Owncast

Owncast is a self-hosted live video and audio streaming server that lets you run your own “Twitch-like” site. It accepts an RTMP ingest from common streaming tools and publishes a web-based player with integrated chat and a customizable stream page.

Key Features

• RTMP ingest for live broadcasts (works with OBS, Streamlabs, etc.)
• Built-in web player and stream page you can host under your own domain
• Integrated real-time chat with moderation tools (ban/timeout, message deletion, etc.)
• Viewer authentication options and configurable chat/stream settings
• Admin dashboard for configuring the instance, stream metadata, and appearance
• Embeddable player/chat to integrate streams into other websites
• Recording/archiving support and basic file/media handling for stream assets
• Theming/customization for the viewer-facing page (branding, layouts)

Use Cases

• Creators hosting independent live streams without relying on Twitch/YouTube
• Organizations running internal live events (town halls, training sessions)
• Communities streaming meetups or conferences with moderated chat

Limitations and Considerations

• Feature set is intentionally lighter than large platforms (e.g., discovery, recommendations, and large-scale creator monetization are out of scope).

Owncast is a pragmatic option for running a private or public live stream with chat using familiar broadcast tooling and a simple web experience. It prioritizes ease of deployment and ownership of your streaming platform over platform-scale social features.