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Overview

Ant Media Server can be installed on various Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Rocky Linux, and AlmaLinux. This guide covers the complete installation process, system requirements, and post-installation configuration.

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System Requirements

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Minimum Hardware Requirements

  • CPU: 2 cores (4+ cores recommended for production)
  • RAM: 4GB minimum (8GB+ recommended for production)
  • Storage: 20GB minimum free disk space
  • Network: Public IP address with required ports open

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Software Requirements

  • Operating Systems:
    • Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later
    • Debian 10 or later
    • CentOS 8 or later
    • Rocky Linux 8 or 9
    • AlmaLinux 8 or 9
  • Java: OpenJDK 17 (installed automatically)
  • Required packages: jq, dnsutils/bind-utils, iptables

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Network Requirements

The following ports must be open in your firewall:
PortProtocolPurpose
5080TCPHTTP (Web Panel, REST API)
5443TCPHTTPS (Web Panel, REST API)
1935TCPRTMP
8443TCPRTMPS (if SSL enabled)
5000-65000UDPWebRTC (media streams)

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Installation Steps

1

Download the Installation Script

Download the latest Ant Media Server installation script from the official repository:
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ant-media/Scripts/master/install_ant-media-server.sh
chmod +x install_ant-media-server.sh
2

Run the Installation

Execute the installation script with root privileges:
sudo ./install_ant-media-server.sh
The script will:
  • Install OpenJDK 17 if not already installed
  • Download the latest Ant Media Server package
  • Extract and configure the server
  • Create the antmedia system user and group
  • Set up systemd service
  • Configure necessary permissions
3

Verify Installation

Check if the Ant Media Server service is running:
sudo systemctl status antmedia
You should see output indicating the service is active and running.
4

Access the Web Panel

Open your browser and navigate to:
http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:5080
You should see the Ant Media Server dashboard. On first access, you’ll be prompted to create an admin account.

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Default Installation Directory

Ant Media Server is installed to: 
/usr/local/antmedia

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Directory Structure

/usr/local/antmedia/
├── conf/              # Configuration files
├── webapps/           # Applications (LiveApp, WebRTCAppEE)
├── log/               # Log files (symlink to /var/log/antmedia)
├── start.sh           # Manual start script
├── shutdown.sh        # Stop script
├── enable_ssl.sh      # SSL configuration script
└── change_server_mode.sh  # Cluster/standalone mode switch

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Service Management

Ant Media Server runs as a systemd service named antmedia.

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Start the Service

sudo systemctl start antmedia

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Stop the Service

sudo systemctl stop antmedia

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Restart the Service

sudo systemctl restart antmedia

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Check Service Status

sudo systemctl status antmedia

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Enable Auto-start on Boot

sudo systemctl enable antmedia

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View Logs

View real-time logs: 
sudo journalctl -u antmedia -f
View application logs: 
tail -f /var/log/antmedia/antmedia-error.log

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Systemd Service Configuration

The service file is located at /lib/systemd/system/antmedia.service.
Key service configuration details:
  • User/Group: antmedia
  • Working Directory: /usr/local/antmedia
  • File Descriptor Limit: 65536-524288
  • Tasks Max: 64000
  • Restart Policy: on-failure with 5s delay
  • Java Home: /usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64

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Firewall Configuration

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Ubuntu/Debian (UFW)

sudo ufw allow 5080/tcp
sudo ufw allow 5443/tcp
sudo ufw allow 1935/tcp
sudo ufw allow 5000:65000/udp
sudo ufw reload

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CentOS/Rocky/AlmaLinux (firewalld)

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=5080/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=5443/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=1935/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=5000-65000/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

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iptables (Manual Configuration)

If you’re using iptables directly: 
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 5080 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 5443 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1935 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 5000:65000 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables-save | sudo tee /etc/iptables/rules.v4

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Configuration Files

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Main Server Configuration

Location: /usr/local/antmedia/conf/red5.properties Key configuration parameters: 
# Server settings
server.name=
server.licence_key=

