Effortlessly Control OBS from Your Couch: A Guide to Using OBS-web for Remote Streaming Management

So, what is OBS-web? Well, it is an interface that allows you to control OBS remotely through a browser, whether on a computer or mobile.

You can change scenes, start or stop streaming and recording, initiate the virtual camera, and even view the preview (Studio mode) and live output.

OBS-web is compatible with OBS v28 and higher, requiring the installation of the OBS-websocket plugin (which is already included in versions >= 28).

To start using it, follow the steps described below. You’ll see, it’s child’s play!

To build and run the project, simply follow the instructions in the README file on the GitHub repository:

git clone https://github.com/Niek/obs-web.git 
cd obs-web 
npm install 
npm run build

Then launch the server with the following command:

npm run start

After launching the server, start OBS and configure the websockets like this:

Then open your browser and navigate to the address http://localhost:4000/. You should then see the OBS-web interface. Now, you can play with the different features, like switching scenes or starting and stopping streaming.

For those who prefer to use Docker, here’s how to do it:

docker build -t obs-web . 
docker run -p 4000:4000 obs-web

Once everything is configured, you can control OBS using your browser on any device connected to your local network (it uses WSS tunnels).

Note that it is also possible to use this version online, without installing anything: http://obs-web.niek.tv/

OBS-web is, therefore, an excellent tool for streamers who want to make their lives easier or delegate the management of their streams. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced user, this remote interface will allow you to control OBS simply.