Overview
Icecast public status page
The Icecast status page served on port 80 through nginx, showing a live Ogg Vorbis mountpoint with its stream name, listener count and current track.
Icecast public status page
Icecast admin interface
Active mountpoints
This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services.
Icecast - Production-Ready Streaming Media Server AMI
Deploy a fully configured internet-radio and audio streaming server on AWS in minutes - not hours. This AMI delivers Icecast 2.4.4 from the Xiph.Org Foundation preinstalled and running as a managed system service, so you can point a source client at it and start broadcasting immediately after launch.
What Icecast Does
A source client such as butt, Mixxx, liquidsoap, ices or OBS pushes a live audio stream to a named mountpoint, and Icecast relays that single stream out to many simultaneous listeners over ordinary HTTP. It speaks Ogg Vorbis, Opus and MP3, publishes M3U and XSPF playlists that any media player understands, and needs nothing special on the listener side - a browser, VLC or any internet radio app can tune in directly. A public status page lists every active mountpoint with its listener count and current track, while a password-protected admin interface lets you inspect connected listeners, move an audience between mountpoints, update track metadata and disconnect a source.
Why This AMI Instead of a DIY Install
- Versus manual EC2 setup: Skip the download, the systemd-unit hand-writing, the reverse-proxy configuration and the credential hardening. This image handles all of it at launch.
- Versus other community AMIs: Benefit from a hardened first-boot process that generates three independent per-instance passwords (no shared or default credentials ever ship), a native systemd unit that reports service health honestly, and 24/7 professional support from cloudimg.
Application Stack
- Icecast 2.4.4, installed from the stock distribution archive package so it inherits the OS vendor's security maintenance
- Icecast listening on port 8000, its native port, for both listeners and source clients
- nginx on port 80 reverse-proxying the status and admin interface (so the server is reachable without a port suffix) plus an unauthenticated /healthz endpoint for load-balancer probes
- A native systemd unit for Icecast that starts it on boot and restarts on failure
- A fully patched base image with unattended security upgrades enabled
Security
Secure First Boot: The stock Icecast configuration ships the well-known default password hackme for its source, relay and admin accounts. This image removes it everywhere - including from the commented examples in the configuration - and a one-shot service generates three independent random passwords unique to each instance, recording them in a root-only file. Icecast is wired to refuse to start if that rotation has not run, so an instance can never come up serving a default or placeholder credential.
Encryption in Transit: Icecast serves plain HTTP. For a public station, or any time an admin or source password crosses the internet, terminate TLS in front of it with your own domain using a reverse proxy or an Application Load Balancer.
Network Isolation: Deploy in a private VPC subnet and use security groups to restrict access to only the ports your station requires (22 for SSH, 80 for the status and admin interface, 8000 for listeners and source clients).
Web Interface
The status page is served on port 80 through nginx at http://your-instance/ , and the admin interface at http://your-instance/admin/ . Sign in as admin with the generated password to manage mountpoints and listeners. Icecast also listens natively on port 8000, where both listeners and source clients connect.
Use Cases
- Internet radio stations and community or campus radio
- Podcasters and broadcasters self-hosting live audio to a wide audience
- Relaying a single live source out to many simultaneous listeners
- Scripted or automated stations driven by liquidsoap
24/7 cloudimg Support
Technical support by email and live chat covers deployment, mountpoint and listener management, source-client configuration, TLS termination, hostname and playlist setup, and OS administration.
All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. Icecast is developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation and licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2; the corresponding source is available from the distribution archive with apt-get source icecast2.
Highlights
- Zero-setup streaming server: Icecast launches as a systemd-managed service with nginx fronting the status and admin interface on port 80 and Icecast on its native port 8000. Skip the hours of manual installation, reverse-proxy configuration and hardening a DIY EC2 deployment requires - point a source client at the instance and start broadcasting within minutes of launch.
- Hardened security from first boot: The stock Icecast default password hackme is removed everywhere, and every instance generates three independent random passwords - source, admin and relay - stored in a root-only file. Icecast refuses to start if the rotation has not run, so no instance can ever come up serving a default credential, a long-standing cause of hijacked stations.
- Broadcast anything to anyone: Icecast speaks Ogg Vorbis, Opus and MP3, publishes M3U and XSPF playlists and relays a single live source out to many simultaneous listeners over plain HTTP with no special listener software. Manage mountpoints and listeners from the admin interface, and back it all with 24/7 cloudimg technical support via email and live chat.
Details
Introducing multi-product solutions
You can now purchase comprehensive solutions tailored to use cases and industries.
Features and programs
Financing for AWS Marketplace purchases
Pricing
Free trial
- ...
Dimension | Description | Cost/hour |
|---|---|---|
m5.large Recommended | m5.large | $0.08 |
t2.micro | t2.micro instance type | $0.04 |
t3.micro | t3.micro instance type | $0.04 |
c5a.12xlarge | c5a.12xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.16xlarge | c5a.16xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.24xlarge | c5a.24xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.2xlarge | c5a.2xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.4xlarge | c5a.4xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.8xlarge | c5a.8xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.large | c5a.large instance type | $0.08 |
Vendor refund policy
Refunds available on request.
How can we make this page better?
Legal
Vendor terms and conditions
Content disclaimer
Delivery details
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Version release notes
Initial release of Icecast 2.4.4 streaming media server.
Additional details
Usage instructions
Connect via SSH on port 22 as the default login user for your operating system variant (the user guide lists it per variant; on Ubuntu it is 'ubuntu'). The status page is served on port 80: browse to http://<instance-public-ip>/ and the admin interface at http://<instance-public-ip>/admin/, signing in as admin. Retrieve the per-instance passwords with: sudo cat /root/icecast-credentials.txt. Icecast also listens natively on port 8000, where listeners tune in and source clients (butt, Mixxx, liquidsoap, OBS) connect with user 'source' and the ICECAST_SOURCE_PASSWORD from that file, pushing to a mountpoint such as /stream.ogg. Icecast serves plain HTTP; terminate TLS in front of it for any public station.
Resources
Vendor resources
Support
Vendor support
cloudimg Support - 24/7 Technical Assistance
cloudimg provides round-the-clock technical support for this Icecast AMI via email and live chat. Our engineers assist with:
- Initial deployment and instance sizing guidance
- Mountpoint, listener and source-client configuration
- Setting your public hostname so playlists and stream URLs resolve
- TLS termination and reverse-proxy setup for public stations
- Security hardening and credential management
- Troubleshooting connectivity and streaming issues
- OS updates and patch guidance
Response Times: Critical issues receive a one-hour average response time.
Contact: Email support@cloudimg.co.uk or reach us via live chat.
Deployment Prerequisites
- Security groups: Open port 22 (SSH), port 80 (status and admin interface) and port 8000 (listeners and source clients) only to trusted sources.
- VPC: Deploy in a VPC subnet appropriate for your network isolation requirements.
- Public hostname: For a public station, set the Icecast hostname to a stable DNS name so the stream URLs and playlists it advertises resolve for external listeners.
Getting Started
- Launch the AMI and open ports 22, 80 and 8000 in your security group.
- Retrieve the generated passwords from /root/icecast-credentials.txt via SSH as root.
- Browse to the instance public IP to open the status page, and /admin/ to sign in as admin.
- Point a source client at the instance on port 8000 with user 'source' and the source password to start broadcasting.
For sizing recommendations, production architecture planning, or any issues including requesting refunds, contact support@cloudimg.co.uk .
AWS infrastructure support
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.