Configuring SRS Origin and Edge Servers | Generated by AI

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Question: In SRS (Simple RTMP Server), how to configure the edge endpoint and main (origin) endpoint?

Answer:

In SRS (Simple RTMP Server), the main endpoint is typically called the origin server, and the edge endpoint is the edge server (used for scaling to many viewers via pull from origin).

Origin Server (Main) Configuration

The origin server receives RTMP pushes from encoders (OBS, FFmpeg, etc.) and serves streams to edges or directly to players.

Example minimal origin.conf (or use full.conf and modify):

listen              1935;           # RTMP listen port for publishers/players
max_connections     1000;
pid                 objs/origin.pid;
srs_log_file        ./objs/origin.log;

vhost __defaultVhost__ {
    # No special cluster config needed on origin
    # You can enable HLS/HTTP-FLV etc. here if needed
    hls {
        enabled         on;
        hls_path        ./objs/nginx/html;
        hls_fragment    10;
        hls_window      60;
    }
}

Run it with:

./objs/srs -c origin.conf

Clients push to: rtmp://your-origin-ip/live/stream_key

Edge Server Configuration

The edge server pulls streams from the origin on-demand when a player connects (better than forward mode for large scale).

Example minimal edge.conf:

listen              1935;           # RTMP listen port for players (and sometimes publishers)
max_connections     5000;           # Edges usually handle more connections
pid                 objs/edge.pid;
srs_log_file        ./objs/edge.log;

vhost __defaultVhost__ {
    cluster {
        mode            remote;     # Most common mode: pull from origin on demand
        origin          192.168.1.10:1935;   # Change to your origin IP:port
        # Or multiple origins (SRS will try next one if current fails):
        # origin        192.168.1.10:1935 192.168.1.11:1935;
        
        # Optional: edge cluster name (for stats/management)
        # name          edge001;
        
        # Optional: only pull when there are players (default behavior)
    }
    
    # Optional: enable HTTP-FLV/HLS on edge too
    http_remux {
        enabled     on;
        mount       [vhost]/live/livestream.flv;
    }
}

Run it with:

./objs/srs -c edge.conf

Players connect to: rtmp://your-edge-ip/live/stream_key
SRS edge will automatically pull from origin if the stream isn’t cached locally.

Summary of Key Differences

Item Origin (Main) Server Edge Server
Role Receives publish from encoder Serves many players, pulls from origin
cluster.mode Not set (or local if needed) remote
origin config Not needed Required: IP:port of origin
Typical use Core/central server CDN edge node, many instances
Pull on demand N/A Yes (only fetches when someone plays)

Advanced Notes

References:

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