← Directory

Icecast

Icecast is an open-source streaming media server for creating internet radio stations, private jukeboxes, and on-demand audio or video streams.

  • Media Applications
  • Media Servers
  • Other
  • Tools & Utilities
Icecast is an open-source streaming media server for creating internet radio stations, private jukeboxes, and on-demand audio or video streams. It supports WebM, Ogg, Opus, Vorbis, and Theora codecs, with legacy support for MP3, AAC, and NSV, and is useful for self-hosters who need a lightweight stream server that integrates with clients such as Mopidy.

Platform availability

Available on 1 of 6 install platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm (not listed)

Also on Docker Hub and GitHub

Health score

50/100 Fair

Maintained
47last commit 263 days ago
Popular
55555 GitHub stars
Easy to install
351 install platform, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
701 GB minimum RAM
How is this calculated?

A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today, links checked 9 days ago

GitHub stars
555
Open issues
31
Last commit
2026-01-19
License
GPL-2.0
Activity
stale

Checked yesterday - source: GitHub (xiph/Icecast-Server)

Resources & Compatibility

Minimum requirements: 1 GB RAM, 120 GB disk. ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi) is not supported.

Checked 10 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Start Icecast with your config file Run Icecast with the -c option and the full path to your icecast.xml settings file, because that file holds your ports, passwords, and stream setup. If the path is wrong, Icecast may start without using the settings you expect. source
  • Open the main web port for players Icecast uses its main web port, shown in examples as 8000, for audio streams and admin access, so open or forward that port if your homelab is behind a router. Without it, listeners and the browser admin page cannot connect from outside your local network. source
  • Set mountpoints and source passwords Add a mount point in icecast.xml, such as /live, and set the source username and password your encoder will use to publish audio. If the mount point or credentials do not match, the encoder cannot connect and nobody can hear the stream. source
  • Mopidy Streaming Setup For Mopidy, set the audio output to encode and send streams to Icecast via shout2send, then define the mount, Icecast host, port, and source password. source

Fetched yesterday - each note links to its source

Alternatives (4)

  • Ampache - Ampache is a self-hosted, web-based media server that streams and manages your music and video libraries from any device.
  • Amperfy Music
  • SHOUTcast Radio - SHOUTcast Radio was a home of free Internet Radio, founded in 1999.
  • Subsonic - Subsonic is a free, web-based media streamer, providing ubiquitous access to your music and video.

Checked 7 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

Does Icecast need a separate program or encoder to provide the audio?

Yes. Icecast is a streaming server, so a client or encoder must feed it a stream.

What must be configured in Icecast for an encoder to publish to a stream?

Add a mount point, such as /live, and set the source username and password in icecast.xml. If the mount point or credentials do not match, the encoder cannot connect and nobody can hear the stream.

Which port should be opened or forwarded for remote listeners and the admin page?

Open or forward the main web port, often 8000 in examples, for audio streams and admin access. Without it, listeners and the browser admin page cannot connect from outside the local network.

What user and ownership should be used for a source-built Icecast systemd unit?

Create a system user named icecast, chown the config and log directories to that user, and run the service with User=icecast.

What kind of stream output can Icecast expose for home audio sources?

It can take audio from sources such as USB antennas, video streams, and audio files, and make them available as standard m3u streams.

Answers sourced from community.home-assistant.io, freestreamhosting.org, icecast.org, icecast.org, www.reddit.com

Community

Collected 9 days ago - public community threads