StreamLive ProWhat is an ingest server in live streaming?
What is an ingest server: the address your encoder sends a live stream to, with a stream key. How ingest differs from playback, what it checks, and where to find yours.
An ingest server is the server that receives your live stream. Your encoder sends the stream to its ingest address, for example an RTMP or SRT URL, together with a stream key that says which account and which broadcast the stream belongs to. From there the platform processes the stream and delivers it to viewers or to other destinations. Every network you can stream to runs ingest servers: YouTube, Facebook and Twitch each give you an ingest address and a key in their stream settings.
"Ingest" means taking in. The word marks the entry side of a live stream, as opposed to playback, the side viewers watch. Shorter definitions of related terms are in the Live streaming glossary: the terms you will meet.
The path of a live stream
| Step | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Encode | Camera and sound are compressed into a stream | Your encoder: OBS, a hardware box, the browser |
| 2. Ingest | The stream arrives at a server address with a key | The ingest server |
| 3. Process | The server checks, records or repackages the stream | The platform |
| 4. Deliver | Viewers watch through players, often over HLS | Playback servers and CDNs |
With StreamLive Pro there is a fifth step between 3 and 4: our servers push a copy of the stream to the ingest server of each network you ticked. For YouTube, StreamLive Pro is then the encoder, and YouTube's server is the ingest.
What an ingest address looks like
An ingest address has three parts: the protocol, the server name, and a path. RTMP and RTMPS addresses start with rtmp:// or rtmps://, an SRT address with srt://. The key goes in a separate field, or, for SRT and WHIP, inside the address itself. The protocols are compared in RTMP vs RTMPS vs SRT: which one to use and when; keys are explained in RTMP and stream keys: where to find them, what breaks.
What the ingest server checks
An ingest server accepts a stream only if it fits its rules. Typical rules are the codec, the bitrate range and the keyframe interval. StreamLive Pro receives encoder streams through Cloudflare Stream. Cloudflare's own page says its live input accepts only H.264 video and AAC audio, a keyframe interval between 2 and 10 seconds, and a combined bitrate between 2 and 14 Mbps, and that for SRT only caller mode is supported (Cloudflare Stream: Start a live stream, checked 5 November 2026). A stream outside those rules may connect and still show no usable picture: My encoder says it is streaming, but there is no picture.
Your ingest address in StreamLive Pro
- Open Live stream and choose Stream from software like OBS (RTMP / SRT).
- The encoder card shows tabs for RTMP, RTMPS, SRT and WHIP (beta), with the server address and the stream key.
- Copy the server and the key into your encoder, each into its own field. The address and key are created together with the broadcast.
- Start streaming in the encoder, then go live.
The address and key belong to your account. Anyone who has both can send a stream into your broadcast, so keep the key private, and do not show it on screen during a live. Persistent and one-time keys: Persistent and one-time stream keys, network by network.
On the 7-day trial the encoder card shows no address and no key, because the trial broadcasts from the browser studio only: No stream key for OBS on the trial. When you go live from the browser studio, the browser sends to StreamLive Pro on its own, and you never handle an ingest address.
How to check that the ingest receives you
- In the encoder. OBS and most encoders show a connected status, the bitrate going out and any dropped frames. A steady bitrate means the ingest is taking the stream.
- In StreamLive Pro. The broadcast page shows the picture once the stream arrives. If the encoder says connected and the picture stays black, check the codec and the keyframe interval against the rules above.
- On the networks. Only after the picture arrives in StreamLive Pro does it make sense to look at YouTube or Facebook. A network that stays empty while StreamLive Pro shows the picture is a destination problem, not an ingest problem: My live reached only some of the networks.
Ingest and destinations are two lists
| Ingest (in) | Destination (out) | |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Into StreamLive Pro | From StreamLive Pro to a network |
| Who gives the address | StreamLive Pro, on the encoder card | The network, in its stream settings |
| Where you use it | In OBS, vMix, an ATEM, FFmpeg | In Connections |
| Protocols | RTMP, RTMPS, SRT, WHIP (beta) | RTMP, RTMPS, SRT |
Pasting a YouTube ingest address into OBS sends only to YouTube. Pasting StreamLive Pro's address into OBS, and YouTube's into Connections, sends to YouTube and to every other network you tick. Adding a destination by address: Stream to a custom RTMP or SRT server.
Choosing an ingest region
Some networks offer ingest servers in several regions and let you pick the nearest one; LinkedIn, for example, asks you to choose a region before it gives you the URL. A closer ingest usually means fewer lost packets on the way. With StreamLive Pro you do not choose a region for the address on the encoder card.
Common mistakes
- The key pasted into the address field. The encoder cannot connect: OBS says "Failed to connect to server.
- A playback link used as an ingest. A link ending in .m3u8 is where people watch, not where you send: What is HLS? HTTP Live Streaming explained.
- An old key. Some networks change the key per session, so a saved key stops working.
- Two encoders on one key. Only one stream can arrive on a key at a time.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ingest server in simple words?
The server your encoder sends the live stream to. You give the encoder its address and a stream key.
What is the difference between ingest and playback?
Ingest is where the stream comes in from the encoder. Playback is where viewers watch it, usually through a player and a CDN.
Where is the StreamLive Pro ingest address?
On the encoder card, when you choose Stream from software like OBS in Live stream. It has tabs for RTMP, RTMPS, SRT and WHIP (beta).
Can I send to StreamLive Pro and YouTube from one OBS?
Send to StreamLive Pro only, and add YouTube in Connections. Our servers send the copy to YouTube and to the other networks you tick.
Why is there no ingest address on my trial?
The trial broadcasts from the browser studio only. The ingest address and key for outside encoders come with a paid plan.
Keep reading
Stream a game to Twitch, Kick and YouTube at once: OBS sends one stream, StreamLive Pro sends it on, plus chat, upload, platform rules and Shorts of your best moments.
Connect PRISM Live Studio to StreamLive ProAdd StreamLive Pro as a custom channel in PRISM Live Studio on the computer and send one stream to YouTube, Facebook Pages, Twitch and more: steps, settings and fixes.
Connect XSplit Broadcaster to StreamLive ProAdd a Custom RTMP output in XSplit Broadcaster with StreamLive Pro's address and key, and reach YouTube, Facebook Pages, Twitch and more from one stream: steps and fixes.
What is bitrate in live streaming?What is bitrate in live streaming: how many bits per second your stream uses, how it differs from resolution and upload speed, CBR or VBR, and how to pick one.
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