You can stream to YouTube Live with RTMPS, a secure extension to the popular RTMP streaming video protocol. It is RTMP over a Transport Layer Security (TLS/SSL) connection and provides encryption.
Get started
Make sure your encoder supports RTMPS and that you know the basics of live streaming on YouTube. Learn how to create a live stream with an encoder.
1. Check for a YouTube RTMPS preset
Update your encoder to the newest version and check for a built-in setting for YouTube RTMPS.
- If you see a YouTube RTMPS preset, select it. You may need to enter your stream key from the Live Control Room too. You’re now ready to stream.
- If your encoder doesn't have a YouTube RTMPS preset, go to “Set the server URL.”
2. Set the server URL
You can get the RTMPS URL from the Live Control Room. Note that it will still show you the ordinary RTMP URL by default, so make sure you get the RTMPS URL instead.
- Open YouTube Live Control Room.
- Click the Stream tab or schedule a new stream.
- Under “Stream settings,” in the "Stream URL" field, click the lock icon to show the RTMPS URL.
- Copy the Stream URL.
- Paste the URL into your encoder.
- Copy your YouTube stream key from the Live Control Room and paste it into your encoder.
Troubleshooting
SSL errors
If you see an error like "the RTMP server sent an invalid SSL certificate," try the following:
1. Make sure the server URL is correct
rtmps, not just rtmp.2. Specify the port number
If the URL looks correct but you still get an SSL error, try specifying the port 443 in the URL. Here’s an example, but you’ll need to update it to match the Stream URL you get from Live Control Room:
rtmps://exampleYouTubeServer.com:443/stream
Or, if your encoder lets you specify the port number in the configuration options, use 443 there.
Connection timed out
If you see an error like "failed to connect to server — connection timed out," then try the following:
1. Make sure the server URL is correct
Follow the steps in “Set the server URL” to make sure the server URL is correct.
Both the protocol and the server should be rtmps, not just rtmp.