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Use MediaMTX as a relay: FFmpeg publishes a video to a MediaMTX path, and MediaMTX forwards that path to YouTube over RTMPS. You need a YouTube stream URL and key, a source with both audio and video, and an encoder configuration that fits YouTube’s current guidance and your upload connection. The official examples document these building blocks, but do not provide a tested, complete Windows installation walkthrough; verify Windows-specific paths, firewall rules, and executable syntax for your installation.
How the MediaMTX and FFmpeg relay works
In this setup, FFmpeg is the publisher and MediaMTX is the relay. FFmpeg sends a stream to a named MediaMTX path on your Windows computer. MediaMTX then forwards that path to YouTube using the stream’s RTMPS destination and key. For a video file, FFmpeg can publish in real time and loop the file:
ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i file.mp4 -c copy -f flv rtmp://localhost:1935/mystream
This is MediaMTX’s documented local publishing example, not a complete Windows installation recipe. It assumes MediaMTX is already running, accepts RTMP on the local machine, and the input file is named file.mp4 in the working directory. The -re option reads the file at its natural rate, -stream_loop -1 repeats it indefinitely, and -c copy passes through the existing audio and video streams without re-encoding.
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Where to get your YouTube stream key
- Open YouTube Live Control Room and create or schedule the live stream.
- Copy the stream URL and stream key shown for that stream. Stream URLs and keys are specific to the stream, so check the values in Live Control Room when you publish.
- If you want encrypted transport, reveal and copy the RTMPS URL. The ordinary RTMP URL may be shown by default. YouTube recommends RTMPS because it encrypts stream data to and within Google’s servers.
- Keep the key private. If it is exposed or you suspect someone else has it, reset or replace it in Live Control Room, then update the MediaMTX destination to match.
MediaMTX’s forwarding example combines the destination and key in a dest entry separated by #. Its documentation notes that the sample YouTube endpoint reflects the endpoint reported when that page was last updated. Treat the RTMPS URL currently shown in your own Live Control Room as authoritative rather than copying an old example endpoint.
Configure MediaMTX to forward the path to YouTube
In MediaMTX, configure the path you intend FFmpeg to publish to with a forwarding destination made from the current YouTube RTMPS URL and that stream’s key. The documented example uses a path-level forward destination. Consult the current MediaMTX documentation for the configuration syntax corresponding to your installed version; configuration options and sample endpoints can change.
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Start MediaMTX, then run the FFmpeg publishing command so it sends to the same path named in the configuration. A mismatch between the publish path and forwarded path prevents the expected relay. MediaMTX documents hot reload where possible and a configuration validation option, ./mediamtx --validate-conf=/path/to/mediamtx.yml. That example uses general path syntax: on Windows, confirm the executable name and file-path syntax supplied with your build before using it verbatim.
Prepare the stream for YouTube
Include audio as well as video
YouTube requires both a video track and an audio track; MediaMTX documentation says video-only streams are silently rejected. Check that the file or encoder output actually contains both tracks before troubleshooting the relay. A silent audio track can still satisfy the presence requirement, but if viewers should hear sound, verify that the track has usable audio.
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Choose codec, bitrate, and frame timing
YouTube’s live encoder guidance, accessed in 2026, lists RTMP/RTMPS transport, H.264, H.265, or AV1 video, AAC or MP3 audio, and frame rates up to 60 fps. It recommends constant bitrate (CBR) and a two-second keyframe interval; the interval should not exceed four seconds. Match resolution, frame rate, and bitrate to both the current YouTube recommendations and the sustained upload capacity available to the streaming computer.
As one concrete point in YouTube’s current bitrate table, H.264 at 1080p and 30 fps has a 5 Mbps minimum and a 14 Mbps recommended bitrate. That is a YouTube-published encoder setting, not a guarantee that a particular connection can sustain it. Check the current YouTube live encoder settings for the table and settings applicable to your chosen format.
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If you use -c copy, FFmpeg does not convert the file to a different codec, bitrate, frame rate, or keyframe interval. Inspect the file’s existing streams and encoding first. If they do not meet your intended output settings, configure an encoder to produce compliant audio and video rather than assuming stream copy will correct them.
Why is YouTube not receiving my stream?
- Check the source tracks: confirm the outgoing stream includes both audio and video. A video-only feed can be silently rejected.
- Check the key and destination: compare the MediaMTX destination with the current URL and key in Live Control Room. Correct a stale endpoint, typo, or key mismatch.
- Check the path: the path FFmpeg publishes to must be the path MediaMTX forwards to YouTube.
- Check RTMPS and SSL errors: use the RTMPS URL supplied for the stream. If YouTube reports an SSL error, verify the URL and, if needed, use the port 443 option described by YouTube’s guidance while following the URL and port supplied for your stream.
- Check the encoder output: confirm codec, bitrate, CBR behavior, keyframe interval, and frame rate are suitable for the settings YouTube currently lists.
- Check upload capacity and stream health: run an upload speed test and observe YouTube’s stream health while sending representative content. A speed test alone does not prove the connection will remain stable under sustained streaming load.
- Check MediaMTX configuration: validate the configuration with the syntax supported by your Windows build and inspect MediaMTX and FFmpeg output for connection or path errors.
For protocol details and the port 443 SSL-error note, see YouTube’s encoder settings and RTMPS guidance.
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Windows setup limits to account for
The documented FFmpeg and MediaMTX examples establish how publishing and forwarding fit together, but do not settle Windows installation steps, firewall configuration, or a universally copy-pasteable Windows command. Those details depend on the downloaded build, executable location, configuration-file location, and network setup. Confirm that MediaMTX is listening on the local RTMP address used by FFmpeg, that Windows Firewall permits the required local and outbound traffic, and that your FFmpeg command points to the actual file path. No end-to-end Windows test is claimed here.
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