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To bring a Raspberry Pi FFmpeg stream back after a power outage, configure the Pi to boot normally and run FFmpeg as a foreground process in a systemd service enabled at startup. Set a restart policy for FFmpeg exits, then check the camera, network and receiving platform separately: an active service does not prove that a working stream is reaching its destination.
What needs to recover
There are two different recovery events. When power returns, the Pi must boot and start the service. After systemd is supervising FFmpeg, the service’s Restart= setting determines what happens if FFmpeg exits. Neither step by itself verifies that the camera input, network path or destination is healthy.
- Boot recovery: enable the service so systemd starts it during normal boot.
- Process recovery: choose a restart policy for FFmpeg exits and set a measured delay between attempts.
- Stream health: check that usable video is reaching the receiving platform. A running process can still be stuck or disconnected.
- Power continuity: a compatible UPS can bridge an interruption within its capacity, but does not replace boot startup or process supervision.
Configure FFmpeg as a systemd service
1. Create a unit with your actual paths and stream arguments
The following is an illustrative unit, not a universal FFmpeg command. Replace the account, working directory, input and output with values for your setup. Keep credentials private; do not place a live stream key in a publicly readable file or publish it in logs.
[Unit]
Description=FFmpeg live stream
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target
[Service]
Type=simple
User=streamer
WorkingDirectory=/home/streamer
ExecStart=/usr/bin/ffmpeg -nostdin -i INPUT -c copy -f flv OUTPUT
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.targetRun FFmpeg in the foreground as the service’s main process. Use absolute executable and file paths, and do not append & to send FFmpeg into the background. This lets systemd track the process it is expected to supervise. Make sure the chosen service account can access the camera or other input, files, credentials and network resources it needs.
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2. Select a restart policy
Restart=on-failure restarts after qualifying failures, including a non-zero exit, signal termination subject to systemd’s documented exceptions, a timeout or watchdog expiry. Restart=always also restarts after a clean exit. The systemd.service manual says that with always, a service restarts regardless of whether it exited cleanly, ended abnormally by a signal or hit a timeout: systemd.service manual.
Systemd does not restart a process stopped as the result of an explicit systemd operation, such as systemctl stop. Choose always only if a clean FFmpeg exit should trigger another attempt. RestartSec=10 in the example inserts a delay before a restart; adjust it to suit the failure and check that the installed systemd release supports the options and behavior you use.
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3. Enable the unit and check it
- Save the unit as
/etc/systemd/system/ffmpeg-stream.service. - Enable it for startup and start it now:
sudo systemctl enable --now ffmpeg-stream.service. - Check its state:
systemctl status ffmpeg-stream.service. - Read this boot’s unit messages:
journalctl -u ffmpeg-stream.service -b.
Use the service’s journal to find startup errors such as an invalid executable path, permissions problem, unavailable input or failed output connection. The correct FFmpeg arguments depend on the camera or other input protocol and the destination; the sample’s INPUT and OUTPUT are placeholders, not literal arguments to run.
Account for network and input failures
After=network-online.target orders the service after that target; it does not prove that DNS works, a camera is reachable or the remote destination is accepting a stream. If FFmpeg exits while an endpoint is unavailable, systemd can retry it according to the unit policy and delay. For failures that do not make FFmpeg exit, a suitable wrapper or stream-aware health check may be needed.
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FFmpeg supports RTSP input and output, and its protocol options can be supplied on the command line or through AVOptions; choose transport and other options for the particular camera or server rather than assuming one setting fixes every reconnect problem. See the FFmpeg Protocols Documentation.
Avoid adding a shell loop around FFmpeg without understanding how systemd tracks the main process and restart counter. A loop can help with a specific transient failure, but retries should have a visible, bounded or measured interval rather than running in a tight, unbounded cycle.
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Diagnose recovery after an outage
- Confirm the Pi booted. If it did not, investigate power, the board and boot path before debugging the FFmpeg unit.
- Check service state. Use
systemctl status ffmpeg-stream.serviceto see whether the unit is active, failed or repeatedly restarting. - Read current-boot logs. Use
journalctl -u ffmpeg-stream.service -bto look for path, permission, input, network or output errors. - Verify the source and destination. Confirm the input is available and the output settings and credentials are valid, then check the receiving platform for an incoming or healthy stream. A local active status is not an end-to-end broadcast check.
- Investigate a frozen stream separately. If FFmpeg remains active but video is frozen, a process-exit restart policy may not detect it. Add monitoring only if the input or destination offers a reliable signal for stalled media.
- Review the power path if outages recur. Raspberry Pi’s configuration documentation describes model-specific power indicators: on Pi 1 through 4, the red PWR LED indicates normal operation with stable 5 V supply and can be off or flickering under undervoltage. Pi 5 has power/reset reason fields. These are clues, not a complete diagnosis; consult the documentation for your exact board at Raspberry Pi configuration.
Which recovery layer addresses which failure?
| Layer | What it addresses | What it cannot prove |
|---|---|---|
| Boot-enabled systemd unit | Starts FFmpeg after a reboot | That the input or destination is usable |
Restart=on-failure or Restart=always |
Relaunches FFmpeg after qualifying process exits | That a hung but still-running process has healthy media |
| Stream-aware monitoring | Can detect a stalled or missing feed when its check is reliable | That the Pi can stay powered or boot |
| UPS | Can bridge power loss within its supported load and runtime | Recovery after battery depletion or a system crash |
When a UPS may help
A UPS or Raspberry Pi UPS HAT can bridge a short power interruption, but compatibility and runtime depend on the exact board, camera, peripherals, total load and hardware. Check those requirements and the desired ride-through duration before choosing one; no runtime can be assumed for a particular model. A UPS complements a boot-enabled service rather than replacing it.
Or let it run in the cloud
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