# HTTP/HTTPS ports
http.host=0.0.0.0
http.port=5080
https.port=5443

# RTMP settings
rtmp.host=0.0.0.0
rtmp.port=1935

# Resource limits
server.cpu_limit=75
server.memory_limit_percentage=75

# Logging
logLevel=INFO
nativeLogLevel=ERROR

# Cluster mode
clusterdb.host=localhost
clusterdb.user=
clusterdb.password=

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Application Configuration

Location: /usr/local/antmedia/webapps/{APP_NAME}/WEB-INF/red5-web.properties Each application (LiveApp, WebRTCAppEE) has its own configuration file for app-specific settings.

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JVM Memory Configuration

By default, Ant Media Server uses -Xms1g for initial heap size. To customize memory settings:

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Edit the Service File

sudo systemctl edit antmedia
Add the following override: 
[Service]
Environment="JVM_MEMORY_OPTIONS=-Xms2g -Xmx4g"
Reload and restart: 
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart antmedia

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Using start.sh (Manual Mode)

If running manually with start.sh: 
cd /usr/local/antmedia
./start.sh -j "-Xms2g -Xmx4g"

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Server Configuration Options

The start.sh script supports various configuration options: 
./start.sh [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -g true/false              Use global (public) IP for network communication
  -s true/false              Use public IP as server name
  -m standalone/cluster      Server mode (standalone or cluster)
  -h <connection_string>     MongoDB/Redis connection string
  -l <license_key>           License key for Enterprise Edition
  -a <turn_url>              TURN/STUN server URL (e.g., stun:stun.l.google.com:19302)
  -n <turn_username>         TURN server username
  -w <turn_password>         TURN server password
  -k <kafka_url>             Kafka broker URL (e.g., localhost:9092)
  -j "<jvm_options>"          JVM memory options (e.g., "-Xms2g -Xmx4g")
  -c <percentage>            CPU limit percentage (default: 75)
  -e <percentage>            Memory limit percentage (default: 75)

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Example: Configure Public IP

./start.sh -s true

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Example: Cluster Mode with MongoDB

./start.sh -m cluster -h "mongodb://username:password@mongodb-host:27017/antmedia"

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Post-Installation Tasks

1

Configure SSL/TLS

For production environments, enable SSL. See the SSL Setup guide.
2

Set Up License Key (Enterprise)

If using Enterprise Edition, add your license key:
sudo nano /usr/local/antmedia/conf/red5.properties
Set:
server.licence_key=YOUR_LICENSE_KEY
Restart the service:
sudo systemctl restart antmedia
3

Configure Resource Limits

Adjust CPU and memory limits based on your server capacity:
sudo nano /usr/local/antmedia/conf/red5.properties
Modify:
server.cpu_limit=80
server.memory_limit_percentage=80
4

Set Up Monitoring

Configure log rotation and monitoring for production:
# Check log directory
ls -lh /var/log/antmedia/

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Upgrading

To upgrade to a newer version: 
cd /usr/local/antmedia
sudo ./upgrade.sh https://path-to-new-version.zip
Always backup your configuration and database before upgrading:
sudo cp -r /usr/local/antmedia/conf /usr/local/antmedia/conf.backup

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Uninstallation

To completely remove Ant Media Server: 
cd /usr/local/antmedia
sudo ./uninstall.sh
This will:
  • Stop the antmedia service
  • Remove the systemd service file
  • Delete the installation directory
  • Remove the antmedia user and group

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Troubleshooting

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Service Won’t Start

Check the error logs: 
sudo journalctl -u antmedia -n 50
tail -100 /var/log/antmedia/antmedia-error.log

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Port Already in Use

Find which process is using the port: 
sudo lsof -i :5080

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Permission Issues

Ensure proper ownership: 
sudo chown -R antmedia:antmedia /usr/local/antmedia
sudo chown -R antmedia:antmedia /var/log/antmedia

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Java Not Found

Verify Java installation: 
java -version
which java
Set JAVA_HOME if needed: 
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64

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Next Steps

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