RTMP vs RTMPS: Understanding the key differences

What is RTMP?

RTMP was invented by Macromedia, now known as Adobe. It allows streaming of audio, video, and data in a highly efficient manner with very little latency between servers and clients, for example, a Flash player. RTMP or Real-Time Messaging Protocol was primarily designed to stream audio, video, and data from a server to a Flash player. Because of its low latency, it has proven itself capable of creating reliable connections quickly, making it the backbone of live streaming as well as on-demand media delivery.

• Low latency: Near real-time audio/video delivery.
• Persistent connection: Keeps the stream running without interruptions.
• Cross-platform compatibility: Works across devices and platforms for seamless playback.

Through being simple, efficient, and able to maintain a solid and stable, real-time-connection basis, RTMP immediately became the backbone of live stream workflows for many.

Technical specifications of RTMP

RTMP operates with the following key technical features:

1. TCP-based protocol: RTMP uses the Transmission control protocol (TCP), which ensures reliable communication by managing packet delivery, error recovery, and maintaining connection stability.
   
   
2. Persistent connection: RTMP maintains a constant, open connection to allow continuous data streaming, eliminating the need to repeatedly reconnect during playback. This connection typically uses port 1935.
   
   
3. Real-Time data transmission with minimal latency: RTMP is optimized for low-latency transmission, enabling near-instant delivery of live audio and video streams.

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How RTMP works

The RTMP workflow begins with the client connecting to the server on port 1935, performing a handshake, and optionally authenticating. Once the stream is initiated, the client sends encoded audio/video chunks to the server over a stable TCP connection. The server processes and relays the stream to CDNs or ingest servers for seamless global delivery, ensuring minimal buffering and optimal performance.

Limitations of RTMP

While RTMP is efficient for real-time streaming, it has some key drawbacks to consider:

1. Lack of Encryption: RTMP doesn’t encrypt data by default, exposing sensitive information during transmission.
2. Vulnerabilities to Eavesdropping and MITM Attacks: Without encryption, attackers can intercept or tamper with data between the client and server.
3. Limited Scalability: RTMP alone doesn’t handle very large numbers of viewers well without relying on CDNs, which adds complexity.
4. Dependence on Specific Ports: RTMP uses port 1935, which may be blocked by some firewalls or restrictive networks, leading to connection issues.

To know more about RTMP do check out our article on RTMP vs SRT

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What is RTMPS?

An advanced version of RTMP with an added layer of SSL/TLS encryption to secure the transmission process, Secure Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMPS) is designed to secure streaming data, including audio, video, and other relevant data, from eavesdropping and tampering while being transmitted between a server and a client.

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Technical specifications of RTMPS

RTMPS builds on the RTMP framework by integrating security features to ensure safe and encrypted data transmission. Here are its key technical details:

1. Uses TCP port 443: RTMPS typically uses TCP port 443, the standard port for HTTPS traffic, to facilitate secure data transfer. This makes it easier to work with firewalls and network configurations.
   
   
2. SSL/TLS encryption: RTMPS adds an SSL/TLS layer to RTMP packets, ensuring that all audio, video, and data streams are encrypted during transmission. This prevents unauthorized access, eavesdropping, and data tampering.
   
   
3. Low latency: Despite encryption, RTMPS maintains low-latency performance like RTMP, ensuring real-time audio/video streaming without noticeable delays.
   
   
4. Backward compatibility: RTMPS maintains compatibility with existing RTMP workflows, allowing seamless upgrades from RTMP to RTMPS without requiring extensive changes to streaming infrastructure.
   
   
5. Secure authentication: RTMPS supports secure authentication mechanisms during the connection handshake, adding an extra layer of security by verifying client and server identities before data transfer begins.

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RTMPS workflow: Secure streaming with SSL/TLS encryption

Below is a streamlined workflow for implementing RTMPS (RTMP with SSL/TLS encryption) to ensure secure, efficient, and low-latency streaming.

1. Connection & SSL/TLS handshake

• Client initiates connection: The client connects to the server using TCP port 443 (standardHTTPS port).
• SSL/TLS handshake:
  • The server sends its SSL/TLS certificate to the client.
  • The client verifies the certificate and sends a pre-master secret encrypted with the server's public key.
  • The server decrypts this and establishes a shared session key.
• Secure session established: Both client and server now use shared SSL/TLS session keys for encryption.

2. Authentication (Optional)

If authentication is necessary, the client securely sends credentials during or after the handshake to verify its identity.

3. Secure data transmission

• Media encoding: Audio/video streams are encoded into small packets.
• SSL/TLS encryption: Packets are encrypted using the established SSL/TLS session keys.
• Transmission over TCP port 443: Encrypted packets are sent securely to the server.
• Server decrypts data: The server decrypts incoming data using the session keys.

4. Server & CDN integration

• Process stream data: The server handles incoming encrypted stream data.
• Securely send to CDN: Media streams are sent securely over SSL/TLS to CDNs for efficient, low-latency global delivery.
• CDN distributes content: Viewers access streams via CDN servers, minimizing latency.

5. Monitor connection

• Keep session alive: Ensure sessions remain active for uninterrupted streaming.
• Handle connection errors: Retry mechanisms reconnect securely if connections are dropped.

