What is RTMP, and what is a stream key?
When a streaming guide says “paste your server and stream key”, this is what it means.
RTMP in one paragraph
RTMP is a way of sending live video to a server. Your streaming app encodes your picture and sound into a stream and pushes it to a platform’s ingest server over RTMP. RTMPS is the same with encryption, and most platforms now ask for it.
Server URL and stream key
The server URL says where to send the stream (for example Twitch’s ingest address). The stream key says which channel it belongs to. Together they work like an address and a password.
Keep the key secret
- Anyone with your key can stream to your channel.
- Never show it on screen or paste it into chat.
- If it leaks, reset it in the platform’s dashboard.
- Streamdzy stores keys encrypted on your PC and never sends them to its own servers.
What about “custom RTMP”?
Any platform or service that gives you an RTMP address and key can be a destination: use Other (any RTMP server) under Settings, Go live.
Questions
Is RTMP the same as streaming?
It is how the video gets from you to the platform. Viewers receive it a different way (usually HLS) from the platform.
Does a restream service change this?
You send RTMP to the service, which then sends RTMP to the platforms.
Keep going
Want all of this in one app?
Streamdzy is a free streaming and recording app for Windows: several cameras, your phone as a camera, going live to many places at once, and recording first so a bad connection never costs you the show.