Yes. If your encoder is running on the OVHcloud VPS inside a persistent server-side session such as tmux, closing your local SSH client need not stop it. The encoder must be running on the VPS, not in a terminal on your own computer.
That only addresses an ordinary SSH disconnect. tmux does not restart a crashed encoder, protect a process from a VPS reboot, or restore a broken connection to YouTube; each needs its own recovery and checking plan.
Short answer: SSH logout need not stop the encoder
SSH is the connection you use to control the remote VPS. If you close that connection while an ordinary foreground command is attached directly to your SSH terminal, the command may receive a hangup signal and end. A persistent terminal session separates the command from that client connection: tmux keeps a server-side session open, and you can detach your terminal from it before logging out.
The distinction is practical. If you start tmux on the VPS, run the encoder in a pane within that session, and detach cleanly, closing your laptop or SSH app does not itself close the tmux session. When you return, you can reconnect to the VPS and attach to the session to inspect the terminal. This is process persistence across a client disconnect, not a promise that the stream will continue under every failure.
Make sure the encoder itself runs remotely. A command running on your laptop does not move to the VPS just because the SSH window is open. Nor does tmux guarantee that a process survives every operating-system event or reconnects to YouTube. OVHcloud’s VPS security guidance covers SSH administration, but it is not a guarantee of encoder persistence.
Separate the four failure modes
A stream can appear to fail for different reasons, and each calls for a different check. Treating all of them as “SSH dropped” can leave a channel offline while you assume tmux has handled it.
| What failed | What you may observe | What tmux can do | What to check or plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSH client connection | Your terminal closes or loses its connection | Keep an existing server-side tmux session available | Reconnect and inspect that session |
| Encoder process | The command exits, hangs, or reports an error | Preserve the session, but not the failed process | Inspect logs and configure separate supervision if needed |
| VPS operating system or instance | The VPS restarts or becomes unreachable | Nothing to keep a process running through a reboot | Check VPS status and arrange a tested start-on-boot plan |
| YouTube ingest connection | The encoder is running but YouTube is not receiving a healthy signal | Nothing to repair the ingest path automatically | Check the encoder output, network path, URL, key and Live Control Room |
The “encoder process” row matters even if the tmux window remains visible. A pane can still show the last error after the command exits; the existence of a session is not evidence that the encoder is running. Likewise, a process can remain active while its attempt to send video has failed.
A VPS reboot is a different boundary again. tmux sessions are not a substitute for a service or startup configuration that launches your chosen encoder after the operating system comes back. Even a working restart mechanism cannot establish that YouTube has accepted the stream. Plan to check each layer rather than infer one from another.
If your output is a playlist of existing recordings, make sure the media workflow is sound before you investigate persistence. The guide to adding a folder of videos for continuous playback addresses a different part of the chain: getting the source material to play continuously. It does not change tmux’s role.
Install or open tmux on the VPS
Connect to your VPS using your usual SSH client, then check whether tmux is available. On many Linux distributions, you can run tmux -V to check for an installed version. If the shell reports that the command is unavailable, install the package using the package manager and instructions for the VPS’s actual distribution. Package names and commands vary, so do not paste an installation command intended for another system without checking it first.
The basic workflow is to start a named session on the remote host, run the encoder inside it, then detach from the tmux client while leaving the session running. For example, tmux new -s live creates a session named live and attaches your terminal to it. You are now interacting with a shell inside tmux, on the VPS. Start the encoder there using the command you have configured and tested for your media and YouTube settings.
A named session is easier to find later than an unnamed one. To see existing sessions, use tmux ls; to reattach to a session called live, use tmux attach -t live. If there are no sessions, that may mean the encoder was never started in tmux, the session was deliberately ended, or the VPS restarted. It does not tell you which without further inspection.
Do not install packages or run an encoder as root simply because it is convenient. Use the account and permissions appropriate to your setup, keep the VPS updated, and protect its SSH access. OVHcloud’s security guidance is useful for the host-access part; it does not validate your encoder command, stream settings or broadcast.
Start the encoder in a persistent session
The order of operations is important. Open SSH, create the tmux session on the VPS, and launch the encoder from a shell inside that session. Confirm that it begins producing output without an immediate error before detaching. If you launch it in your local terminal before opening tmux, tmux cannot adopt that process after the fact.
Use the current ingest URL and stream key shown for your broadcast in YouTube Live Control Room. YouTube’s guidance on encrypting a stream with RTMPS says to obtain the RTMPS URL in Live Control Room and provide it with the stream key to the encoder. Keep the key private: avoid exposing it in screenshots, public logs or shared shell history. If a key has been exposed, use YouTube’s current controls to replace it.
Choose the ingest protocol that your encoder and stream configuration support. Do not copy settings for one protocol into another. For example, YouTube’s RTMPS workflow uses a server URL and stream key, while its HLS setup guidance describes a segmented delivery method with its own requirements. YouTube documents HLS for cases such as HDR or codecs that are not supported by RTMP; the HLS approach has higher latency than a continuous RTMP stream.
There is no safe universal FFmpeg command to paste into this article. The right command depends on the input file or live source, codecs, chosen ingest method and VPS environment. A command that starts successfully can still send incompatible media or fail when the source reaches its end. Test the actual media and inspect encoder output before relying on it overnight.
If your channel plays devotional recordings or a similar continuous playlist, first confirm that the source and stream settings match. The practical steps for looping Christian devotional videos from a Linux VPS may help with the playback side, but looping media and preserving a process are separate tasks. For an audio-led station, the audio bitrate guide for a 24/7 radio stream covers another setting that tmux cannot choose for you.
Detach safely and reconnect to inspect
When the encoder is running inside tmux, detach using tmux’s keyboard sequence: press Ctrl-b, release it, then press d. This detaches your terminal from the session; it does not send a stop command to the encoder or close the tmux session. You can then exit SSH. Avoid using exit in the shell running the encoder if your intention is to leave the process running, because exiting that shell can end the command or session depending on how it was launched.
When you reconnect, list the sessions with tmux ls, then attach to the named session. Read the encoder’s current output rather than only noting that a session exists. If the command has exited, look for its final error and check any logs you configured. If the pane is blank or unfamiliar, confirm which account and VPS you have connected to before taking action.
A useful first test is to detach, close SSH deliberately, wait a short while, and reconnect. Confirm that the expected session is still present and that the encoder is still producing output. Then separately check the stream in YouTube Live Control Room. This verifies the exact routine you plan to use, but it is not a guarantee against a later crash, network interruption or reboot.
It can help to write down the session name, the account used to start it, the command or service involved, and where logs are stored. Do not put the stream key in that note. If another person needs to recover the channel, a concise runbook is more useful than relying on someone remembering which terminal was left open.
Add separate crash and reboot recovery
For recovery beyond SSH logout, add a process supervisor or service configuration suited to your Linux distribution and encoder. Its purpose is to detect a process that exits and, if configured, start it again. A startup service can also launch the encoder after a VPS reboot. These are separate behaviours to configure and test; tmux alone provides neither.
Do not install a restart loop without understanding the failure it will repeat. If the media file path is wrong, the stream key has been rotated, or the encoder command uses incompatible options, automatic retries may produce repeated failures rather than a working stream. Capture useful logs, set sensible restart behaviour, and make sure someone can distinguish a recovered process from a process that is continually failing.
Test recovery deliberately during a maintenance window. Stop the encoder process and see whether the supervisor behaves as intended; then, if your operating procedure permits, test what happens after a controlled VPS restart. After either test, verify the encoder output and YouTube’s receiving status. A service marked active can mean only that a process exists, not that it is sending valid video or that YouTube has accepted it.
The VPS plan is also part of the workload, but do not infer a suitable plan from the fact that tmux works. CPU, memory, network capacity, codec and bitrate all affect the encoder workload, and no general mapping from an OVHcloud plan to a particular stream follows from the tmux workflow. If you use a VPS for prerecorded content, the guide to reducing VPS costs for a nonstop stream can help frame cost questions; it is not a plan-sizing guarantee.
Monitor whether YouTube receives the stream
A live encoder process is only one signal. Check its output for connection and encoding errors, and check Live Control Room to confirm YouTube is receiving the stream and showing the expected status. If the VPS shows an active command but Live Control Room does not show a healthy incoming stream, troubleshoot the ingest path rather than assuming that tmux failed.
Start with the protocol, URL and key. YouTube’s RTMPS documentation advises using the RTMPS server URL and protocol when troubleshooting the connection and SSL issues covered by that page. Confirm that the URL comes from the current Live Control Room settings, that the key belongs to the intended stream, and that the encoder is configured for the matching protocol. Do not publish the key while sharing logs for help.
HLS and DASH are not interchangeable labels for the same configuration. YouTube’s HLS documentation specifies segments and a rolling playlist; Google’s DASH encoding guide sets requirements for the encoder’s output, including audio and video tracks and closed GOPs. The DASH guide describes a GOP size of around two seconds and below eight seconds; YouTube’s HLS guidance specifies segment durations from one to four seconds. These are protocol requirements, not recommendations for every RTMPS encoder. Use the documentation for the method you actually selected.
Finally, distinguish an ingest problem from a playback or channel issue. A viewer may report a delay or stale picture even while YouTube receives a stream; conversely, the encoder may be busy while ingest is disconnected. Record what the encoder reports, what the VPS reports, and what Live Control Room shows, with times and without exposing secrets. That evidence makes the next troubleshooting step more specific than simply restarting everything.
For a channel that needs you to close your own computer after setup, StreamNeo removes that particular local-computer dependency by running an uploaded file as a 24/7 YouTube live stream after you provide the stream key; it does not remove the need to verify YouTube’s status or address your channel’s content and rights.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Will my stream stop if I disconnect from SSH?
Not necessarily. If the encoder is running on the VPS inside a tmux session and you detach before closing SSH, the SSH disconnect alone need not stop it. Check the session and YouTube Live Control Room after reconnecting.
Does tmux restart FFmpeg if it crashes?
No. tmux keeps a terminal session available; it does not supervise or restart a command that exits. Configure and test a separate process supervisor if automatic restart is a requirement.
Will tmux keep the stream running through an OVHcloud VPS reboot?
No. A reboot stops processes in the running operating system, including the tmux session. A separate start-on-boot arrangement may relaunch an encoder afterwards, but you still need to confirm that it connects and YouTube receives the stream.
How do I know YouTube is receiving the broadcast?
Inspect the encoder’s output and check the stream’s status in YouTube Live Control Room. An active tmux session or process is not proof of successful ingest.