Yes—you can run a 24/7 YouTube stream from an Indian Google Cloud region. The most direct route is a Compute Engine virtual machine (VM) running an RTMP-capable encoder such as FFmpeg or OBS, connected to YouTube with the server URL and stream key from YouTube Studio. Mumbai (asia-south1) and Delhi (asia-south2) are Compute Engine regions. Google’s managed Live Stream API is a separate option: its India region listing includes Mumbai, but not Delhi, and an active channel may be restarted after 24 hours. Plan for monitoring and recovery rather than assuming one uninterrupted session.
Choose a Google Cloud setup for the stream
There are two materially different approaches. A VM gives you a machine on which to run and supervise your own encoder. The managed Live Stream API handles more of the ingest and processing pipeline, but has its own regional availability, output configuration and active-channel billing. Neither option guarantees an uninterrupted YouTube broadcast by itself.
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| Option | India region availability | What it does | What you operate or plan for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute Engine VM with an encoder | Mumbai (asia-south1) and Delhi (asia-south2) are listed Compute Engine regions. |
Runs an RTMP-capable encoder that sends a feed to YouTube. | You manage the encoder, source media, process supervision, logs, monitoring and recovery. Google’s regional listing does not prescribe a VM size or guarantee VM uptime. |
| Google Cloud Live Stream API | The India location listed for the API is Mumbai (asia-south1). Delhi is not in the API’s checked supported-region list. |
Accepts SRT or RTMP input, transcodes to HLS or DASH and writes output files to Cloud Storage. Its guide also supports remote RTMP distribution, which can be used to send output to YouTube. | Configure the input, channel, storage and distribution path; monitor the service and YouTube; handle a possible channel restart after 24 hours in an active state. |
These region details are from Google Cloud’s Compute Engine and Live Stream API location documentation, checked in 2026. Do not treat Compute Engine’s Delhi availability as proof that the Live Stream API is available there. Google recommends considering audience latency, cost, resilience and keeping the API input endpoint, channel and storage bucket near one another. Resource locations cannot be changed after creation.
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For a pre-recorded video loop or a custom encoder workflow, a VM is usually the more direct design: the encoder can control the source loop and you can supervise its process. Choose the managed API when its ingest, transcoding and output workflow matches your needs and you are prepared to configure its distribution path. Compare the actual configuration and current regional pricing before choosing; there is no universally cheaper or more reliable option established by the product documentation.
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Set up a 24/7 stream from a Compute Engine VM
The following procedure uses a VM in Mumbai or Delhi and a self-managed encoder. The machine must have enough CPU or other suitable compute capacity for the codec and resolution you choose, plus sustained network throughput for the stream. Google’s official regional and YouTube encoder guidance does not establish a universal VM shape, so test your selected machine with representative media before relying on it.
- Select a region and create the VM. In Google Cloud Console, open Compute Engine → VM instances and create a VM in Mumbai (
asia-south1) or Delhi (asia-south2). Choose the machine configuration based on your encoder, resolution and codec load; check it under the intended workload instead of assuming a particular size will work. Configure the operating system, disk and access needed to install and supervise your encoder. These components can incur charges. - Prepare a YouTube live event. In YouTube Studio, go to Create → Go Live, then create or schedule a stream. YouTube says first-time live-streaming activation can take up to 24 hours, so complete activation before your planned start. In Live Control Room, copy the server URL and stream key for the encoder. Treat the key like a password: do not publish it, include it in public logs or share it with anyone who should not be able to broadcast on your channel.
- Install and configure an encoder. Run FFmpeg, OBS or another implementation that can send RTMP or RTMPS from the VM. Set the encoder to H.264, constant bitrate (CBR), and a two-second keyframe interval; do not exceed four seconds. YouTube recommends RTMPS, the secure extension to RTMP, for an encrypted connection to and through Google’s servers. Enter the server URL and stream key from Live Control Room in the encoder’s streaming destination fields.
- Set a bitrate appropriate to the video. YouTube’s H.264 guidance recommends 14 Mbps for 1080p at 30 frames per second, with a 5 Mbps minimum; for 1080p at 60 frames per second, it recommends 17 Mbps, with a 6 Mbps minimum. These are YouTube encoder recommendations, not a guarantee that a particular VM, source or route can sustain that rate. Make sure the source and VM’s sustained outbound throughput can support your selected bitrate, then test with representative audio and motion.
- Make the source continuous and supervise the encoder. Configure the encoder or its input workflow to continue through the media you intend to broadcast. Set up process supervision and logging so you can detect when the encoder exits, the source ends or the connection fails, and arrange a restart or alert. A VM does not automatically make an encoder process or an unavailable source recover. Keep the machine and required services running for the broadcast.
- Start with a preview and verify the live feed. Start the encoder and check the preview and stream health in YouTube Live Control Room before making the event public or going live. Confirm picture, audio, bitrate and alerts. YouTube’s guidance recommends testing and monitoring stream health; do not treat a successful encoder launch alone as proof viewers are receiving a healthy stream.
