Offshore Servers Knowledge Base

The fastest way to get a self-hosted live stream running on an offshore streaming server is Nginx with the RTMP module: free, battle-tested and light enough to leave most of your bandwidth for viewers. This walkthrough takes a fresh Ubuntu/Debian server to a working stream.

Step 1: Install Nginx with the RTMP module

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx libnginx-mod-rtmp

On Ubuntu and Debian the RTMP module ships as a package, so no compiling is needed.

Step 2: Configure the RTMP server

Add this block at the end of /etc/nginx/nginx.conf (outside the existing http block):

rtmp {
    server {
        listen 1935;
        application live {
            live on;
            hls on;
            hls_path /var/www/hls;
            hls_fragment 3s;
        }
    }
}

Create the playback folder and reload:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/hls
sudo chown www-data: /var/www/hls
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

Step 3: Serve the HLS playlist over HTTP

Inside your site’s server block, add a location so browsers and players can fetch the stream:

location /hls {
    types { application/vnd.apple.mpegurl m3u8; video/mp2t ts; }
    root /var/www;
    add_header Cache-Control no-cache;
    add_header Access-Control-Allow-Origin *;
}

Step 4: Push a stream from OBS

• In OBS, open Settings → Stream and choose “Custom”.
• Server: rtmp://your-server-ip/live
• Stream key: any name, e.g. stream1 — treat it like a password.
• Click “Start Streaming”; playback is at http://your-server-ip/hls/stream1.m3u8 in any HLS player (VLC, hls.js, Video.js).

Before you go live for real

• Put the playback URL behind a domain with SSL, and restrict who can publish (the RTMP module supports on_publish auth callbacks).
• Size your port for the audience first — the math is in How Much Bandwidth Does a Streaming Platform Need?
• For large audiences in both Europe and Asia, run one server in each of our locations (Amsterdam and Hong Kong) and let viewers pick the closer one.

Need hardware for this? Our offshore streaming servers ship with 1–10 Gbps ports and are delivered ready for exactly this setup within 24–72 hours.

WordPress runs perfectly on offshore shared hosting — same software, hosted outside your home jurisdiction, on cPanel with LiteSpeed for speed. The whole install takes about five minutes with Softaculous. Here is the full walkthrough.

Before you start

• An active shared hosting plan (cPanel credentials arrive by email after checkout).
• A domain pointed at your hosting — see Managing DNS and Domain Settings if you have not done this yet.

Step 1: Open Softaculous in cPanel

Log into cPanel (link and credentials are in your welcome email), scroll to the Software section and open Softaculous Apps Installer. WordPress is the first tile — click it, then click Install Now.

Step 2: Fill in the install form

1. Choose Protocol: select https:// so your site uses SSL from day one.
2. Choose Domain: pick your domain; leave the “In Directory” field empty to install at the root of the site.
3. Site Name and Description: whatever you like — you can change both later.
4. Admin Username and Password: do not use “admin” as the username, and let it generate a strong password.
5. Admin Email: a working address — password resets go here.

Click Install. Softaculous creates the database, copies the files and gives you your login link (yourdomain.com/wp-admin) in under a minute.

Step 3: First-launch checklist

• Log into wp-admin and set Settings → Permalinks to “Post name”.
• Delete the sample post, sample page and any plugins you will not use.
• Install a caching plugin that supports LiteSpeed — our servers run LiteSpeed Web Server, and the LiteSpeed Cache plugin uses it natively for a big speed win.
• Keep WordPress, themes and plugins updated — on shared hosting, outdated plugins are the #1 way sites get compromised.

Moving an existing WordPress site?

Free migration is included with our offshore web hosting plans — open a support ticket with your current hosting details and we will move the site for you.

An offshore streaming server is a dedicated machine with a high-bandwidth port, built for video and audio delivery. Because it is physical hardware (not a virtual slice), setup involves a short provisioning step before you can go live. Here is what to expect.

1. Ordering and provisioning

Choose a plan on the streaming servers page and complete checkout in the client portal. Dedicated hardware is prepared and delivered within 24–72 hours. You will receive your server IP and access credentials by email once the machine is online.

2. Choosing an operating system

Most streaming stacks run on Linux (Ubuntu or Debian are the common picks for Nginx-RTMP, SRS or media-server software). Windows Server is available if your workflow depends on Windows-only tooling. If you are unsure, open a ticket before ordering and describe your stack — support will recommend a template.

3. First steps after delivery

• Log in over SSH (Linux) or RDP (Windows) using the credentials from your welcome email.
• Update the OS and set up a firewall before installing anything else.
• Install your media server or panel, then run a test stream and watch the bandwidth graph.
• Point your domain or player URLs at the server IP once the test looks stable.

Need more than one location?

Streaming servers are available in Amsterdam and Hong Kong, so you can place delivery close to your audience. For general-purpose workloads on the same infrastructure, see our offshore dedicated servers.

Bandwidth is the number that makes or breaks a streaming project. The good news: sizing it is simple multiplication.

The formula

Concurrent viewers × stream bitrate × ~1.3 overhead = bandwidth you need. The 1.3 factor covers protocol overhead and traffic spikes.

Typical bitrates

• 720p: roughly 3–5 Mbps per viewer
• 1080p: roughly 5–8 Mbps per viewer
• 4K: roughly 15–25 Mbps per viewer

What that means in practice

A 1 Gbps port comfortably serves around 100–150 concurrent 1080p viewers once overhead is accounted for. If your audience is larger, or you deliver 4K, you move to a 10 Gbps port or split the load across multiple servers in different locations.

Also plan for storage throughput: video-on-demand libraries benefit from fast disks as much as fast ports, since many viewers pull different files at once.

Sizing without guesswork

Our offshore streaming servers come with 1–10 Gbps ports in Amsterdam and Hong Kong. If you can estimate your peak concurrent viewers, open a ticket with that number and we will match you to the right port size — it is cheaper to start right than to migrate mid-growth.

An offshore RDP plan gives you a remote Windows desktop hosted in an offshore location — useful when you need a fast, always-on Windows environment with high-speed upload and download, without buying a whole server.

What you receive

After checkout, your welcome email contains the server address, username and password. Keep these safe; anyone with them can log into your desktop.

Connecting from any OS

• Windows: press Win+R, type mstsc, enter the server address and credentials.
• macOS: install “Windows App” (formerly Microsoft Remote Desktop) from the App Store and add the connection.
• Linux: use Remmina or FreeRDP (xfreerdp /v:server-address /u:username).

First-login tips

• Change your password after the first login.
• Do not disable the firewall or built-in security features.
• Install only the software you need — a lean desktop stays fast.
• Your usage must follow our Terms of Service, the same policy that covers every plan.

When RDP is not enough

If you need administrator control over the whole operating system, dedicated resources, or the ability to host public services, step up to an offshore Windows VPS — see our comparison of the two in this knowledge base.