Connect OBS to ApexStream

This article walks you through pointing OBS Studio at ApexStream so your broadcast comes in through your encoder and multistreams out to every destination you've enabled.

Get your server address and stream key

1. In your ApexStream dashboard, open Settings, then Stream Setup.
2. In the Connect your encoder panel, select the RTMP or RTMPS tab. RTMPS is the encrypted option and is included in every plan, although the dashboard currently shows the RTMPS tab only for paid plans.
3. Copy the Ingest Server URL and your Stream Key.

Set up OBS

1. In OBS, go to Settings > Stream.
2. Set Service to Custom....
3. Paste the ApexStream Ingest Server URL into the Server field.
4. Paste your Stream Key into the Stream Key field.
5. Click Apply, then OK.

Match your OBS output resolution to what your plan supports — the Free plan caps incoming streams at 720p, Hobby at 1080p, and Creator and above support up to 4K. Streaming higher than your plan's cap won't gain you anything.

Go live

1. In OBS, click Start Streaming.
2. From your ApexStream dashboard, open the stream. It moves from waiting for a signal to live once ApexStream detects your feed, and your bitrate and frame rate start reporting.
3. Turn on every destination you want for this broadcast in the Your Channels panel — it shows how many are active, like "2 of 3 active." ApexStream only sends your stream to destinations that are switched on.
4. When you're finished, click Stop Streaming in OBS, or end the broadcast from your ApexStream dashboard.

Good to know: If OBS can't connect, double-check that you pasted the whole Ingest Server URL (not just part of it) and that the Stream Key field has your ApexStream key pasted in exactly — a partial or mismatched copy is the most common cause of a failed connection.