- Test the recovery plan before unattended operation. Exercise the expected failure cases—an encoder restart, a source interruption and a dropped YouTube connection—and verify that your supervision and alerting detect them. Keep a way to access logs and restart the process. If using the managed API instead of a VM, separately test the behavior viewers see when a channel is restarted after its 24-hour active-session boundary.
Use the managed Live Stream API instead
The Live Stream API is not simply a VM encoder with a different name. Google describes a managed service that accepts SRT or RTMP input, transcodes to HLS or DASH and writes output to Cloud Storage. Its guide supports remote RTMP distribution, which is the relevant route for sending the service’s output to YouTube. Use a supported region—Mumbai is listed for India—and plan the input endpoint, channel and storage bucket together because resource locations cannot be changed afterward.
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Pay particular attention to session duration. Google Cloud’s Live Stream API quotas and limits documentation, checked in 2026, says: “Live stream sessions last for 24 hours after you start a channel. After 24 hours in any StreamingState other than STOPPED or STOPPING, the channel may be restarted.” That means the service does not promise one uninterrupted channel session for a 24/7 broadcast. Monitor the channel and YouTube output, determine what viewers see during a restart, and build and test recovery.
The quota documentation lists a default regional allocation of up to 10 simultaneously running channels and up to 20 inputs, subject to project quotas and possible changes. Verify the current quota for your project rather than assuming those defaults are available or sufficient for your workload.
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Plan around YouTube archives, rights and continuous operation
Do not assume a 24-hour stream produces one complete archive
YouTube Help says broadcasts under 12 hours are automatically archived. That statement does not establish that one 24-hour broadcast will be archived in full. If preserving a complete replay matters, verify YouTube’s current behavior for your channel and format; consider dividing the programming into shorter streams and confirm each resulting archive.
Streaming continuously does not change content rights
Use video and audio that you own or are authorized to broadcast, and review YouTube’s current copyright and reused-content rules if monetization matters. Repeating media does not itself establish permission to use it or eligibility for monetization. The technical setup can keep a feed online; it cannot grant rights or guarantee a channel or video’s policy status.
Keep continuity separate from uptime promises
A continuous schedule is an operational goal, not a guarantee that YouTube, Google Cloud, your VM, the encoder and the source will never fail. Monitor the stream and alerts, keep a recovery path, and decide in advance whether a brief interruption, a restarted live event or a split archive is acceptable for your audience.
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Troubleshoot common failures
| Symptom | Likely checks | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube does not receive the encoder feed | Check that the server URL and stream key are copied from the correct YouTube event, the key has not been changed, and the encoder is using a supported RTMP or RTMPS destination. | Re-enter the current event’s URL and key, confirm the encoder destination settings, then start the encoder and check Live Control Room again. Keep the key private. |
| The encoder connects, but stream health is poor or unstable | Compare the configured bitrate with the source and VM’s sustained outbound capacity. Check encoder load and whether the chosen codec, resolution and frame rate are sustainable on the VM. | Test with representative media and adjust the configuration or VM capacity to achieve a stable feed. Use YouTube’s H.264 bitrate recommendations as guidance, not a substitute for measuring your actual setup. |
| The stream stops when the video ends or the encoder exits | Check whether the source workflow is configured to continue and inspect encoder and supervisor logs for an exit or input error. | Correct the source loop or input workflow, configure process supervision and alerts, and test a restart before leaving the stream unattended. |
| A managed API channel restarts near the 24-hour mark | Check the channel state and the Live Stream API’s 24-hour active-session limit. | Monitor the transition, test its effect on YouTube viewers, and implement restart and recovery handling. Do not design around an assumption of one uninterrupted API session. |
| The stream runs, but a complete 24-hour replay is missing | YouTube Help’s automatic archive guidance applies to streams under 12 hours; it does not promise a full archive for a 24-hour broadcast. | Verify current archive behavior for your channel and consider scheduling shorter streams if a complete replay is important. |
Understand the cost of a Google Cloud stream
Google’s Compute Engine network pricing lists VM-to-YouTube transfer among specific Google-product transfers with no charge. That does not make the VM free. Compute runtime, disk, source storage, logging, monitoring and other services may still cost money. Check live Google Cloud pricing for the selected region and configuration before estimating a budget.
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For the Live Stream API, billing is hourly while a channel is active—any state other than STOPPED or STOPPING—and an active channel can incur charges even without input. Each remote distribution stream is an additional output, and distribution charges apply for the full active-channel period even if that distribution is not currently sending. A meaningful estimate therefore needs the resolution, codec, active-channel hours, output count and current prices; a generic fixed total would be misleading.
Or let it run in the cloud
If you do not want to operate a VM, encoder process and recovery setup yourself, StreamNeo keeps an uploaded video or playlist live on YouTube from its cloud. Upload your recording, add your YouTube stream key once and go live; it loops the uploaded video, not a camera feed. Nothing has to stay on at home. Each slot streams the uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps at one flat price per slot, with automatic recovery if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card, and the monthly option is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo plans, or start the free first day.
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