web2yt — Headless Webpage → YouTube Live (Docker)

This project runs a virtual monitor (Xvfb), launches Chromium in kiosk mode on that virtual display, captures video + webpage audio, and streams it to YouTube Live via RTMPS.

What’s in this repo

• docker-compose.yml — service definition and environment variables
• Dockerfile — container build instructions
• start.sh — starts Xvfb + PulseAudio + Chromium + FFmpeg

Prerequisites

• Docker Engine
• Docker Compose plugin (docker compose)
• A YouTube Live stream key

Install Docker

If Docker is not installed, follow the official instructions for your OS:

• Docker Engine: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/
• Docker Compose plugin: https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/

Ubuntu install checklist (22.04/24.04/25.04/25.10)

Use the official Docker APT repository to install both Docker Engine and the Compose plugin.

Prerequisites

• Supported 64-bit Ubuntu versions: Jammy 22.04 (LTS), Noble 24.04 (LTS), Plucky 25.04, Questing 25.10
• Supported architectures: x86_64 (amd64), armhf, arm64, s390x, ppc64le
• Firewall note: Docker bypasses ufw/firewalld for published ports and is only compatible with iptables-nft or iptables-legacy. Use the DOCKER-USER chain for custom rules.

Uninstall old versions (if present)

sudo apt remove $(dpkg --get-selections docker.io docker-compose docker-compose-v2 docker-doc podman-docker containerd runc | cut -f1)

This may report that none are installed, which is fine. Existing Docker data in /var/lib/docker/ is not removed.

Install Docker Engine + Compose plugin

1. Add Docker’s official GPG key:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

2. Add the Docker APT repository:

sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.sources <<'EOF'
Types: deb
URIs: https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu
Suites: $(. /etc/os-release && echo "${UBUNTU_CODENAME:-$VERSION_CODENAME}")
Components: stable
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
EOF
sudo apt update

3. Install Docker packages:

sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Optional: install a specific version instead of latest:

apt list --all-versions docker-ce
VERSION_STRING=5:29.1.3-1~ubuntu.24.04~noble
sudo apt install docker-ce=$VERSION_STRING docker-ce-cli=$VERSION_STRING containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Verify installation

sudo systemctl status docker

If not running:

sudo systemctl start docker

Test Docker Engine:

sudo docker run hello-world

Test Docker Compose:

docker compose version

Post-install (optional): run Docker without sudo

sudo groupadd docker
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Log out/in (or run newgrp docker) to apply group changes, then test:

docker run hello-world

Quick start

1. Clone or unzip this folder on the target machine.

2. Edit docker-compose.yml and set:

   • WEB_URL to the webpage you want to stream
   • YT_STREAM_KEY to your YouTube Live stream key

3. Build and start the container:

   docker compose up -d --build

4. Watch logs:

   docker logs -f web2yt

5. Stop the stream:

   docker compose down

Configuration (docker-compose.yml)

You can adjust streaming quality or display settings via environment variables:

Variable	Description	Default
WEB_URL	Webpage to render and stream	https://your-webpage.example.com
YT_RTMPS_URL	YouTube ingest URL	rtmps://a.rtmps.youtube.com/live2
YT_STREAM_KEY	YouTube stream key	xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
WIDTH	Capture width in pixels	1920
HEIGHT	Capture height in pixels	1080
FPS	Frames per second	30
VIDEO_BITRATE	FFmpeg video bitrate	6500k
VIDEO_MAXRATE	FFmpeg max bitrate	7500k
VIDEO_BUFSIZE	FFmpeg buffer size	13000k
AUDIO_BITRATE	FFmpeg audio bitrate	160k

Tuning tips (1080p30 with voice + animations)

Default settings are tuned for mixed motion UI + voice:

• VIDEO_BITRATE=6500k, VIDEO_MAXRATE=7500k, VIDEO_BUFSIZE=13000k
• AUDIO_BITRATE=160k

If CPU is high, try lowering to ~4500k and/or using -preset superfast (in start.sh). If you have an NVIDIA GPU and want NVENC, replace the FFmpeg encode line in start.sh.

Troubleshooting

Chromium crashes / odd rendering

• Ensure shm_size: "1g" is present (it is by default).
• Try lowering resolution or FPS temporarily to debug.

No audio

• Ensure the webpage is actually playing audio (not muted).
• Inside the container:

  pactl list short sinks
  pactl list short sources | grep virtSink.monitor

Black screen

• Confirm Xvfb is running and DISPLAY=:99:

  xdpyinfo -display :99 | head

Security note

Your YouTube stream key is sensitive. Keep docker-compose.yml private.