RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) is an application-level protocol that carries and multiplexes audio, video and interactive data between systems, commonly sending a live stream from an encoder to a platform such as Twitch or YouTube. It is not a video codec, an encoder or a streaming service. RTMPS is its encrypted counterpart, where supported.
What RTMP does—and what it does not do
Adobe’s RTMP specification describes a protocol that organizes multimedia messages, including timing information, and transports them over a suitable connection such as TCP. It handles how media messages are carried; it does not define how the audio or video is compressed. That is the codec’s job.
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- Protocol: the rules for packaging and transporting messages.
- Codec: the method used to encode audio or video, such as H.264.
- Encoder: software or hardware that captures or prepares media and sends it using a protocol.
- Streaming platform: the service that receives the stream and makes it available to viewers.
These parts work together, but they are not interchangeable. RTMP alone does not set a stream’s resolution, bitrate or visual quality; those depend on the encoded media and the receiving platform’s requirements.
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RTMP emerged from Adobe’s Flash media ecosystem. An Adobe-authored informational RFC explains that real-time communication on the Flash platform typically used RTMP messages, originally designed for RTMP Chunk Stream over TCP. Adobe developed the protocols and profiles described there; they were not the result of an IETF activity.
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Adobe ended Flash Player support on December 31, 2020, and blocked Flash content from running in the player beginning January 12, 2021. Its end-of-life notice pointed to the maturity of open web standards, including HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly. Those dates mark the end of Flash Player, not the end of RTMP: the protocol continues to be used for live-stream ingestion by platforms that support it.
What RTMP is used for today
RTMP is commonly used to send a live broadcast from an encoder to a platform’s ingest server. Twitch’s developer documentation describes software encoders, hardware encoders and consoles sending captured video over the internet to Twitch using RTMP. Its documented broadcast URL follows the pattern rtmp://<ingest-server>/app/<stream-key>; Twitch assigns the stream key as an authorization credential. Never publish or share a real stream key.
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YouTube’s Live documentation, last updated June 1, 2026, lists RTMP and RTMPS among its third-party ingest options, alongside HLS and DASH. Platform support and requirements can change, so check the receiving service’s current instructions when configuring an encoder.
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RTMP vs. RTMPS, HLS and DASH
The following capabilities are specific to YouTube’s published ingestion comparison, last updated June 1, 2026. They should not be assumed to apply to other services.
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| Protocol | Encryption in YouTube’s comparison | Documented codec and use notes | Latency notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTMP | Not encrypted | H.264 | Suitable for normal, low or ultra-low latency. |
| RTMPS | Encrypted | H.264; secure extension to RTMP | Suitable for normal, low or ultra-low latency. |
| HLS | Encrypted | H.264 and H.265/HEVC; YouTube notes 4K and HDR use. | Not suitable for ultra-low latency; segment-based ingestion typically has greater latency than RTMP. |
| DASH | Encrypted | H.264 and VP9; YouTube notes 4K use. | Not suitable for ultra-low latency; segment-based ingestion typically has greater latency than RTMP. |
RTMPS sends RTMP through an SSL connection. YouTube describes the encryption as protection against interception or tampering of ingestion traffic in transit, including video, audio and control signals. When a platform offers RTMPS and your encoder supports it, it is the encrypted option. HLS and DASH may suit workflows that need the codec support YouTube documents for them, but their segment-based ingest is not suitable for ultra-low-latency streaming.
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Choosing an ingestion protocol
- Start with the receiving platform’s current ingest options; a protocol is useful only if that service accepts it.
- Consider encryption in transit. YouTube identifies RTMPS as its secure RTMP extension.
- Match the codec and delivery method to the platform’s documented support and your resolution or HDR needs.
- Consider latency: YouTube lists RTMP and RTMPS for ultra-low latency, while HLS and DASH are not suitable for that mode.
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