14 Free Open-Source RTSP Media Servers in 2024
Streaming media has become an integral part of our digital infrastructure, powering everything from security cameras to virtual events. At the heart of many streaming solutions lies RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) media servers, and today, we're diving deep into the world of open-source options that won't break the bank.
What's the Big Deal About RTSP Media Servers?
Before we jump into our carefully curated list of open-source solutions, let's break down what makes RTSP servers special. Think of an RTSP server as your personal broadcast control center – it's the technology that lets you stream live video and audio with minimal delay.
Whether you're setting up a home security system or broadcasting a live event, RTSP servers handle all the heavy lifting of media transmission.
Why Go Open Source?
After years of working with various streaming solutions, we've found that open-source RTSP servers offer compelling advantages:
- Zero License Fees: Keep your budget for other critical aspects of your project
- Ultimate Flexibility: Modify the code to create your perfect streaming setup
- Security Through Transparency: Sleep better knowing you can audit every line of code
- Active Community Support: Tap into a network of developers who continuously improve the software
- Future-Proof Solution: No vendor lock-in means you're free to evolve your system as needed
Real-World Applications
We've seen these open-source RTSP servers powering some impressive projects:
- Smart City Surveillance: Many municipalities around the world can use the open-source minimal V4L2RTSPServer for traffic monitoring
- Virtual Classrooms: Universities leveraging Ant Media Server for remote learning
- IoT Camera Networks: Industrial facilities deploying snx_rtsp_server for process monitoring
- Live Event Broadcasting
If you are looking for other open-source live streaming apps, CCTV solutions, RTSP clients, we recommend checking our compiled evergreen lists:
- Free open-source Media Servers
- Live Streaming Media Servers
- Free and Open-source CCTV /NVR Camera Solutions
- Free RTSP Clients, Viewers and Players
Our Curated Collection of Top Open-Source RTSP Servers
After extensive testing and community feedback, we've compiled what we believe are the most promising open-source RTSP servers available today:
1- MediaMTX
MediaMTX is a ready-to-use and zero-dependency free real-time media server and media proxy that allows to publish, read, proxy, record and playback video and audio streams. It has been conceived as a "media router" that routes media streams from one end to the other.
It supports several media protocols, video and audio codecs out of the box.
Beyond its support for RTS, RTSP, RTMP, it also supports WebRTC and HLS.
Features
- Publish live streams to the server
- Read live streams from the server
- Streams are automatically converted from a protocol to another
- Serve multiple streams at once in separate paths
- Record streams to disk
- Playback recorded streams
- Authenticate users
- Redirect readers to other RTSP servers (load balancing)
- Control the server through the Control API
- Reload the configuration without disconnecting existing clients (hot reloading)
- Read Prometheus-compatible metrics
- Run hooks (external commands) when clients connect, disconnect, read or publish streams
- Compatible with Linux, Windows and macOS, does not require any dependency or interpreter, it's a single executable
- Easy to setup, configure and use
Hazem Abbas
2- rtsp-simple-server
rtsp-simple-server has been rebranded as MediaMTX. The reason is pretty obvious: this project started as a RTSP server but has evolved into a much more versatile product that is not tied to the RTSP protocol anymore.
Nothing will change regarding license, features and backward compatibility.
bhaney3- PHP-RTSP-IP-Camera-Streaming
This open-source project enables you to stream IP cameras using RTSP over websites as HLS, MPEG DASH or RTMP (Flash).
Features
- Re-Stream Live Video in Browser
- Input Existing Streams (RTSP, UDP, RTMP)
- Output RTMP & HTML5: HLS, MPEG-DASH
- Serve hundreds/thousands of users with a streaming server
- Share Channels Link
- Limit Stream Life (Automated Deletion)
- Limit Watch Time by Channel, User
- Simple Setup
- Easy to Install, Configure
- Full PHP Source Code
- Easy to Integrate
- Transcoding for iOS HLS / Android MPEG DASH playback
videowhisper4- SRS (Simple Realtime Server)
SRS is a simple, high-efficiency, real-time media server supporting RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, HTTP-FLV, HTTP-TS, SRT, MPEG-DASH, and GB28181.
SRS is written in C++ and can be easily installed on Windows, Linux and macOS.
ossrs5- Ant Media Server (Community Edition)
Ant Media Server is a real-time streaming engine that delivers ultra-low latency streaming (sub-0.5 seconds) using WebRTC technology. It's designed to be auto-scalable and can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, offering adaptive bitrate streaming to ensure smooth playback across various devices and internet speeds.
