Back to Glossary

Secure Reliable Transport (SRT)

SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) is an open-source video transport protocol that enables secure, reliable, and low-latency streaming over unpredictable networks. It was developed by Haivision to address the challenges of live video streaming over the public internet.

Key Features of SRT

SRT offers several important features that make it ideal for professional video streaming:

  • Low Latency: Designed for real-time streaming with minimal delay
  • Error Recovery: Built-in mechanisms to handle packet loss and network issues
  • Security: AES-128/256 encryption for secure video transmission
  • Adaptive Bitrate: Dynamic bitrate adjustment based on network conditions
  • Open Source: Available under the MPL-2.0 license

SRT Implementation

The original SRT implementation is available as an open-source project on GitHub: SRT GitHub Repository. This implementation serves as the foundation for many streaming solutions.

However, Flussonic has developed its own implementation of SRT to better handle the specific requirements of our media server. Our implementation was necessary to:

  • Optimize performance for servers running multiple concurrent streams
  • Improve resource utilization in high-load scenarios
  • Better integrate with our existing streaming infrastructure
  • Provide enhanced monitoring and control capabilities

Benefits of SRT

SRT provides several key advantages for video streaming:

  • Reliability: Error recovery and packet loss mitigation ensure consistent delivery
  • Security: Built-in encryption protects video content during transmission
  • Flexibility: Works over any IP network, including the public internet
  • Cost-Effective: Eliminates the need for expensive dedicated networks

Common Applications

SRT is widely used in various video streaming scenarios:

  • Live sports and event broadcasting
  • Remote production workflows
  • Video conferencing and business communications
  • Content distribution to multiple destinations
  • Professional video streaming services

SRT vs Other Protocols

Compared to other streaming protocols, SRT offers unique advantages:

  • vs RTMP: Better security and reliability, lower latency
  • vs HLS: Superior for live streaming with lower latency
  • vs WebRTC: Better reliability over long distances

Flussonic's SRT Implementation

Our custom SRT implementation is optimized for enterprise-grade streaming servers that need to handle multiple concurrent streams efficiently. Key features of our implementation include:

  • Enhanced resource management for multi-stream environments
  • Improved error handling and recovery mechanisms
  • Better integration with our monitoring and analytics systems
  • Optimized performance for high-load scenarios

This implementation allows us to provide reliable SRT streaming services to our customers while maintaining high performance and stability across all streams.