Setting Up a Simple Live Streaming Server on Debian 11

Setting up a live stream backend can be a valuable project for understanding media streaming technology. Here’s a basic overview and steps to get you started.

1. How a Live Stream Backend Works

A typical live streaming backend captures video, processes it, and then transmits it to viewers. The core components include:

Ingest: Receives the live video stream from a source (e.g., a camera or software encoder).
Encoding/Transcoding: Converts the video to various formats and bitrates for different devices and network conditions.
Packaging: Wraps the encoded video in formats like HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) or DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP).
Distribution: Delivers the video to users over the internet, often using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for scalability.
Playback: Users receive and play the video on their devices.

2. Setting Up a Simple Live Streaming Server on Debian 11

With your cloud server, you can use FFmpeg for ingest and encoding, NGINX with the RTMP module for streaming, and HLS for adaptive streaming. Here’s a streamlined guide:

Step 1: Install FFmpeg and NGINX with RTMP Module

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ffmpeg nginx
sudo apt install libnginx-mod-rtmp  # Adds RTMP support to NGINX

Step 2: Configure NGINX for RTMP

Edit your NGINX configuration file (often located at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf) to include RTMP settings:

rtmp {
    server {
        listen 1935;  # RTMP port

        application live {
            live on;
            record off;
            # Configure HLS settings
            hls on;
            hls_path /tmp/hls;
            hls_fragment 3;
        }
    }
}

After configuring, restart NGINX:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 3: Start a Stream with FFmpeg

Use FFmpeg to push a live stream to your server. Replace input.mp4 with your video source.

ffmpeg -re -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac -f flv rtmp://<your_server_ip>/live/stream_key

Step 4: Enable HLS Playback

With the HLS setting in place, your stream will be available in .m3u8 format. You can access it at:

http://<your_server_ip>/hls/stream_key.m3u8

3. Client Software for Testing

VLC Media Player is excellent for testing. Open VLC, go to Media > Open Network Stream, and enter the URL of your .m3u8 stream:

http://<your_server_ip>/hls/stream_key.m3u8

This setup will give you a functional live streaming backend for study purposes, allowing you to test and optimize real-time video delivery!

To install NGINX and the RTMP module (libnginx-mod-rtmp) from source, you will need to compile them manually, as you’re aiming to do a source-based installation. Below are the detailed steps to install both components on your Debian 11 server.

Step 1: Install Required Dependencies

First, install all the required dependencies for building NGINX and the RTMP module.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential libpcre3 libpcre3-dev libssl-dev zlib1g-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev

Step 2: Download and Extract NGINX Source Code

Go to the official NGINX website and download the latest stable version.

cd /usr/local/src
sudo wget http://nginx.org/download/nginx-1.24.0.tar.gz

Extract the NGINX archive:

sudo tar -xzvf nginx-1.24.0.tar.gz
cd nginx-1.24.0

Step 3: Download and Prepare the RTMP Module

The nginx-rtmp-module is a third-party module that adds RTMP support to NGINX. Download it from GitHub:

sudo git clone https://github.com/arut/nginx-rtmp-module.git

Step 4: Compile NGINX with RTMP Module

Configure NGINX to include the RTMP module. The following command will configure NGINX with the RTMP module, SSL support, and some basic features (you can modify the options as needed):

sudo ./configure --prefix=/usr/local/nginx --with-http_ssl_module --with-pcre --with-http_v2_module --add-module=../nginx-rtmp-module

After configuring, compile NGINX:

sudo make

Install NGINX:

sudo make install

Step 5: Start NGINX

After installation, the NGINX binary will be located in /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx. Start NGINX:

sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx

To check if NGINX is running, visit your server’s IP address in a browser (e.g., http://<your_server_ip>). You should see the NGINX welcome page.

Step 6: Configure NGINX for RTMP

Edit the NGINX configuration file to set up the RTMP stream server. Open /usr/local/nginx/conf/nginx.conf in your preferred text editor:

sudo nano /usr/local/nginx/conf/nginx.conf

Add the following configuration for RTMP streaming:

rtmp {
    server {
        listen 1935;  # RTMP listen port

        application live {
            live on;
            record off;
            hls on;
            hls_path /tmp/hls;
            hls_fragment 3;
        }
    }
}

Save the configuration and exit the text editor.

Step 7: Restart NGINX to Apply Changes

Restart NGINX to apply the changes:

sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx -s reload

Step 8: Test the RTMP Stream

You can now test the RTMP server. To stream to it, use FFmpeg (or any other RTMP-compatible software) to send a stream to your NGINX server:

ffmpeg -re -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac -f flv rtmp://<your_server_ip>/live/stream_key

Step 9: Access the HLS Stream

If you’ve enabled HLS, you should be able to access the live stream in .m3u8 format at:

http://<your_server_ip>/hls/stream_key.m3u8

You can use VLC Media Player to test the stream by opening the URL.

Step 10: Manage NGINX as a Service (Optional)

If you want NGINX to start automatically on boot, you’ll need to create a systemd service file.

Create the systemd service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/nginx.service

Add the following configuration:

[Unit]
Description=The NGINX HTTP and reverse proxy server
Documentation=http://nginx.org/en/docs/
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx
ExecReload=/usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx -s reload
ExecStop=/usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx -s stop
PIDFile=/usr/local/nginx/logs/nginx.pid
Type=forking

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Reload systemd and enable the NGINX service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx

Conclusion

You now have NGINX with the RTMP module installed from source and configured for live streaming. You can test the stream with FFmpeg and playback it with VLC Media Player using HLS or RTMP.

ffmpeg dependency:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install nasm