It supports a wide range of protocols, it’s ideal for reaching large audiences with high interactivity.
Features
- Ultra-Low Latency: ~0.5 seconds latency with WebRTC technology.
- Protocol Support: WebRTC, CMAF, DASH, HLS, RTMP, RTSP, SRT, Zixi, and more.
- Adaptive Bitrate Streaming: Enables real-time streaming across all screens and internet speeds.
- Scalability: Auto-scalable clustering for thousands of publishers and viewers.
- Flexible Deployment: Deploy on-premises or in the cloud.
- Enhanced Audience Reach: Adaptive streaming for a broader audience.
- Scalable Real-time Streaming: Experience sub-0.5 seconds latency and enjoy seamless live video streaming with Ant Media Server.
- Extensive Protocol Support: Whether you need WebRTC, CMAF, HLS, RTMP, RTSP, SRT, Zixi, or more, Ant Media Server has got you covered.
- Easy Integration: Our platform offers rich SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Unity, and JavaScript, ensuring smooth integration with your existing infrastructure.
- Secure and Robust: Rest assured that your streams are protected with advanced security features like SSL/TLS encryption, token authentication, IP filtering, and watermarking.
- Community and Enterprise Editions: Choose the edition that suits your needs. Our Community Edition provides essential streaming functionality, while the Enterprise Edition offers advanced features and dedicated technical support.
Hazem Abbas
6- RTSPtoWeb
RTSPtoWeb converts your RTSP streams to formats consumable in a web browser like MSE (Media Source Extensions), WebRTC, or HLS. It's fully written with Go language without the use of FFmpeg or GStreamer!
deepch7- Rtsp Streaming Server
RTSPtoWeb is a free self-hosted app that converts your RTSP streams to formats consumable in a web browser like MSE (Media Source Extensions), WebRTC, or HLS. It's fully native Golang without the use of FFmpeg or GStreamer!
chriswiggins8- Xiu
Xiu is a high-performance, secure media server written in Rust, designed to support multiple live streaming protocols with flexibility across platforms. It enables protocol conversions, supports advanced configurations, and ensures robust authentication and notifications.
The app offers flexibility, security, and high performance for diverse live streaming needs.
Key Features
- Multi-Platform Support: Compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows.
- Protocol Support: RTMP, RTSP, WebRTC (WHIP/WHEP), HTTP-FLV, HLS.
- Stream Encoding: H.264, H.265, AAC support.
- GOP Cache: Configurable in settings.
- Protocol Conversion: RTMP to HTTP-FLV/HLS, RTSP to RTMP/HLS/HTTP-FLV, WHIP to RTMP/HLS/HTTP-FLV.
- Cluster Support: Scalable clustering setup.
- HTTP API & Notifications: For querying stream info and status updates.
- Token Authentication: Secures stream access.
- Recording: Save live streams as HLS files (m3u8+ts).
- Configurable Setup: Command line or configuration file options.
harlanc9- v4l2rtspserver - RTSP Server for V4L2 device
v4l2rtspserver is a lightweight RTSP server designed to stream video from V4L2 capture devices, supporting a variety of options and protocols for flexible setup.
This makes v4l2rtspserver suitable for real-time streaming from embedded devices or cameras in resource-constrained environments.
Features
- RTSP Streaming: Streams video from V4L2 capture devices via RTSP.
- Multi-Codec Support: Supports H.264, VP8, VP9, and JPEG formats.
- Audio Streaming: Streams audio from ALSA devices.
- Adaptive Framerate: Dynamically adjusts framerate based on network conditions.
- Multiple Stream Formats: Streams H.264, MJPEG, and other formats via RTSP.
- ONVIF Compatibility: Provides ONVIF support for device discovery and control.
- Configuration Options: Supports a variety of configurable parameters (e.g., bitrate, framerate).
- Low Latency Streaming: Ensures minimal latency during video streaming.
- Static or Dynamic Frame Sizes: Configurable frame size adjustments.
- Container Support: Available in Docker for easy deployment.
- Web Interface: Basic web interface for controlling stream settings.
- Low Resource Usage: Optimized for low CPU and memory usage.
- Access Control: Supports basic access control features.
mpromonet10- Python Rtsp Server
Python-rtsp-server is a lightweight, zero-dependency proxy and storage server for several IP-cameras and multiple clients.
