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System Requirements - RTMP Server

Below is a rough guideline for server hardware requirements for your RTMP server

For 10 Concurrent Streams

  • CPU:
    • 2 cores (modern dual‑core at ~2.5+ GHz should be sufficient)

  • RAM:
    • 4 GB minimum (8 GB recommended for extra buffering and system overhead)

  • Network:
    • 1 Gbps NIC

    • Estimated Bandwidth: ~40 Mbps total (10 streams × 4 Mbps)
    • Plenty of headroom is available with a 1 Gbps link

For 100 Concurrent Streams

  • CPU:
    • 4–8 cores

    • For ingest only, a quad‑core 3.0+ GHz processor may suffice
    • If any processing (e.g., repackaging) is added, lean toward 8 cores

  • RAM:
    • 8 GB minimum (16 GB recommended to comfortably handle buffering, connection management, and OS overhead)

  • Network:
    • 1 Gbps NIC might be borderline if streams are high quality

    • Estimated Bandwidth: ~400 Mbps total (100 streams × 4 Mbps)
    • For extra reliability and headroom, consider a 10 Gbps NIC or NIC bonding

For 1,000 Concurrent Streams

  • CPU:
    • 8–16 cores

    • For pure ingest, 8 cores might work if optimized
    • If you perform any transcoding or heavy processing, 16+ cores are recommended

  • RAM:
    • 16 GB minimum (32 GB recommended to accommodate higher buffering, connection management, and any additional processing tasks)

  • Network:
    • 10 Gbps NIC (or aggregated/multiple NICs)

    • Estimated Bandwidth: ~4 Gbps total (1,000 streams × 4 Mbps)
    • A 10 Gbps connection provides the necessary headroom and stability

Key Considerations

  • Processing Load:
    The above recommendations assume minimal CPU load per stream (i.e. simple ingress). 

  • Network Overhead:
    Real‑world conditions (protocol overhead, burstiness, etc.) might push bandwidth requirements higher. It’s wise to over‑dimension network capacity relative to the calculated total.

  • Scalability:
    In production, consider load balancing across multiple servers if you expect to consistently approach these limits, and ensure monitoring to adjust resources as needed.

These guidelines provide a starting point to help you size your hardware. Actual requirements can vary significantly depending on your exact situation.

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