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Restart the process that owns the outgoing YouTube connection: configure nginx-rtmp to respawn its FFmpeg child if nginx-rtmp launched it, or supervise FFmpeg with your host’s service manager if it runs independently. Restarting a process can restore a crashed publisher, but it cannot fix a dead input, incorrect stream key, unreachable endpoint, or invalid encoder output.
Find which process publishes to YouTube
Before adding a restart rule, trace the outbound connection. Nginx-rtmp setups commonly use one of three arrangements, and each places recovery in a different layer.
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| Publisher arrangement | Where to configure recovery | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
nginx-rtmp launches FFmpeg through an exec directive |
Review the module’s child-process respawn settings for the exact fork and version installed. | Respawn concerns the child’s lifecycle; it is not end-to-end stream health monitoring. nginx-rtmp exec directive documentation |
| FFmpeg runs as a separate process or service | Configure the host service manager to restart that FFmpeg publisher after relevant failures. | Unit syntax, restart policy, and delay depend on the operating system, service-manager version, command, and failure type. |
The NGINX RTMP module owns an outbound push relay |
Investigate the relay behavior of the installed module and the process that owns the connection. | Do not assume restarting NGINX also restarts a separately launched FFmpeg publisher or fixes a failed upstream source. |
Set up recovery at the right layer
If nginx-rtmp starts the FFmpeg child
Inspect the exec directives and the respawn behavior documented for your installed nginx-rtmp fork and version. Module options are not guaranteed to be identical across forks or releases, so confirm their exact names and semantics locally rather than copying an unverified directive. Child respawn helps when that child exits; it does not necessarily detect a process that is wedged while still running.
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Use the host’s service manager to supervise the FFmpeg process. Set a deliberate restart policy for the failures you intend to recover from, include a retry delay appropriate to the host, and make logs available for diagnosis. There is no universal service-unit file: the correct configuration depends on the operating system and service-manager release, FFmpeg command, and whether an exit is transient or permanent.
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If NGINX relays with push
Identify which process owns each connection: the RTMP module may own the outbound relay, while a separate FFmpeg process may own another publishing path. Apply recovery to the connection owner. An NGINX reload or restart is not interchangeable with restarting an independent publisher.
Check YouTube’s endpoint, key, and protocol
Copy the RTMPS ingestion URL and stream key from YouTube Live Control Room. YouTube recommends RTMPS, which carries RTMP over a secure connection. The URL, path, protocol, and port must match the endpoint provided for your stream; Google’s API documentation specifies port 443 for RTMPS ingestion. API-created streams expose ingestion address fields, including a backup address when dual ingestion is supported. YouTube Help: Set up your encoder for live streaming; YouTube Live Streaming API: RTMPS ingestion.
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Keep the stream key private. Do not expose it in public configuration examples, screenshots, or logs. If you see timeouts or TLS/connection errors, verify the URL, path, port, RTMPS protocol, and encoder support before increasing retries. YouTube notes that a timeout can result from using cleartext RTMP where RTMPS is expected or from an incorrect URL, port, or encoder setup. Repeating a bad connection attempt will not correct those values. YouTube’s encoder setup guidance.
Separate source failures from publishing failures
- Check process state and timestamps. Inspect NGINX and FFmpeg logs, exit status, and the time of the last successful output. Establish whether the publisher exited, remains running but wedged, or repeatedly loses its destination connection. A child respawn helps only after an exit; it does not guarantee a stalled process or output connection will recover.
- Check the input independently. Confirm that the camera, capture device, local relay, or file input still produces media. A restarted publisher cannot resume content that its source no longer provides.
- Check connectivity and credentials. Confirm network reachability and the current RTMPS endpoint and key in Live Control Room. Treat repeated connection failures as a reason to inspect the cause, not simply lengthen the retry loop.
- Check the outgoing media and YouTube stream health. Compare the actual encoder output with YouTube’s current guidance, then inspect stream health in Live Control Room. YouTube’s cited guidance lists RTMP/RTMPS and H.264, H.265, or AV1; it supports up to 60 fps and recommends a two-second keyframe interval that should not exceed four seconds. These are published guidance values, not a guarantee that every input or encoder configuration will work. YouTube Help: Set up your encoder for live streaming.
Validate recovery before relying on it
- Check configuration before applying changes. For NGINX, run
nginx -tto test the configuration; the cited NGINX guidance is for NGINX Plus, so follow instructions that match your package and module rather than treating it as a universal installation guide. NGINX Plus documentation. - Observe a normal publishing session and confirm that the expected process owns the YouTube connection.
- In a noncritical test stream, deliberately stop or fail the supervised child or service. Confirm that the intended process restarts, reconnects to YouTube, resumes valid media, and leaves useful logs.
- Check Live Control Room after recovery. A running process alone does not prove that YouTube is receiving a healthy stream.
This controlled failure check is a recommended verification procedure, not a claim that every configuration has been tested. Consult the documentation for your installed nginx-rtmp fork and FFmpeg build before relying on specific option names, timing, or reconnection behavior. FFmpeg documents RTMPS as RTMP over a secure SSL connection. FFmpeg protocol documentation.
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Troubleshoot common restart failures
- FFmpeg exits and stays down: Recovery may be configured at the wrong layer, disabled, or unsupported by the installed module version. Trace which process launched FFmpeg and inspect its exit status and logs; configure respawn there, or use the host service manager if FFmpeg is standalone.
- FFmpeg restarts but YouTube remains offline: Check whether the input is still producing media, whether the endpoint and key are valid, and whether TLS/network connectivity works. A restart does not repair these dependencies.
- The process is running but the stream is frozen or disconnected: Respawn-on-exit may not detect a wedged process or a lost output connection. Inspect logs and YouTube stream health, and verify the actual behavior supported by your module and FFmpeg build.
- Connection attempts time out repeatedly: Check for cleartext RTMP sent to an RTMPS endpoint, an incorrect path or port, TLS errors, and encoder support before raising retry counts.
- Restarting NGINX does not restart FFmpeg: Confirm whether FFmpeg was launched by an nginx-rtmp
execdirective or independently. A separate publisher needs its own supervision. - The stream reconnects with unhealthy media: Check the source and encoder output separately, including codec, frame rate, and keyframe interval, against YouTube’s current encoder guidance.
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