Yes. You can run an encoder on a Google Cloud Compute Engine VM in Mumbai or Delhi and send its output to YouTube using the server URL and stream key from YouTube Studio. If you use Google’s managed Live Stream API instead, Mumbai is listed as a supported India region, but Delhi is not. Either approach needs a recovery plan: a continuous YouTube broadcast is not guaranteed to remain one uninterrupted session, and an active Live Stream API channel may be restarted after 24 hours.
Choose between a VM encoder and the Live Stream API
For a 24/7 broadcast, the main decision is whether to operate the encoder yourself or use Google’s managed video service. A VM gives you direct control over the encoder and its restart behavior; the managed API handles parts of the video pipeline but has its own regional limits, billing model and 24-hour session consideration.
| Option | India region availability | What you operate | Important 24/7 consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute Engine VM with an encoder | Mumbai or Delhi | The VM, encoder configuration, source media, monitoring and recovery | You control looping and process supervision, but Google’s region listing does not guarantee VM uptime or prescribe a universally suitable machine size. |
| Google Cloud Live Stream API | Mumbai is listed for the API; Delhi is not in the checked API list | Input, channel, storage and remote distribution configuration, plus monitoring and restart recovery | An active channel may be restarted after 24 hours; plan and test recovery rather than assuming one continuous session. |
Use a VM when you want to manage the encoder yourself
Create a Compute Engine VM in Mumbai (asia-south1) or Delhi (asia-south2), then run an encoder such as FFmpeg or OBS, or another RTMP-capable implementation. This is the more direct route for looping a video or playlist and supervising the encoder process. You are responsible for keeping the media available, detecting encoder or connection failures, reviewing logs and restarting the process when needed.
There is no single VM size established as right for every stream. The resources needed depend on the codec, resolution and encoder workload. Choose a machine for your intended settings and measure it under representative conditions before relying on it continuously; do not assume that the fact a VM can connect means it can encode your chosen stream reliably.
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Use the Live Stream API when its managed workflow fits
Google’s Live Stream API accepts SRT or RTMP input, transcodes it to HLS or DASH and writes output files to Cloud Storage. Its workflow can also distribute a stream remotely over RTMP, which is the relevant route when sending the managed stream output to YouTube. It is not simply a VM encoder with a different name: you configure the API’s input, channel, storage and distribution resources.
Choose the API region carefully. Google recommends keeping the input endpoint, channel and storage bucket close together, and the location of created resources cannot be changed afterward. Mumbai is in the API’s supported-region list; Delhi’s presence as a Compute Engine region does not make it an API-supported location. Google’s quota documentation says an active channel may be restarted after 24 hours in a streaming state other than STOPPED or STOPPING. Monitor the channel and test what viewers see during restart and recovery.
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Set up a 24/7 stream from a Compute Engine VM
The steps below describe the self-managed VM approach. They assume you have a video or playlist to broadcast and a YouTube channel eligible to go live. The VM and encoder can send the stream, but you remain responsible for the source, stream health and recovery.
- Pick the architecture and region. For a VM encoder, select Mumbai or Delhi in Compute Engine. Consider where your audience and source media are, along with latency, cost and resilience. For the Live Stream API, choose a location supported by that API; the checked India listing includes Mumbai, not Delhi.
- Provision and prepare the encoder host. Create a VM appropriate to the encoding workload, make the source recording or playlist available to it, and install or configure an RTMP-capable encoder. Plan how the encoder will start again after a process failure or VM restart. Google’s region information does not specify a VM size for this task, so validate performance with your own video and chosen output settings.
- Create or schedule the YouTube broadcast. In YouTube Studio, open Create → Go Live, then create or schedule a stream. YouTube says first-time live-streaming activation may take up to 24 hours, so complete activation before the planned launch. In Live Control Room, copy the server URL and stream key for the broadcast. Treat the key like a password: anyone who obtains it may be able to send video to that stream.
- Configure the encoder for YouTube ingest. Enter the server URL and stream key in the encoder’s streaming destination. For YouTube RTMP or RTMPS, YouTube’s encoder guidance recommends H.264 video, constant bitrate (CBR) and a two-second keyframe interval; do not exceed four seconds. YouTube recommends RTMPS, an encrypted extension of RTMP.
- Set a bitrate your pipeline can sustain. YouTube’s H.264 guidance lists 5 Mbps minimum and 14 Mbps recommended at 1080p30; for 1080p60, it lists 6 Mbps minimum and 17 Mbps recommended. These are encoder settings, not a guarantee of the VM’s sustained outbound throughput. Make sure the source and VM can sustain the selected rate, with headroom, and test with representative motion and audio before launch.
