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7. Stream to Twitch

7.1 Overview

The relay streams to Twitch. How you configure the Twitch service depends on whether you are a Twitch Partner or not.

7.2 Enable Twitch

  1. In env/relay.env, set TWITCH_KEY to the stream key provided by Twitch.
  2. Partners only: set TWITCH_PARTNER=TRUE.

  3. Recreate the container so it reads the new values:

    docker compose up -d --force-recreate

  4. Confirm the service is enabled:

    docker compose logs relay | grep -iE "twitch|error"

    Non-partner output: Twitch Non-Partner configuration complete, and service enabled.

    Partner output: Twitch Partner configuration complete, and service enabled.

    If you see TWITCH_KEY is not set. Skipping Twitch configuration., check step 1. If you see an ERROR: line, the container has stopped: correct the variable it names.

7.3 Partner vs. Non-Partner Streaming

Twitch partners with transcoding services should send higher-bitrate streams to take advantage of Twitch's multi-bitrate transcoding. Non-partners should use the relay's built-in transcoding to optimize their streams for Twitch.

  • Partner mode (TWITCH_PARTNER=TRUE) uses the simple relay pattern: the relay forwards your stream to Twitch without re-encoding it. Only TWITCH_KEY and TWITCH_ENDPOINT apply; all other Twitch variables are ignored.
  • Non-partner mode (the default) uses the transformer pattern: the relay re-encodes the stream with FFmpeg before forwarding it, so you can send a high-quality stream from your streaming software while the relay produces one suited to Twitch.

7.4 Settings

Choose TWITCH_ENDPOINT from the current endpoint list. In non-partner mode, the encoder settings (TWITCH_HEIGHT, TWITCH_FPS, TWITCH_KBITS_PER_VIDEO_FRAME, TWITCH_X264_PRESET, TWITCH_AUDIO_BITRATE, TWITCH_AUDIO_CHANNELS, TWITCH_FFMPEG_THREADS) control the output.

For every Twitch variable's default and valid values, see Twitch Variables.

7.4.1 Fixed Output Settings

The transformer always applies these settings. No variable changes them.

Property Value
Audio codec AAC, 44.1 kHz
Video codec H.264, Main profile, 4:2:0 (yuv420p)
Rate control Constant bitrate (CBR)
Keyframe interval 2 seconds (2 × TWITCH_FPS frames), no scene-cut keyframes

7.4.2 Optimizing Twitch Quality

For non-partners, viewers may only be able to watch your stream at the quality you transmit. High-bandwidth streams may be unwatchable for viewers with slower connections, and Twitch does not reliably transcode streams for non-partners.

Twitch publishes its bitrate and encoder limits in its Broadcasting Guidelines. Check them before raising TWITCH_KBITS_PER_VIDEO_FRAME or TWITCH_AUDIO_BITRATE above the defaults.

7.4.3.1 TWITCH_KBITS_PER_VIDEO_FRAME

This setting controls the video bitrate using the formula: bitrate = TWITCH_KBITS_PER_VIDEO_FRAME * FPS

Recommended starting values: - 1080p streams: 100 - 720p streams: 75

If your stream is pixelated or blurry, increase this value. If you are dropping frames, decrease it.

7.4.3.2 Bitrate Reference Table

Resolution FPS Video Bitrate TWITCH_KBITS_PER_VIDEO_FRAME
1920x1080 60 6000 Kbps 100
1920x1080 50 5000 Kbps 100
1920x1080 30 3000 Kbps 100
1920x1080 25 2500 Kbps 100
1280x720 60 4500 Kbps 75
1280x720 50 3750 Kbps 75
1280x720 30 2250 Kbps 75
1280x720 25 1875 Kbps 75

7.5 See Also