There are multiple reasons why you would want to run a OBS Studio instance in the cloud and not having to use your local PC. Running 24/7 streams, doing IRL streams or simply not wanting to buy expensive hardware can be good reasons to use a cloud-based solution.
What do I need to host OBS Studio on a cloud server?
In order to guarantee reliable streaming, you will need a cloud server with enough power to handle the complex task of encoding your stream. Video encoding is a very demanding task for a CPU and depending on your desired resolution, frames per second and bitrate you will need to look at CPUs in the mid tier to high tier range.
Creating your scenes in OBS Studio is a task that depends on GPU power and in case you want to feed another stream into your OBS Studio instance like it’s the case for IRL Streams, you will also need to have enough power do decode the incoming stream so that the feed is played back without any problems inside OBS Studio.
Therefore a GPU is highly recommended when working with video decoding and encoding in general and you should get a server featuring a GPU to make sure your workflows run smoothly.
What is the easiest way to host OBS Studio on a cloud server?
The easiest way to host OBS Studio on a cloud server without having to install anything is by renting a ready-to-use Cloud OBS Server. Our servers offer enough power to run 1080p @ 60fps streams and allow you to login remotely to the machine so that you can control the server and the OBS Studio instance on the server using your computer or even your smartphone.
What are the advantages of using OBS Studio in the cloud?
There are different advantages when it comes to hosting OBS Studio in the cloud. As data centers offer a very stable connection with a lot of bandwidth, you may be able to achieve better stability, reliability and performance using a server in a data center.
Running a stream 24/7 can also be a pain if you need to have a local computer running without interruptions. Using a server that is built for running 24/7 will remove the need for you to run a computer at home or in the office. Data centers offer the best environment for running 24/7 operations by featuring air conditioning systems, uninterrupted power supply, fast and stable Internet connections and hardware built for 24/7 usage.
IRL (In Real Life) streaming is getting more and more popular and as mobile Internet connections tend to be unstable and unreliable, most streamers use some form of OBS Studio in the cloud to offer a stable stream to the viewers. By doing so the viewers will always see what the server sends and in case the mobile connection is interrupted, the scene is automatically switched to inform the viewer about the interruption.
How do I install OBS Studio on a cloud server?
Installing OBS Studio on a cloud server works the same way as it does locally. Depending on the operating system of your cloud server (Windows/Linux) the procedure might be a little different. Before you install OBS Studio you will need to make sure that the drivers for your hardware are installed correctly so that you can use hardware acceleration for your workflows inside OBS Studio and on your cloud server in general.
As the installation steps differ depending on your chosen cloud hosting provider, the hardware you chose and the operating system you installed, we cannot offer a general guide but want to provide you with the necessary information regarding the system requirements and generally applicable steps in order to get your system up and running.
Can I also host other video streaming software on a cloud server?
Absolutely. You just need to make sure that your license allows you to run the software on a cloud server. As this is currently the case for most of the streaming software available chances are that you can do so without any problems. The system requirements mentioned above apply to all video decoding and encoding tasks and are therefore also applicable to other video streaming software that you might want to host in the cloud.