SRS (Simple Realtime Server)

SRS (Simple Realtime Server) is an open-source, high-performance real-time media server designed for building live streaming and real-time communication (RTC) services. It acts as a streaming gateway that ingests and delivers media across multiple protocols with an emphasis on low latency and efficiency.

Key Features

• Multi-protocol streaming support including RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, HTTP-FLV, SRT, MPEG-DASH, and GB28181
• Broad codec compatibility, including H.264, H.265/HEVC, AV1, VP9, AAC, Opus, and G.711
• Designed for high throughput and low-latency delivery for live streaming and RTC scenarios
• Docker-friendly deployments and support for cloud-native workflows
• Built-in observability support (commonly used with Prometheus exporters)

Use Cases

• Live streaming platforms that need RTMP ingest with HLS/HTTP-FLV/WebRTC playback
• Low-latency streaming for interactive events, gaming, and real-time broadcasts
• Video gateway services bridging traditional streaming protocols with WebRTC

Limitations and Considerations

• Primarily focused on media transport/gateway capabilities; a complete video platform typically requires additional components (players, authentication, recording/transcoding pipelines)

SRS is a strong fit when you need a reliable, efficient media server with broad protocol support and production-oriented performance characteristics. It is commonly used as a core building block in custom live streaming and WebRTC solutions.