Owncast

Application512MB+ RAM

Self-hosted live streaming server

Download Server Compass View Documentation

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Deploy Owncast in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Owncast

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Command Line Setup

Install Owncast Manually

Set up Owncast yourself using Docker Compose and the command line.

Connect to Your VPS via SSH

Fire up your terminal application and establish a connection to your remote server.

terminal

# Access your VPS
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# With SSH key authentication
ssh -i ~/.ssh/your-private-key root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

First time? Ensure Docker is installed first: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Initialize Project Folder

Create a folder to house your Docker Compose configuration.

terminal

# Create and navigate to project directory
mkdir -p ~/apps/owncast
cd ~/apps/owncast

Create Docker Configuration

Define your services in a docker-compose.yml file:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  owncast:
    image: owncast/owncast:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
      - "1935:1935"
    volumes:
      - owncast_data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  owncast_data:

Configuration Options

PORTWeb port(default: 8080)

RTMP_PORTRTMP streaming port(default: 1935)

Execute the Deployment

Start your containers and verify they're running correctly.

terminal

# Launch the stack
docker compose up -d

# Verify container status
docker compose ps

# Follow the logs
docker compose logs --follow

Allow Network Access

Update UFW rules to allow traffic on the application port.

terminal

# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:8080

Skip the Terminal

Don't want to type commands? We've got you.

No terminal needed. Deploy Owncast through a visual dashboard with automatic configuration.

No terminal required
Point-and-click setup
Auto SSL certificates
Rolling deployments
Health monitoring
Instant rollbacks

Download Server Compass$29 one-time • Lifetime license

After Deployment

After deploying Owncast with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Access admin at /admin

Change stream key

Configure your streaming software

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Owncast FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Owncast

How do I deploy Owncast with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Owncast from the templates list. Fill in the required configuration and click Deploy. The entire process takes under 3 minutes.

What are the system requirements for Owncast?

Owncast requires a minimum of 512MB RAM. We recommend a VPS with at least 1024MB RAM for optimal performance. Any modern Linux server with Docker support will work.

Can I migrate my existing Owncast data?

Yes! Server Compass provides volume mapping that allows you to import existing data. You can also use standard Owncast backup and restore procedures.

How do I update Owncast to the latest version?

Server Compass makes updates easy. Simply click the Update button in your deployment dashboard, and the latest Owncast image will be pulled and deployed with zero downtime.

Is Owncast free to self-host?

Owncast is open-source software. You only pay for your VPS hosting (typically $5-20/month) and optionally Server Compass ($29 one-time). No subscription fees or per-seat pricing.