RTSP Server

A lightweight RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) server written in C using GStreamer and libgstrtspserver.
This project demonstrates how to set up a simple video streaming service that clients like VLC or FFplay can connect for redering the video. Note The pipeline currently supports video file only but can easily be updated to add audio plugin elements.

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📦 Features

• Simple RTSP server built using the GStreamer RTSP API
• Supports local MP4 or camera stream sources
• Lightweight and portable — builds cleanly with CMake or Makefile
• Out-of-tree build support to keep your source tree clean
• Ready for integration into embedded or edge video systems

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🧰 Prerequisites

Ensure you have the required development tools and GStreamer libraries installed.

The repository includes a helper script for this:

sudo ./install_dependencies.sh

This script installs:

• cmake, pkg-config, vim
• libgstreamer1.0-dev
• libgstrtspserver-1.0-dev
• gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad, gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly
• gstreamer1.0-libav
• libx264-dev

🛈 The script checks for each dependency and installs it only if missing.

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🏗️ Building the Project

You can build the RTSP server using CMake (recommended) or a Makefile (simple alternative).

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🧱 Option 1: Out-of-Tree Build with CMake (Recommended)

This is the cleanest approach since it keeps build artifacts separate from your source files.

1. Create a Build Directory

mkdir -p build
cd build

2. Run CMake

Point CMake to your project source (assuming it’s the parent directory):

cmake ..

If your CMakeLists.txt is located elsewhere, replace .. with the correct path.

3. Build the Binary

make

After the build completes successfully, you’ll find:

build/rtsp_server

4. (Optional) Install System-Wide

sudo make install

By default, this installs to /usr/local/bin/rtsp_server.

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⚙️ Optional CMake Options

Set Build Type

You can build in Release or Debug mode:

cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..

Parallel Build

Speed up compilation using all CPU cores:

make -j$(nproc)

Change Binary Output Directory

cmake -DCMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY=../bin ..

Change Install Prefix

cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/opt/rtsp ..

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🧰 Option 2: Build Using Makefile

For a simple build using the provided Makefile, run:

make

This generates the rtsp_server binary in the same directory.

To clean up:

make clean

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🚀 Running the RTSP Server

Once built, you can start the RTSP server directly:

./rtsp_server

The server will start listening (default port 8554).

You can test the stream using:

ffplay rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/test

or using VLC:

Media → Open Network Stream → rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/test

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🧼 Cleaning the Build

If you want a completely fresh build:

cd build
rm -rf *
cmake ..
make

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🩻 Troubleshooting

CMake Errors

• If you see:

  Could NOT find PkgConfig
  

  install it:

  sudo apt-get install pkg-config

Missing Dependencies

If GStreamer libraries are missing, rerun:

sudo ./install_dependencies.sh

Port Already in Use

If port 8554 is occupied:

sudo lsof -i :8554
sudo kill <PID>

Then restart your RTSP server.

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📁 Project Structure

rtsp_server/
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── Makefile
├── src/
│   └── rtsp_server.c
├── install_dependencies.sh
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

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💡 Example Build and Run Summary

# Step 1: Install dependencies
sudo ./install_dependencies.sh

# Step 2: Create and enter build directory
mkdir -p build && cd build

# Step 3: Configure with CMake
cmake ..

# Step 4: Build
make -j$(nproc)

# Step 5: Run
./rtsp_server

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🪪 License

This project is distributed under the terms of the MIT LICENSE file.
You are free to use, modify, and distribute it as permitted by the license.

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👤 Author

Maintained by Pratik Tambe
For issues or suggestions, please open a GitHub issue.