Icecast + Liquidsoap on a VPS (2026): 24/7 Radio Streaming

Build a 24/7 radio stream with lightweight tools.

Table of Contents

1. Why Icecast + Liquidsoap
2. VPS specs
3. Install overview
4. Auto-restart tips
5. Monitoring
6. Audio pipeline basics
7. Related guides

1. Why Icecast + Liquidsoap

Simple, robust, and perfect for lo-fi music.

2. VPS specs

Small CPU and RAM; stable bandwidth.

3. Install overview

Use packages or Docker; configure mounts and sources. Keep source bitrates modest (e.g., 128 - 192 kbps AAC), and set proper mount auth. Place Icecast behind a reverse proxy for HTTPS.

4. Auto-restart tips

Use systemd or a watchdog script. For simple loops, a while-loop script pairs well with sensible sleep/retry delays.

5. Monitoring

Track uptime and listener counts. Use Uptime Kuma for endpoint checks and Prometheus exporters for metrics.

6. Audio pipeline basics

Normalize loudness to keep stable listening levels, and avoid clipping. Keep crossfades short to reduce artifacts and keep CPU usage low.

7. Related guides

• Streaming VPS
• Uptime Kuma on a VPS
• FFmpeg 24/7 Basics
• Hosting options: /vps-hosting

See /streaming for VPS plans.