11.5k stars · MIT · v0.3.0 (2026-09-03) · Track this in Scout
Self-hosted live video streaming and chat — your own Twitch, on your own domain.
▶Repo detailsthe review · specs · pros & cons · install
What it is
Owncast is a self-hosted live streaming server. It accepts a stream from OBS or similar software and serves a web player with chat, and it can also post to the fediverse so followers are told when you go live.
What it is good for. Anyone who wants live video without handing the audience to a platform. A workshop, a launch, office hours, a session in a second language at a time that suits that audience. The interesting part for a small channel is that the viewer never leaves your site, so a live session and your written pages sit at the same address. Be honest about the trade: a platform sends you strangers, and your own page does not. This is for someone who already has an audience.
- MIT licensed and complete. Video, player and chat in one program, with no paid tier.
- No separate database to run. It keeps its own data in a single file.
- It can announce itself to the fediverse, so followers get told when you start.
- Bandwidth and processor time are the real bill. Converting video for several qualities at once is heavy, and a small VPS will struggle.
- Building from source needs a C compiler, FFmpeg, Go 1.24 or newer, and Node.js. Use the container unless you enjoy that.
- There is no native Windows server support. On Windows you would run it inside WSL2.
docker run -d --name owncast -p 8080:8080 -p 1935:1935 \ -v /opt/owncast:/app/data owncast/owncast:latest