6. Secure session termination

• Send close notify: Securely signal the end of streaming to terminate SSL/TLS gracefully.
• Clean up session data: Clear encryption keys and session information from memory to prevent data leaks.

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Advantages of RTMPS over RTMP

When implementing secure streaming workflows, understanding the advantages of RTMPS (RTMP with SSL/TLS encryption) over traditional RTMP is critical. These benefits directly impact security, compliance, and data integrity, making RTMPS a go-to choose for modern video streaming development.
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1. Protection against MITM attacks

• What is a MITM Attack? A Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack occurs when an attacker intercepts and modifies communication between a client and server without either party knowing.
• How RTMPS Prevents this: RTMPS uses SSL/TLS encryption to secure all communication between client and server. This ensures that:
  • Only the intended recipient can decrypt and access the media data.
  • Stream integrity is preserved, protecting audio/video data from tampering or interception.

For video developers building live streaming or media workflows, preventing MITM risks is vital to maintaining trust and ensuring stream reliability.

2. Compliance with data security standards

Many industries must adhere to strict data protection and encryption standards (GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS, etc.). With RTMPS:

• All audio/video content and user data are encrypted during transmission.
• It aligns with these regulatory frameworks by implementing SSL/TLS encryption as a default security measure.

For developers managing video streaming platforms, RTMPS simplifies compliance by reducing the risk of data breaches and making it easier to pass audits.

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Limitations of RTMPS

While RTMPS(RTMP with SSL/TLS encryption) offers improved security and compliance, it introduces a few trade-offs that developers should keep in mind when building streaming workflows.

1. Slight increase in latency

• Why latency increases: The process of encrypting and decrypting media streams with SSL/TLS adds a small amount of overhead to the transmission.
• Impact on live streaming: This leads to a slight increase in latency, which is crucial to factor in for real-time use cases like live events or low-latency playback scenarios.

2. Higher processing demands on servers and clients

• Encryption/Decryption costs: SSL/TLS encryption requires additional CPU resources for encoding and decoding.
• Server impacts: Servers handling multiple streams with RTMPS will require more processing power to maintain performance.
• Client impacts: Client devices with limited processing power may experience playback issues under encryption overhead.

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RTMP vs RTMPS: Key differences

When deciding between RTMP and RTMPS, understanding their differences is crucial, particularly regarding security, port usage, and network compatibility. Here's a concise breakdown:

1. Security

RTMP: Unencrypted; vulnerable to data interception and attacks.

RTMPS: Encrypted via SSL/TLS, ensuring secure and tamper-proof data transmission.

RTMPS is now the standard for secure streaming, aligning with GDPR, CCPA, and other data privacy laws.

2. Port usage

RTMP: Uses Port 1935, often blocked by firewalls.

RTMPS: Uses Port 443 (HTTPS), bypassing most firewalls.

RTMPS ensures better accessibility in restricted network environments.

3. Performance

RTMP: Faster with lower latency (no encryption overhead).

RTMPS: Slightly higher latency due to SSL/TLS processing.

Security outweighs minimal latency differences for most use cases.

4. Network penetration

RTMP: Limited by firewall restrictions.

RTMPS: Widely accepted, even in restrictive networks, due to its use of Port 443.

5. Use cases

RTMP: Ideal for ultra-low-latency streaming in private networks.

RTMPS: Best for secure, compliant streaming on public platforms (YouTube, Twitch, etc.).

Major platforms like YouTube and Facebook Live use RTMPS to ensure user data protection, adhere to global security standards, and provide seamless access across networks.

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Why FastPix switched from RTMP to RTMPS

1. Increased security through encryption
RTMPS offers SSL/TLS encryption, which protects data transmission from potential threats. Unlike RTMP, which sends data in plaintext, RTMPS ensures user streams are encrypted and protected from interception or tampering.

2. Industry standards
RTMPS complies with current data privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA. FastPix, through the implementation of RTMPS, adheres to security best practices and keeps up with the expectations of the industry in terms of encrypted communication.

3. Protection against data interception and tampering
RTMPS encrypts data, which cannot be interfered with by malicious entities. This is very important for secure streaming, especially over untrusted networks, ensuring that the integrity of user content is maintained.

4. Enhanced user trust and credibility
Using RTMPS shows an adherence to users' privacy and security, therefore building credibility. This means it provides assurance that their streams are secured, thereby fostering trust within the platform.

5. Risk of blocking from browsers and firewalls
In recent years, modern browsers and firewalls are blocking non-encrypted RTMP traffic. RTMPS reduces the risks of blocked streams caused by security warnings or blockage of connection.

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Conclusion

FastPix is built for teams who need live streaming solutions without getting tangled in technical complexity. We’ve streamlined video delivery with support for protocols like RTMPS and SRT, giving you secure, reliable streaming while letting you focus on what matters most your product. While others may offer more niche features, FastPix brings it all together in one intuitive platform, delivering speed, simplicity, and the expertise to keep your roadmap on track. Let us handle the video so you can build what’s next. Explore how FastPix can streamline your live streaming needs let’s build something amazing together.