What is OBS Server for Streaming Videos?

There are a lot of cases to stream videos. Like YouTube and Twitch, some service providers are popular to deal with the community management and web discovery aspects of video streaming and free software, like OBS.

Basically, OBS Studio is commonly used for combining video overlays from different streaming sources in real-time. Although these streaming platforms are powerful, you might want to host streams that don’t depend on other service providers in some situations.

OBS Plugin

According to tech-savvies, OBS plugins are normally used to extend the functionality of the OBS server by including a custom code made to do certain tasks. Very popular OBS plugins add more support for NDI, which is basically an IP production of videos. 

Another common plugin is, referred to as VirtualCam, enabling you to take videos inside of OBS and even connect it to other cameras through a webcam source. This is perfect for pumping videos from OBS into different applications, such as Zoom.

Broadcasting with OBS

After your server accepts video streams, installing your streaming software would be the next thing to do. All you have to do is head straight to the OBS site, find a build for your OS, and set it up.

After launching OBS, you will need to run a wizard, enabling you to configure OBS with settings that fit the hardware.

Linking OBS to YouTube and Twitch

Download your server from its official website and set it up as you normally do with other programs. Consider running the program as the administrator, and go to the setting panel using the right button located at the bottom.

Use the menu on your right hand at the stream tab and choose YouTube RTMPs. Afterward, paste or type your YouTube stream key in the Stream Key field. This will link the server with YouTube.

When linking Twitch, start by navigating the Twitch setting page. This way, you will be able to see an option to show the keys you can plug into OBS.

Copy your key and go back to the Stream tab in the server. Under the service option, choose Twitch to start streaming videos.

You can run a live stream within a few minutes using YouTube/Twitch and OBS Studio. OBS can take the headache out of the capture component on the screen. While it is amazingly easy to use, OBS can still be loaded with advanced functionality, making it worthwhile to explore.

Use of OBS Studio

Experts say that OBS Studio is open-source and free streaming software, which most broadcasters use to produce and mix live videos.

The newest version of the studio, Version 27.1.3, got released in October 2021. It is now available for:

  • Windows 8, 10, and 8.1
  • Ubuntu 18.04 OS
  • MacOS 10.13

Final Say!

To run your video streaming service can seem like a great idea at first, though in reality, it is a headache, which requires resources to yield lukewarm results.

It is completely understandable that you may want to have your video streaming step end-to-end. With a little help from a tech-savvy, you can easily make your streaming platform flexible and customizable without worrying about what is under the hood.