Twitch Stream Key: Where to Find It and How to Use It

Where the Twitch stream key lives

Twitch's developer documentation says each broadcast uses an RTMP URL with the format rtmp://<ingest-server>/app/<stream-key>[?bandwidthtest=true]. The <stream-key> (also known as the authorization key) uniquely identifies your stream, is assigned by Twitch, and can be retrieved by broadcasters from the broadcaster dashboard on www.twitch.tv or through the Get Stream Key API. Treat it as a password: it authorizes broadcasting to your channel.

Twitch's Help Center page on resetting a stream key could not be loaded by our tools when we prepared this page, so we do not describe the reset steps here. Look for it in your dashboard's stream settings and in Twitch's Help Center.

Choosing an ingest server

The <ingest-server> is a hostname identifying a specific Twitch server that receives your stream; Twitch gives sfo.contribute.live-video.net as an example. Twitch says there are many ingest servers, each in a point of presence (PoP), and publishes a list at ingest.twitch.tv/ingests that includes both rtmp:// and rtmps:// URL templates. At the time of writing, the list begins with a default entry whose template is rtmps://ingest.global-contribute.live-video.net/app/{stream_key}, followed by regional servers. Many encoders can pick a server automatically; otherwise choose one near you.

Twitch also documents an optional ?bandwidthtest=true query-string parameter, which disables live viewing of the stream and is used to verify bandwidth health with Twitch Inspector. Use it for tests rather than a real broadcast.

Encoder settings Twitch publishes

Enter it in OBS Studio or another encoder

1. Copy your stream key from the broadcaster dashboard. Do not show it on screen.
2. In your encoder's stream settings, choose Twitch if listed (many encoders can connect your account) or a custom service.
3. Paste the key into the Stream Key field and select an ingest server.
4. Apply the settings from the table, then start streaming.

Twitch and multistreaming

Twitch allows simulcasting under its Simulcast Guidelines (Terms of Service, section 11): keep the Twitch experience at least as good as on other platforms, do not direct your community to leave Twitch for your simulcast, and do not use third-party services that combine activity from other platforms on your Twitch stream. Read the details in what is simulcasting. To send one stream to Twitch and other platforms, add Twitch as a destination in a relay: paste the same server and key there instead of in your encoder. See stream to YouTube, Twitch and Facebook at once.

Sources

• Twitch Developers: Video Broadcast (broadcast URLs and stream keys)
• Twitch ingest server list
• Twitch Help: Broadcasting Guidelines
• Twitch Help: Simulcasting Guidelines FAQ
• Twitch Terms of Service, section 11 (Simulcasting)

Platform figures were checked on October 5, 2026. Platforms change their recommendations, so confirm against the current documentation before you go live.