Set Up Your Own RTMP Server for IRL Streamingon Windows

1. How Nginx and NOALBS work together

Smartphone / action cam / encoder
              ↓ RTMP
Windows PC with Nginx RTMP → stats → NOALBS → OBS WebSocket
                                           ├→ live
                                           ├→ low
                                           └→ brb

The Nginx RTMP package handles ingest and provides the stats. The NOALBS application, which you download separately, evaluates those stats and controls OBS. Together they make up the setup described here.

2. Important note on the NOALBS version

3. Preparing Nginx RTMP and NOALBS

1. Download the Nginx RTMP archive linked by the NOALBS project and unpack it into a folder of its own.
2. Make a backup copy of the completely unpacked original folder.
3. On the official NOALBS release page, download the current Windows archive with x86_64-pc-windows-msvc in its name.
4. Unpack NOALBS separately and prepare its current config.json using the project documentation and the IRL4YOU generator. Don't blindly overwrite the Nginx configuration and the NOALBS configuration with each other.
5. Keep Nginx, the RTMP module, and the two start/stop files in the Nginx folder.

4. Starting the RTMP server from the project package

1. In the unpacked Nginx folder, open conf/nginx.conf and check the bundled applications, ports, and the stats address.
2. Run the start_nginx.bat file that's actually in the archive. To shut down cleanly, use stop_nginx.bat.
3. Allow the Windows firewall only for the network profiles you need. By default the package uses HTTP port 80 and RTMP port 1935.
4. On the same Windows PC, open http://127.0.0.1/stat in your browser and check that the stats show up.

5. Connecting your sender and OBS

The bundled example configuration uses this split:

RTMP server: rtmp://WINDOWS-IP:1935/publish
Stream Key field: live (only the stream name here)

Full address:
rtmp://WINDOWS-IP:1935/publish/live

"live" is only the stream name here, not an access lock: The bundled nginx.conf contains no publish authentication. Enter the address separately or in full, depending on the app. In OBS, the incoming stream is opened as a media source. On your local network, use the Windows PC's fixed IP address if you can. If you want to send over the internet, first add real publish protection or use the Linux guide with key checking.

6. Setting up current NOALBS

1. In OBS, go to Tools → WebSocket Server Settings, enable the WebSocket server, and set a strong password.
2. Prepare the scenes for live, low bitrate, and BRB. Their exact names have to match the config.json.
3. In the IRL4YOU generator, pick the server type nginx-rtmp. For the unchanged package on the same Windows PC, enter http://127.0.0.1/stat as the stats URL, publish as the application, and live as the stream name. Then add OBS WebSocket and thresholds, and download the config.json.
4. Start NOALBS without a public live stream first and test the scene switches.

7. Video: RTMP and OBS server with NOALBS

The video by Akinos01 "Akinos" shows the basic Windows setup with your own OBS/RTMP server and NOALBS. The video is in German. Use it as a practical extra. For downloads and configuration fields, the current notes on this page apply.

Written alternative to the video: Package setup, connecting your sender and OBS, and setting up NOALBS.

8. Testing and security

• keep the unchanged original Nginx package as a backup
• test on your local network only at first
• connect the Windows PC by Ethernet rather than Wi-Fi if possible
• don't confuse the example stream name live with a protected stream key
• don't make HTTP port 80 and OBS WebSocket reachable from the internet unprotected
• after every NOALBS update, test the configuration and the scene switches again