What Is RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol)?
The standard protocol used to send live video from your encoder to streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Kick.
RTMP is the protocol that carries your live stream from OBS to the streaming platform's ingest servers. When you enter a 'Stream URL' and 'Stream Key' in OBS, you're configuring an RTMP connection. While RTMP is aging technology (developed by Adobe for Flash), it remains the standard for stream ingest because of its low latency and universal support. Some platforms also support SRT and WHIP as alternatives.
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Related Terms
SRT (Secure Reliable Transport)
A modern streaming protocol that handles packet loss and network instability better than RTMP. Used for remote production.
Encoding
The process of compressing raw video data into a smaller format using a codec like H.264, HEVC, or AV1.
Latency (Stream Delay)
The time delay between something happening on your screen and viewers seeing it. Typically 2-15 seconds for live streams.