The Tool Desk
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First identify what needs to restart
An SRS YouTube setup can involve several separate components: SRS accepts or relays media, a publisher such as FFmpeg or OBS sends media to SRS, and YouTube receives the outgoing stream. Restarting one does not automatically restart or reconnect the others. SRS documents Docker deployment and FFmpeg/OBS publishing examples in its Getting Started documentation; its RTMP documentation is under a separate v6 path at SRS RTMP. Confirm the image tag and configuration for your own deployment rather than assuming those documentation paths describe one matched release.
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- SRS container exited: configure Docker’s restart policy.
- SRS runs directly on Linux: configure the host’s service manager to start it at boot and restart it after an abnormal exit.
- FFmpeg or OBS stopped: supervise the publisher separately; an SRS container policy does not supervise a separate publisher.
- Docker or the host stopped: confirm Docker itself starts at boot, then check the container’s restart policy.
- SRS is running but the stream is absent: investigate the publisher connection, network path and YouTube session. An exit-based restart policy may not detect an application-level fault if SRS remains running.
Choose the recovery method for your deployment
| Deployment | What to configure | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone Docker container | A container restart policy such as unless-stopped. |
The policy handles container exits; Docker Engine must also start after a host reboot. |
| SRS installed directly on Linux | The local service manager: enable startup at boot and restart after an abnormal exit. | Use the installed SRS binary, configuration path, run user and logging setup. Service-manager details vary by distribution and init system. |
| Compose or another orchestrator | The service-level restart behavior for that deployment. | Follow the specific version’s semantics for intentional stops, failed starts and host restarts; do not assume standalone Docker syntax applies unchanged. |
Set an automatic restart policy for a Docker SRS container
For a new standalone container
Docker’s SRS getting-started example can be adapted by adding --restart unless-stopped. The following is illustrative, not a tested command for every SRS configuration:
docker run -d --name srs --restart unless-stopped
-p 1935:1935 -p 1985:1985 -p 8080:8080
ossrs/srs:5Keep the image version, configuration file, volumes, ports and environment variables required by your working deployment. Do not replace an existing custom configuration with the example’s ports or image tag without checking what your setup needs.
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For an existing container
Update its policy without recreating it:
docker update --restart unless-stopped srsReplace srs with the container name or ID. Docker documents that a container created with --rm cannot be given a restart policy; in that case, recreate it without --rm and include the desired policy.
Choose the policy that matches your stop and reboot behavior
unless-stoppedrestarts a container after it exits and after the Docker daemon restarts, except when an operator deliberately stopped it. This is usually the clearest choice when a manual stop should remain in effect.alwaysis similar, but differs in how a manually stopped container is treated when the daemon restarts. Choose it only if that behavior is wanted.on-failurerestarts when the container exits with an error/nonzero status, but does not itself restart it merely because the Docker daemon restarted.
Docker adds increasing delays between repeated restart attempts, capped at one minute. These policies respond to container exits; they do not guarantee detection of a fault where SRS remains alive but is no longer accepting or forwarding the expected stream. Review the exact behavior in Docker’s container run reference.
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Do not assign the same container to competing supervisors
Docker says, “Docker recommends that you use restart policies, and avoid using process managers to start containers.” It also warns, “Don’t combine Docker restart policies with host-level process managers, as this creates conflicts.” Use Docker’s policy to manage a Docker container rather than independently having a host process manager start that same container.
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Make sure Docker starts when the host boots
A container restart policy and Docker’s own startup behavior are separate settings. On Debian and Ubuntu, Docker’s Linux post-installation guidance says Docker starts on boot by default. On other systemd-based distributions, the guide documents enabling Docker and containerd:
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sudo systemctl enable docker.service
sudo systemctl enable containerd.serviceCheck the instructions for your distribution in Docker’s Linux post-installation steps. Enabling Docker at boot does not, by itself, choose the restart behavior of an SRS container.
For SRS installed directly on Linux
Use the service manager on the host to enable SRS at boot and restart it after an abnormal exit. Configure the unit around the actual executable and configuration paths, run user, working directory and logging needs of your installation. Retain logs so you can diagnose the original failure instead of relying on repeated restarts.
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Service-manager configuration depends on the installed SRS version and host. The references here do not establish an official SRS-specific systemd unit, so do not treat a generic unit file as SRS-endorsed. Have any unit reviewed against your installation before enabling it.
Verify the whole YouTube recovery path
- Check SRS: run
docker psfor a container deployment and note whether it isUporRestarting. Review container logs and Docker events to see whether it exited and restarted. - Check the publisher: confirm the FFmpeg or OBS process is running and has reconnected to SRS. If it is separate, arrange its supervision separately.
- Check the stream through SRS: verify that the expected incoming RTMP stream is present and that SRS is forwarding it as intended.
- Check YouTube: inspect the live control room and confirm the encoder connection and session status. SRS or Docker restarting is not proof that YouTube has resumed the session; depending on how the stream was created and the encoder connection state, operator attention may be needed.
Troubleshoot when the stream does not return
| Symptom | What to check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Container remains stopped | Inspect the configured policy and whether it was deliberately stopped. Check whether it was created with --rm. |
Set the intended policy with docker update --restart, or recreate a --rm container without that option. |
Container repeatedly shows Restarting |
Read container logs and Docker events; determine why SRS exits. | Fix the underlying configuration or crash cause. Repeated restarts do not prevent interruptions while the failure recurs. |
| Container works until the host reboots | Check whether Docker Engine starts at boot and whether the policy matches the desired daemon-restart behavior. | Enable Docker and containerd where required by the distribution, then verify the container policy. |
| SRS is up, but there is no incoming stream | Check whether the FFmpeg/OBS publisher is running, using the expected destination and able to reconnect. | Restart or supervise the publisher separately and diagnose its connection and logs. |
| SRS and publisher appear healthy, but YouTube is not live | Check the outbound connection and YouTube live control room/session state. | Restore the encoder connection or take the action YouTube’s session requires; do not infer that SRS recovery restored the platform session. |
| Stream stops while SRS still runs | Look for an application-level failure rather than a process exit. | Use monitoring or a health-check recovery strategy only after verifying it works with your SRS version and deployment. |
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