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Jon is the Chief Operating Officer at Dacast. He has over 20 years of experience working in Digital Marketing with a specialty in AudioVisual and Live Streaming technology.
By Dacast Editorial Team | Reviewed by Jon Whitehead, COO at Dacast | Updated November 2026
RTMP ingest is the process of sending a live video feed from an encoder to an online video platform (OVP). The encoder connects to the platform using an RTMP URL and stream key, transmitting continuous video data that the platform then repackages, typically into HLS, for delivery to viewers on any device.
In 2026, live streaming is the standard for everything from global sports broadcasts to internal company town halls. However, one of the most important technical decisions behind the scenes remains the choice of live streaming ingest protocol, the way your video gets from the encoder to the streaming platform.
While newer protocols like SRT and WebRTC are gaining traction for ultra-low-latency and peer-to-peer use cases, RTMP ingest is still the backbone of most professional live streams. Its combination of reliability, encoder compatibility, and affordability has kept it as the default ingest method across the industry.
RTMP ingest plays a central role for broadcasters using Dacast. It pushes streams into the platform, which then automatically delivers them to viewers via adaptive bitrate (ABR) HLS. This RTMP-to-HLS workflow ensures smooth playback on any device, from mobile to smart TVs, while giving broadcasters the flexibility to reach large audiences without technical headaches.
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents
RTMP, or Real-Time Messaging Protocol, has been a cornerstone of online video for over two decades. Originally developed by Macromedia, later acquired by Adobe, it was designed to deliver audio and video through Flash Player, powering much of the early internet’s video ecosystem, from embedded clips to early live streams. Back then, “RTMP streaming” and “Flash streaming” were practically synonymous.
By the early 2020s, browsers fully dropped Flash support, making RTMP-based delivery to players obsolete. But RTMP itself evolved. Today, its primary role is RTMP ingest: sending a live feed from an encoder into a streaming platform. From there, the video is repackaged into modern delivery formats like HLS for playback on any device.
Key distinction: RTMP delivery (Flash era) is dead. RTMP ingest, sending video into a platform, is very much alive and is the default ingest method across the streaming industry today.
When comparing RTMP vs. SRT vs. WebRTC, even as emerging protocols gain ground for specialized use cases, most broadcasters still rely on RTMP as the simplest, most proven ingest solution. That said, the protocol landscape is shifting, and hybrid workflows are becoming more common (more on that in the Future section).
For a broad overview of the RTMP protocol, including protocol history, comparisons with SRT and WebRTC, and the complete encoder settings reference, see our complete guide to the RTMP protocol.
RTMP ingest is the entry point for your live stream, the step where raw video captured by your camera first enters the professional streaming workflow. An encoder (software like OBS Studio, or hardware like a Teradek device) connects to the platform using an RTMP URL and stream key, then continuously sends video data to the online video platform (OVP).
The basic path a live stream follows:
Camera → Encoder → Online Video Platform (RTMP) → CDN Servers → Video Player (HLS)
The OVP ingests the video, repackages it, usually into HLS with adaptive bitrate (ABR) and distributes it through a content delivery network (CDN) for smooth playback across devices.
Standard RTMP transmits data without encryption. Broadcasters today almost universally use RTMPS (RTMP over TLS/SSL), which works identically but adds the same encryption layer that secures HTTPS websites. This protects the video feed from interception between the encoder and the platform.
RTMPS is especially important for:
Platforms like Dacast support RTMPS by default, and can layer in additional protections like tokenized URLs (time-limited stream keys), password protection, and domain-level access restrictions.
At a protocol level, every RTMP connection follows three phases: