To send an RTMP stream from vMix to Wowza Streaming Engine, select a live application in Wowza, then enter its connection URL and incoming stream name in vMix’s Custom RTMP Server settings. If source authentication is enabled, provide the source username and password; after you start the stream, confirm that Wowza Manager shows it as active.
The important distinction is that the URL identifies the Wowza host, port and application, while vMix’s separate Stream Key field carries the stream name. The configured port and application’s authentication settings are specific to your installation, so do not assume that a sample address or the default port applies to your server.
Prepare a live application in Wowza
Start by creating or selecting a live streaming application in Wowza Streaming Engine. The application is the destination context for a publisher: it tells Engine which live workflow should receive the incoming RTMP connection. If you already have an application intended for this stream, use it rather than creating a second one without a reason.
In Engine Manager, review the selected application’s configuration and note its name exactly as shown. Capitalisation, punctuation and spelling matter when you enter a destination. Also determine whether the application requires source authentication and which source account should publish to it. Viewer or playback credentials are not a substitute for publisher credentials.
Keep the settings in one working note before opening vMix: Wowza host or IP, the port configured for RTMP, application name, incoming stream name, and source username and password if required. Do not put a real password in a shared document or in screenshots that may be sent for support. If credentials are provided by another administrator, ask them to confirm which application they are for.
Wowza’s RTMP encoder setup guide describes connecting an encoder to a live application, including the connection URL and source authentication. Its publisher connection guide is useful if you need to check how a publisher is expected to connect in your Engine deployment.
Collect the host, port, application and stream name
These four values are related, but they do different jobs. The host or IP points vMix to the Wowza server. The port selects the listener for the protocol. The application identifies the live application. The stream name identifies the source stream that will appear within that application.
Use the actual address and port provided for your Wowza installation. Wowza documents TCP 1935 as the default RTMP port, but that is not a universal value: the server’s configured VHost listener is authoritative. A hosted or managed deployment may give you a different port or a hostname that should be used instead of an IP address. If you are not responsible for Engine configuration, ask the administrator for the exact publisher connection details rather than guessing.
The application name should match the live application you prepared. The stream name is a name you assign or select for this incoming source; it is not the application name and it is not the source password. Pick a clear name that you can recognise later in Incoming Streams, especially if more than one encoder publishes to the same application.
A simple inventory helps prevent field-mapping errors:
| Value | What it identifies | Where it goes in this setup |
|---|---|---|
| Wowza host or IP | The Engine server accepting the connection | The host portion of vMix’s URL |
| Configured RTMP port | The listener vMix must reach | The port portion of vMix’s URL |
| Application name | The live application receiving the publisher | The path after the host and port in the URL |
| Incoming stream name | This particular published source | vMix’s Stream Key field |
| Source username and password | Permission for a publisher to connect when required | The authentication fields or prompt supported by the installed vMix release |
Do not treat the stream name as a secret. It names the stream; source credentials establish publisher access when authentication is required. Keep the values distinct when copying them into the encoder.
Build the RTMP connection URL
Wowza documents this general RTMP URL pattern: rtmp://[wowza-ip-address]:[port]/[application-name]. Replace each bracketed placeholder with the corresponding value from your installation. For example, if your administrator gives you a hostname, a non-default port and an application name, use those values in the same positions; do not copy a made-up address from an example and expect it to work.
The URL ends with the application name, not the incoming stream name. In vMix, the stream name belongs in the separate Stream Key field. This split is central to the configuration: a correct host and application URL with the wrong stream name can publish a differently named source, while putting the stream name into the URL can leave the fields mapped incorrectly.
Check that the URL uses the protocol and syntax expected for your configured endpoint. Avoid extra spaces before or after the URL, and check for a missing colon, slash or port separator when copying it. If the address comes from an administrator, preserve the spelling and punctuation as given. Where a deployment uses a different connection method or secure protocol, follow its documented publisher details rather than changing the URL by guesswork.
The URL is a connection destination, not proof that network access is available. A firewall, routing rule or local network policy can still prevent vMix from reaching the listening port. Resolve any such access question with the person who manages the network and Wowza host.
Configure Custom RTMP Server in vMix
In vMix, open the Streaming window using the cog beside the Stream button. Choose Custom RTMP Server as the destination. The interface labels can vary by installed release, so check the documentation for your version if the control is named or arranged differently. vMix’s streaming settings reference documents the custom destination fields, and its getting started guide provides broader orientation to streaming from the application.
Put the complete Wowza application connection URL in URL. Put the incoming stream name in Stream Key. Do not add the stream name to the end of the URL as well unless your deployment’s instructions explicitly require a different arrangement. The target mapping is URL = host, configured port and application; Stream Key = incoming stream name.
Choose an appropriate quality profile and encoder application for your production and the receiving application’s requirements. vMix provides controls for resolution, video bitrate, audio bitrate and format, codec, and keyframe frequency. A smaller frame size or bitrate may reduce the load on the uplink, but it also changes the quality of the received picture or sound. A higher setting is not automatically better if your available upload capacity is inconsistent.
There is no single bitrate that is correct for every camera, graphics package, network connection and Wowza workflow. Start with a profile that fits the source and the network you can sustain, then check the encoder status and the received stream. vMix’s streaming quality documentation describes the available encoding choices; its recommended keyframe interval is a starting point in that documentation, not a guarantee that every receiver or workflow has identical requirements.
If this feed is intended to run continuously, plan for more than the initial connection test. vMix is operating on the computer where it is installed, so the computer, network connection and encoder session need to remain available for the duration of the broadcast. For a separate workflow that publishes a prepared video rather than a live vMix production, an automatic playlist for YouTube Live covers a different approach. The choice depends on whether you need vMix’s live production controls or are looping a prepared programme.
Enter source credentials when required
Wowza’s official RTMP encoder documentation says source credentials are required by default for RTMP-based encoders, although authentication is configurable. Check the settings for your particular application rather than assuming authentication is disabled or enabled. If it is enabled, enter the source username and password associated with that application using the authentication controls supported by your vMix version.
Do not place the username or password in the URL or Stream Key field unless the Wowza administrator has explicitly documented an unusual configuration that requires it. The stream name identifies the published source; it does not grant permission to publish. Likewise, viewer credentials used to access playback should not be assumed to work for a source connection.
If you do not see an obvious credential field in the vMix window, check the installed version’s documentation and the application’s publisher configuration. Do not disable Wowza authentication simply to avoid entering credentials. Ask the administrator how this specific endpoint expects the source account to be supplied, and confirm that the account is authorised for the selected application.
Treat source credentials like any other account secret: share them only with the people who need to configure the encoder, avoid putting them into public support posts, and replace them if they have been exposed. A stream that fails after a password change may simply be using saved old credentials; verify the current account details before changing unrelated encoding settings.
Start the stream and verify in Engine Manager
Once the destination, stream name, quality profile and any required credentials are entered, start streaming in vMix. Watch its status rather than assuming that clicking the control means Wowza has accepted the connection. If the connection is rejected or drops, open vMix’s View Status information and note the error or connection state before making changes.
Then open the selected live application in Wowza Streaming Engine Manager and view Incoming Streams. The expected stream name should appear there, and a successful active publisher should show Active status. Open the stream detail view if you need to inspect its uptime or network throughput. Wowza also documents Test Playback as a way to check delivery; that is a separate check from whether the publisher has connected successfully.
A useful verification sequence is to confirm both ends in order: vMix reports that it is sending, the matching name appears in the correct Wowza application, and Wowza marks it active. If the purpose is onward delivery to viewers, test playback as well. An active ingest shows that the source is reaching Engine; it does not by itself establish that a downstream playback route, player or viewer network is working.
For a channel that needs to remain online while you sleep or leave the studio, consider what happens if the production computer loses power, vMix closes or the connection drops. A prepared loop is operationally different from an actively produced vMix feed. For background on reducing a computer’s workload in a continuous broadcast, see ways to reduce CPU use for a 24/7 Indian music stream. If the specific pain is keeping a prepared video broadcasting without leaving your own computer on, StreamNeo takes that computer-off task out of the operating routine by running an uploaded file as a YouTube live stream; it is YouTube-only, not a Wowza ingest destination.
Troubleshoot ingest failures methodically
When a stream does not appear as active, check one category at a time. Begin with the address: confirm the host or IP, the configured port, and the exact application name. Compare the full URL in vMix with the connection details supplied by the Wowza administrator. Do not substitute the default port merely because a connection on the configured port is failing.
Next check the separate stream name. Confirm that the value in Stream Key is the intended incoming stream name, and look for accidental spaces or spelling differences. In Engine Manager, make sure you are examining the same application named in the URL; an incoming stream will not be useful to find if you are looking at another application.
Then verify source authentication. Confirm whether authentication is required, that the source account and password are current, and that you are not using viewer credentials. If the password was recently rotated, update the saved encoder value. Do not respond to an authentication error by disabling access controls without understanding the consequence.
If the values appear correct, check whether the Wowza listener is reachable over TCP on the configured port from the vMix computer. Network policies, firewall rules and routing can block a valid destination. The relevant administrator can confirm whether the listener is active and whether the network path permits a connection. A timeout or refusal may point to connectivity or listener configuration, while a credentials rejection points you back to the source account; use the actual status messages rather than treating those as certain diagnoses.
Finally, compare vMix View Status with Wowza’s Incoming Streams view. This gives you evidence from both the publishing side and the receiving side. Change one setting at a time and retest, so you can tell whether the change mattered. Avoid simultaneously changing the port, credentials and encoding profile: that makes it harder to identify the cause and may introduce a new problem.
If the stream is active but the viewing test fails, the ingest connection may be fine while delivery or playback is not. Use Wowza’s documented playback test and review the application’s delivery configuration separately. For a YouTube destination instead of Wowza, checking whether a relaxation live stream is still broadcasting on YouTube describes a different viewer-side check; it should not be confused with verifying RTMP ingest in Engine Manager.
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FAQ
What goes in vMix’s URL field, and what goes in Stream Key?
The URL field contains the Wowza connection destination: host, configured port and application name. The Stream Key field contains the incoming stream name. Keep source credentials separate and enter them only in the authentication controls or flow provided for your vMix version.
Is port 1935 always the right RTMP port?
No. Wowza documents TCP 1935 as the default RTMP port, but a server can be configured to listen on another port. Use the port supplied for your Wowza VHost or publisher connection, and ask the administrator if it is unclear.
Are Wowza source credentials the same as playback credentials?
No. Source credentials authenticate a publisher connecting to send a stream, while playback credentials relate to viewing or delivery access. If your live application requires source authentication, use the source account assigned for that publishing task.
What confirms that vMix reached Wowza?
In Engine Manager, open the correct live application’s Incoming Streams view and look for the stream name with Active status. Compare that with vMix’s View Status information; use Test Playback separately if you also need to check delivery to a player.