Node-Media-Server

Lightweight Node.js live server: RTMP ingest with HTTP-FLV, HLS and DASH.

Open sourceSLA: oss-best-effortv4.2.8Image
PLACEHOLDER screenshot: Node-Media-Server JSON API - pending marketing assets
PLACEHOLDER screenshot: Node-Media-Server JSON API - pending marketing assets

Node-Media-Server is a lightweight, open-source live media server written in Node.js by Chen Mingliang (illuspas). It ingests live video over RTMP and delivers it to web and mobile players over HTTP-FLV, HLS and MPEG-DASH from a single small process, with a built-in JSON API for stream and session management.

Key features

  • RTMP publish and play on port 1935 (point OBS or any RTMP broadcaster at rtmp://<ip>:1935/live/<stream>)
  • Multi-protocol HTTP delivery on port 8000: HTTP-FLV, HLS and MPEG-DASH for every published stream
  • Low-latency HTTP-FLV and WebSocket-FLV playback for live and interactive use
  • JSON API (JWT-authenticated) on the HTTP port for stream, session and statistics management, with an unauthenticated health endpoint
  • Lightweight and dependency-light: a single Node.js process, no heavy runtime stack to manage

Use cases

  • Simple, self-hosted live streaming to web and mobile players close to your audience
  • RTMP ingest with instant HTTP-FLV / HLS / DASH republishing at the edge
  • Low-latency HTTP-FLV delivery for interactive and second-screen experiences
  • A small, easy-to-operate origin per PoP for live channels

Why run it on the NetActuate edge Deploy Node-Media-Server into NetActuate PoPs near your viewers to keep delivery paths short. A management admin account is generated for you at deploy time and RTMP ingest (1935) plus HTTP delivery (8000) are enabled the moment it boots.

Upstream project: Node-Media-Server by Chen Mingliang (illuspas), https://github.com/illuspas/Node-Media-Server (Apache-2.0). This appliance packages the unmodified official public illuspas/node-media-server 4.2.8 Docker image on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Node-Media-Server is a project of its upstream authors; NetActuate packages and distributes it under the Apache-2.0 license and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the upstream project.

Frequently asked questions

How do I deploy Node-Media-Server on NetActuate?

Use the Deploy on NetActuate button to talk to our team. We provision Node-Media-Server on a NetActuate virtual machine in the point of presence you choose, close to your audience. Each deployment runs in the single location you select.

What does it cost to run Node-Media-Server?

Node-Media-Server is open-source software and free to run on the marketplace - you pay only for the NetActuate compute (virtual-machine size and location) it runs on, at standard rates. There are no usage-based software fees.

Where can Node-Media-Server run?

Node-Media-Server can be deployed in any of NetActuate's 50+ points of presence across every continent, so you can place ingest, transcode, delivery and caching close to your contributors and viewers.

Who supports Node-Media-Server?

NetActuate operates and supports the underlying infrastructure - the virtual machine, network and edge platform. The application itself is supported by its upstream open-source project.

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