Oryx: Build Your Own Streaming / WebRTC Service

 

What is Oryx?

Oryx (previously known as “SRS Stack”) is an open-source, all-in-one video platform solution created by OSSRS. According to its GitHub repo:

“Oryx(SRS Stack) is an all-in-one, out-of-the-box, and open-source video solution for creating online video services, including live streaming and WebRTC, on the cloud or through self-hosting.”

It’s perfect for building live streaming platforms, WebRTC chat/streaming, or video services (HLS/RTMP/SRT/WebRTC etc). Oryx is built using Go, ReactJS, SRS (Streaming Server), FFmpeg, Redis, and more.

Why use Oryx?

• Supports many streaming protocols: RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, HTTP-FLV, SRT. More info
• Comes with authentication, management UI, recording, transcoding, multi-platform restreaming.
• Open-source (MIT license) so you can self-host and extend it.
• Integrates many pieces: stream ingest, transcoding, playback protocols, management — saving you time.

Getting Started: Running Oryx

Here’s a quick guide to get started using Docker, as recommended in the repo.

1. Pull & Run via Docker

docker run --restart always -d -it --name oryx \
  -v $HOME/data:/data \
  -p 80:2022 -p 443:2443 -p 1935:1935 -p 8000:8000/udp -p 10080:10080/udp \
  ossrs/oryx:5

Important notes:

• Mount the /data volume to keep your configs, recordings, and logs persistent.
• Use a real IP or domain for WebRTC; localhost may not work in browsers.

2. Access the Web UI

• Open browser: http://<your-host> or https://<your-host>
• Sign in / set up admin password.
• Configure streaming ingest (RTMP, SRT, WebRTC).
• Set up playback URLs (HLS, WebRTC, HTTP-FLV).
• Verify streams are working, transcoding is functional, and recordings are stored.

3. Configuration & Data

Inside /data:

• config: Config files (.env, SRS, Nginx, SSL)
• dvr / record: Stored recordings / DVR
• Other folders: upload, vlive, transcript, nginx-cache for additional features
• .well-known folder if using Let’s Encrypt for HTTPS

4. Production Tips

• Use a domain name + HTTPS, especially for WebRTC.
• Ensure sufficient CPU/RAM for transcoding.
• Back up recordings & logs regularly.
• Configure authentication and restrict who can stream.
• Monitor performance: bandwidth, CPU, memory, streaming quality.
• Consider CDN or caching for large audiences.

Use Case Ideas

• Live webinars or virtual events with RTMP/WebRTC ingest and HLS/WebRTC delivery.
• WebRTC chat rooms or live interactive sessions.
• Multi-platform restreaming to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, etc.
• Recording and replay for on-demand video.
• Self-hosted alternative to SaaS streaming platforms.

Potential Limitations

• Setup & maintenance: production streaming requires infrastructure and monitoring.
• Hardware: Transcoding is resource-intensive.
• Scaling: large audiences need load balancing / CDN.
• Documentation: self-hosting may need deeper streaming knowledge.
• Experimental features (AI, transcription, dubbing) may be unstable.

Summary

Oryx is an excellent open-source foundation for building live streaming and WebRTC services. It supports multiple protocols, recording, management UI, and self-hosting. Docker makes getting started easy, but production requires careful configuration, monitoring, and testing.

Learn more and get started here: Oryx GitHub Repository