Features
- Reliable connection of clients in the local network. One connection to each camera, regardless of the number of clients.
- Minimum client connection latency.
- Low CPU load.
- Proxying streams from IP cameras to an unlimited number of clients in the local network, the ability to limit the number of web clients.
- Ability to save to hard disk, with fragmentation and daily rotation.
- Restoring of connection with cameras and recording to disk after a possible disconnection of cameras.
vladpen11- RtspServer
This is a simple yet robust RTSP server and pusher based on C++.
Features
- Support Linux and Windows platforms.
- Support H.264/H.265/G711A/AAC
- Support unicast(rtp over udp, rtp over rtsp), multicast
- Support digest authentication
12- OBS-RTSPServer
The OBS RTSPServer is a plugin for OBS Studio, a popular open-source software for video recording and live streaming, which adds the ability to stream directly over the RTSP protocol. OBS Studio itself is known for its flexibility and advanced features, supporting multiple inputs, scene transitions, and encoding options.
With the OBS RTSPServer plugin, users can stream live video from OBS to compatible RTSP clients without additional software. This plugin is particularly useful for those needing low-latency, network-friendly streaming, such as in security or surveillance systems.
The plugin's key features include the ability to create multiple RTSP streams from OBS, low-latency transmission, and compatibility with various RTSP-capable clients and devices.
This integration extends OBS’s capabilities, making it a powerful tool for real-time media distribution over local networks or the internet.
iamscottxu13- snx_rtsp_server
snx_rtsp_server is a small rtsp streaming server developed base on live555 library.
Features
- Video Stream Support: Streams H.264 and MJPEG video formats.
- Audio Stream Support: Streams G.711 Alaw audio format.
- RTP/RTSP Support: Uses UDP and TCP for RTP/RTSP streaming.
- RTP/RTSP over HTTP: Supports TCP streaming over HTTP for additional compatibility.
- Unicast and Multicast: Offers both unicast and multicast streaming modes.
- Single Stream Capability: Streams one video and one audio stream simultaneously.
- Frame Buffer Tuning: Configurable frame buffering, with a default of 10 frames (audio/video).
- Customizable Ports: Allows custom configuration of RTSP and HTTP ports.
- Low Resource Consumption: Optimized for minimal DDR and CPU usage.
This combination of features makes snx_rtsp_server suitable for low-power and embedded devices where efficiency is essential.
haoweilo14- rtsp-simple-server
rtsp-simple-server is a simple, ready-to-use and zero-dependency RTSP server and RTSP proxy, a software that allows multiple users to publish and read live video and audio streams over time.
RTSP, RTP and RTCP are standardized protocol that describe how to perform these operations with the help of a server, that is contacted by both readers and publishers in order to negotiate a streaming protocol. The server is then responsible of relaying the publisher streams to the readers.
Features:
- Read and publish live streams via UDP and TCP
- Each stream can have multiple video and audio tracks, encoded in any format
- Publish multiple streams at once, each in a separate path, that can be read by multiple users
- Pull and serve streams from other RTSP servers, always or on-demand (RTSP proxy)
- Make streams secure with usernames and passwords (authentication)
- Run custom commands when clients connect, disconnect, read or publish streams (linux only)
- Compatible with Linux, Windows and Mac, does not require any dependency or interpreter, it's a single executable
Getting Started
Ready to dive in? Here's our recommended approach:
- Assess Your Needs: Consider factors like expected viewer count, required latency, and available resources
- Test Drive: Most of these solutions offer quick Docker deployments for easy testing
- Community Check: Browse through GitHub issues and community forums to gauge support quality
- Start Small: Begin with a proof of concept before scaling up
Final Thoughts
The world of open-source RTSP servers is vibrant and constantly evolving. While commercial solutions have their place, the open-source alternatives we've highlighted offer compelling features that rival their paid counterparts. Whether you're building a home security system or deploying an enterprise-grade streaming solution, there's likely an open-source RTSP server that fits your needs.
Remember, the best choice depends on your specific requirements – consider factors like scalability needs, resource constraints, and required features when making your decision. And don't forget to contribute back to the community if you can – that's what keeps the open-source ecosystem thriving!
Have you implemented any of these RTSP servers in your projects? We'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
Further Readings
Hazem Abbas
Hazem Abbas
Hazem Abbas
