room before making a broadcast public.
Choose output settings and check capacity
For standard SDR H.264, YouTube’s recommendation table gives the following video-bitrate examples. These are recommendations for the stated codec and output mode, not a promise that a given OCI VM can encode or deliver them continuously.
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| H.264 output | YouTube-recommended video bitrate |
|---|---|
| 720p at 30 fps | 3 Mbps |
| 720p at 60 fps | 3 Mbps |
| 1080p at 30 fps | 5 Mbps |
| 1080p at 60 fps | 6 Mbps |
For other codecs, frame rates, or output formats, select the matching row in YouTube’s encoder settings guidance. YouTube recommends constant bitrate (CBR) and a two-second keyframe interval, with an interval no longer than four seconds. It lists AAC or MP3 audio and recommends 128 Kbps for stereo audio.
The VM’s sustained outbound path needs to carry the configured video and audio bitrate plus headroom for protocol overhead and variability. That is a practical capacity consideration, not an OCI performance guarantee. Test from the selected instance and region under a realistic sustained workload. In OBS, watch for encoding or rendering lag; on YouTube, confirm the incoming stream remains stable. If you change the scene, encoder, resolution, or frame rate, validate again because the workload has changed.
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Test the unattended and recovery behavior
Do not call the setup 24/7-ready merely because one test stream started. OBS cautions that meeting basic requirements does not guarantee streaming or recording capability, and that CPU needs vary considerably with encoder, resolution, FPS, and scene complexity. There is no established shape-specific sustained-encoding benchmark or published end-to-end recipe here that guarantees uninterrupted operation.
Before relying on the VPS, document and test the exact arrangements you intend to use for:
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- Starting the display/session and OBS after a VM reboot.
- Restarting OBS if its process exits, and determining whether a restart restores the stream as intended.
- Handling a lost network connection or YouTube ingest disconnect.
- Protecting the stream key while making logs useful for diagnosis.
- Monitoring the process and stream, and alerting a person who can act when recovery fails.
Use a private or unlisted broadcast for these checks. Test the failures that matter to your operation instead of assuming a process supervisor, desktop session, or reconnect setting covers every case. Record what recovers automatically and what still requires intervention.
Troubleshoot common setup failures
- OBS installs but does not open or show a usable interface: the package installation is separate from the Linux graphics requirement. Check that the selected display/session arrangement is actually running and meets OBS’s OpenGL and X/Wayland requirements; do not rely on an SSH shell as the display.
- The package instructions fail on the chosen image: verify that you selected Ubuntu 24.04 and confirm current OBS Project instructions for the image architecture. The older Ubuntu 18.04+ article does not establish support for all present-day releases or architectures.
- OBS starts, but the stream does not reach YouTube: confirm live streaming is enabled, the stream key is current and entered correctly, YouTube is selected with RTMPS, and the VM has outbound connectivity. Check OCI VCN rules and the host firewall separately.
- YouTube receives the stream, but video or audio is unstable: verify the chosen codec/resolution/frame-rate row and recommended bitrate, CBR, keyframe interval, and audio settings. Check whether the encoder is lagging and whether the outbound path sustains the load; reduce the workload and test again if it does not.
- The stream stops after logout, reboot, or a disconnect: determine whether the failure is in OBS, the display session, the VM, or the network. Test the session startup and restart behavior directly, then document the recovery step that works; no single unattended recipe is established for all OCI configurations.
- The VM becomes inaccessible after a firewall change: Oracle warns that UFW changes on its Ubuntu platform images might prevent boot. Use Oracle’s Ubuntu-specific firewall guidance and avoid broad rule changes without a recovery path.
Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is to loop uploaded gameplay recordings or a playlist on YouTube rather than operate OBS on a VPS, StreamNeo is a cloud option: upload the video, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It plays uploaded videos; it is not a way to broadcast a live camera or a running OBS desktop. Nothing has to stay on at home, it streams uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps at one flat price per slot, and it can automatically recover if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. Start at StreamNeo’s free trial.
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