head to head · open source
mediamtx vs Node-Media-Server
mediamtx has 20,587 GitHub stars, 2,444 forks, 188 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Node-Media-Server has 6,240 stars, 1,529 forks, 432 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. mediamtx leads on adoption by 230% (20,587 vs 6,240 stars). mediamtx is written in Go under MIT; Node-Media-Server is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. mediamtx has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Node-Media-Server 25%. mediamtx was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (media-server, rtmp), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| mediamtx | Node-Media-Server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 6.2K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick mediamtx if
- You weight community size — 21K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Node-Media-Server if
- You want the Node-Media-Server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Node-Media-Server fits your workflow better
About mediamtx
MediaMTX is a ready to use and zero dependency live media server and media proxy that allows to publish, read, proxy, record and playback real time video and audio streams. It has been conceived as a "media router" that routes media streams from one end to the other, with a focus on efficiency and portability. Features Publish streams to the server with Media over QUIC, SRT, WebRTC, RTSP, RTMP, HLS, MPEG TS, RTP, using FFmpeg, GStreamer, OBS Studio, Python , Golang, Unity, Web browsers, Raspberry Pi Cameras and more. Read streams from the server with Media over QUIC, SRT, WebRTC, RTSP, RTMP, HLS, using FFmpeg…
read the full mediamtx overview →
About Node-Media-Server
Node Media Server v4 Introduction Node Media Server is a high performance/low latency/open source Live Streaming Server developed based on Nodejs. v4 is design to implement enhanced RTMP FLV v1 support for native HEVC, VP9, AV1. v4 is no longer compatible with the cn cdn extension id flv 265 standard. v4 is no longer compatible with flashplayer's rtmp protocol. v4 is incompatible with v2. Do not upgrade across major versions. Installation or run directly Cli Options WebAdmin Features HTTP/HTTP2 flv Push/Play WS/WSS flv Push/Play RTMP/RTMPS Push/Play GOP cache Notification Authentication Static file server Record…
read the full Node-Media-Server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is mediamtx or Node-Media-Server more popular?
mediamtx has 20,587 GitHub stars and Node-Media-Server has 6,240. mediamtx has the larger community by that measure.
Are mediamtx and Node-Media-Server free?
Both are open source. mediamtx is licensed under MIT and Node-Media-Server under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between mediamtx and Node-Media-Server?
mediamtx is written in Go and Node-Media-Server in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, mediamtx or Node-Media-Server?
Choose mediamtx if you want the larger community (20,587 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Node-Media-Server if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.