owncast

Owncast is a self-hosted live video streaming server. You run it on your own hardware or a VPS, and it provides both the video stream and a built-in chat room, similar in function to services like Twitch or YouTube Live but hosted entirely by you. The project gives you full control over the content, moderation, and audience.

The server is designed to run as a single service that works out of the box. Once running, you point any broadcasting software that uses the RTMP protocol at your Owncast instance. RTMP is the standard used by most major streaming platforms, so tools like OBS and Streamlabs work with it without special configuration. Viewers watch through a web interface that includes a video player and live chat. An admin panel at /admin lets you manage stream settings and moderation.

The backend is written in Go and the frontend is a React web interface. Building from source requires Go 1.24 or above, a C compiler, and ffmpeg. Most users are directed to the quickstart guide on the project website rather than building from source manually.

Owncast supports ActivityPub, the same protocol used by Mastodon and other fediverse platforms. This means people on those networks can follow your Owncast channel and receive stream notifications, extending reach into decentralized social networks without extra work on the streamer's part.

Native Windows server support is not included, but Windows users can run Owncast through the Windows Subsystem for Linux. The project is MIT-licensed, funded through donations on OpenCollective, and open to community contributions.