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Guide · Open source

How to use Owncast: self-host your live stream with OBS

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

Owncast is a free, open source server that runs your own live video streams with built-in chat, so you are not limited to a mainstream streaming platform. This guide explains what it does, how to connect your broadcasting software, how to run it from source and where it fits compared with other tools. By the end you will know what you need, how the pieces connect and whether Owncast suits your setup.

Owncastowncast/owncast · ★ 11.6k · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Check prerequisites. Confirm you have Go 1.24 or above, ffmpeg and a C compiler. On Windows, use WSL2 because native Windows servers are not supported.
  2. 2Get Owncast. Clone the repository with git clone https://github.com/owncast/owncast, or follow the quickstart on the project website.
  3. 3Start the backend. Run go run main.go from the source directory.
  4. 4Open the web interface. Visit http://yourserver:8080 to view the site and http://yourserver:8080/admin for the admin.
  5. 5Connect your broadcaster. Point OBS or other RTMP-based software at your Owncast server.
  6. 6Start streaming. Begin your broadcast and check that viewers can watch and chat on your page.

What Owncast is and who it suits

Owncast is a self-hosted, single user live video streaming and chat server. The project says it offers ownership over your content, interface, moderation and audience. Viewers watch through a web page that Owncast hosts, and the README says the goal is a single service you can run that works out of the box.

It is a good fit if you already use OBS or similar RTMP-based software, if you want control over moderation and appearance, or if you are a hobbyist who wants one service. It is not a fit if you want a hosted service with no server to run, or if you need multi-user or multi-channel features.

  • Best for: streamers who want control over content, interface and moderation
  • Best for: people who already use OBS or similar RTMP-based software
  • Not for: anyone who wants a hosted service with no server to run
  • Not for: multi-user or multi-channel platforms, since the README describes Owncast as single user

Check your requirements before you install

You need a server you can run yourself. The README says Owncast does not natively support Windows servers and recommends Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) instead. The project's Windows guide is in contrib/owncast_for_windows.md in the repository.

If you build from source, the README lists these prerequisites: a C compiler such as GCC or a Musl-compatible compiler, ffmpeg, and Go 1.24 or above. Node.js and npm are needed for the frontend. The quickstart on the project website covers the simplest route to a running server.

  • C compiler (GCC or a Musl-compatible compiler) for building from source
  • ffmpeg
  • Go 1.24 or above for building from source
  • Node.js and npm for the frontend
  • WSL2 if you are on Windows

Connect your broadcasting software

Owncast works with any software that uses RTMP to send video to a remote server. The README notes that RTMP is what major live streaming services use, so you can often point your existing software at your Owncast instance. OBS, Streamlabs and Restream are named as software used with Owncast.

Once your server is running, open the web interface or the admin page in a browser. The source gives these addresses for a local server on port 8080. Then set your broadcasting software to send to your server and start streaming. The project's broadcasting documentation covers the exact settings.

  • Web interface: http://yourserver:8080
  • Admin: http://yourserver:8080/admin
  • Point your broadcasting software at your server and start streaming
http://yourserver:8080 http://yourserver:8080/admin

Run Owncast from source

Owncast has two parts: a backend written in Go and a frontend written in React. The frontend lives in the web directory. The README's commands are below. The develop branch is the latest development state, so check out a release tag if you want a stable version. The README gives v0.0.13 as an example tag name.

Run the backend with go run main.go. For the frontend, install dependencies with npm install and start the dev server with npm run dev.

  • Clone the repository from GitHub
  • Run the backend from the repository root
  • Install frontend dependencies in the web directory
  • Start the frontend dev server
git clone https://github.com/owncast/owncast go run main.go npm install npm run dev

What people use it for

  • Running a personal live stream with your own branding and chat
  • Hosting a community stream where you control moderation
  • Testing a self-hosted streaming setup with OBS on your own machine
  • Reading or modifying a Go backend and React frontend as a developer

Frequently asked questions

Is Owncast free?

Owncast is distributed under the MIT License, as stated in the README. The project is open source, and you run the server yourself.

What do I need to install Owncast?

The README lists Go 1.24 or above, ffmpeg, and a C compiler such as GCC or a Musl-compatible compiler for building from source. Node.js and npm are needed for the frontend. You also need a server you can run.

Can I run Owncast on Windows?

The README says Owncast does not natively support Windows servers. It recommends Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2), and the project has a Windows guide in contrib/owncast_for_windows.md.

Which broadcasting software works with Owncast?

Owncast works with software that uses RTMP. The README names OBS, Streamlabs and Restream as tools that have been used with it.

How is Owncast different from a hosted platform?

Owncast is self-hosted, so you run the server and keep ownership over content, interface, moderation and audience. Hosted platforms do the hosting for you but control more of the experience.

What are alternatives to Owncast?

The project lists Jellyfin, Peertube, Restream and Nginx-RTMP as comparable projects. These cover different needs, so choose based on whether you need live chat, video-on-demand or a relay.

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Our verdict

Owncast suits streamers and hobbyists who want their own single-user live stream server with chat, and who already use RTMP software like OBS. It is less suitable if you want no server to manage, if you need multi-user features, or if you are on native Windows without WSL2.

Install options & downloads