- Start the encoder and verify the preview. Start sending from the VM, then check the preview and stream health in Live Control Room before going live. Confirm that video and audio are present and that YouTube reports a healthy incoming stream. Keep an eye on both the YouTube status and the encoder process once the broadcast is running.
- Keep it alive and recover deliberately. Supervise the encoder, source media and network connection. Decide how you will detect a stopped process or dropped ingest, restart the encoder and confirm that YouTube is receiving again. For the Live Stream API, explicitly monitor and recover around the possible 24-hour channel restart; do not design around an assumption of an uninterrupted session.
- Decide how you will handle recordings. YouTube says broadcasts under 12 hours are automatically archived. That does not establish that one 24-hour broadcast will produce a complete archive. If a complete replay matters, verify current behavior for your channel and consider dividing programming into shorter broadcasts.
Protect the channel and the content
A valid encoder configuration does not grant rights to the video or audio you broadcast. Use material you own or are authorized to stream, including music, background tracks and footage. A continuous loop is still a public broadcast of that material, and using a cloud VM or managed API does not change the rights involved. For a practical preflight, use the copyright safety checklist. Copyright compliance and eligibility for YouTube monetization are separate questions; do not treat a successful stream as proof that content meets monetization rules.
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Keep the YouTube stream key out of public logs, screenshots, source repositories and shared setup notes. If it is exposed, replace it in YouTube Studio and update the encoder with the new key.
What continuous operation costs
Compute Engine VM costs
Google lists VM-to-YouTube data transfer among specific Google-product transfers with no charge. That does not make the VM free: compute runtime, disk, source storage, logging, monitoring and other services can still incur charges. The exact cost depends on region and configuration, so check current Google Cloud pricing for the specific resources before deployment rather than extrapolating from the transfer charge.
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Live Stream API costs
The Live Stream API charges by the hour while a channel is active, meaning in any state other than STOPPED or STOPPING; an active channel can incur charges even when it has no input. Each remote distribution stream is an additional output, and distribution charges apply for the full active-channel period even when that distribution is not currently sending. A meaningful estimate therefore needs the resolution, codec, active time and output count, using current prices for the selected configuration.
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| Symptom | Likely check | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube receives no video | Server URL, stream key, encoder destination and whether the encoder is running | Compare the encoder destination with the values for the intended broadcast in Live Control Room; restart the encoder after correcting a mismatch. |
| Preview is unstable or stream health degrades | Whether the source, encoder and VM can sustain the configured bitrate | Check encoder and YouTube health indicators, then test at a sustainable bitrate and verify again under representative motion and audio. |
| Stream stops after an encoder or connection failure | Process supervision, source availability and restart behavior | Restore the source or connection, restart the encoder and confirm that the YouTube preview returns. Set up monitoring so a failure does not go unnoticed. |
| Managed API output stops or restarts | Channel state, active session duration and remote distribution configuration | Check the channel and distribution path, and implement recovery for the possible restart after 24 hours in an active streaming state. |
| Expected replay is incomplete | Whether the broadcast exceeded YouTube’s stated under-12-hour automatic-archive guidance | Do not assume a single 24-hour broadcast is fully archived; verify the channel’s current behavior or split the programming into shorter sessions. |
| Unexpected cloud bill | VM runtime, storage, monitoring and—for the API—active channel hours and distribution outputs | Review the resources and usage being billed. A no-charge transfer category does not waive compute or managed-service charges. |
Or let it run in the cloud
For a managed way to keep a YouTube stream running, StreamNeo is the first alternative to consider: it loops uploaded videos from the cloud, at any quality up to 4K 60fps for one flat price per slot, with the first day free. It is a different workflow from configuring a Google Cloud VM: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, then go live. StreamNeo streams to YouTube only and plays uploaded videos; it does not broadcast from a camera.
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- Nothing has to stay on at home: the stream runs from StreamNeo’s cloud, so your computer and home connection do not need to remain on.
- Your uploaded video streams as made, up to 4K 60fps, with no re-encode or quality tiers and one flat price per slot.
- If YouTube drops the stream, StreamNeo automatically recovers.
- The first day is free with no card required; there is one free day per account. UPI and cards are supported in India, and card checkout is available worldwide.
- A slot includes one always-on stream, 10 GB storage per slot pooled across active slots, looping and playlists, automatic recovery and StreamNeo team support. The same product is included on every plan; only the billing period changes.
Monthly billing is $9.99 per month. Other available billing periods are a day, a week, 6 months or a year; you can cancel any time. For five or more slots, contact support. See StreamNeo or use the upload-time calculator and cloud vs PC cost calculator to assess the workflow. Start your free day with StreamNeo.
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