Local RTSP to HLS Stream Conversion

Muhammad Azhar Iqbal

React Native Developer

FFmpeg

Node.js

npm

Electronics

Expose Local RTSP to HLS Stream via Cloudflare Tunnel

This project converts an RTSP camera stream to HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) and exposes it online using a Cloudflare Tunnel.

Prerequisites

Node.js and npm/yarn installed

FFmpeg installed globally on your system

Cloudflare account with access to Zero Trust Tunnels

cloudflared CLI tool installed

Setup & Usage

1. Install Dependencies

yarn install
# or
npm install

Verify that FFmpeg is installed:

ffmpeg -version

2. Configure Your RTSP URL

Open package.json

Find the convert script

Replace the placeholder rtsp://<YOUR_RTSP_URL_HERE> with your actual RTSP camera URL

3. Convert RTSP to HLS

Run the conversion script to generate HLS files:

yarn convert

This will generate HLS files in the videos/ipcam/ directory.

4. Start the Local HTTP Server

Serve the HLS files locally with CORS support:

yarn read-server

The server will run on http://localhost:8080 by default.

5. Expose via Cloudflare Tunnel

Go to Cloudflare Dashboard → Zero Trust → Tunnels

Select your tunnel or create a new one

Click Run Tunnel and copy the token

Run the tunnel locally:

cloudflared tunnel run --token <YOUR_TOKEN>

6. Access Your Stream

Once everything is running, access your HLS stream via the Cloudflare tunnel URL:

https://<your-tunnel-hostname>/index.m3u8

Project Structure

.
├── videos/
│   └── ipcam/          # HLS output files (.m3u8, .ts segments)
├── package.json        # Project scripts and dependencies
└── README.md           # This file

Notes

HLS files are stored in videos/ipcam/

Using --token is suitable for temporary sessions

For persistent tunnels, configure config.yml with credentials JSON

Ensure the Cloudflare tunnel points to the correct local HTTP server port (default: 8080)

Keep the yarn convert and yarn read-server processes running simultaneously

Troubleshooting

FFmpeg not found: Install FFmpeg and ensure it's in your system PATH

Port already in use: Change the port in your server configuration

Stream not accessible: Verify both the conversion script and HTTP server are running

Cloudflare tunnel issues: Check your tunnel configuration and token validity

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

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Posted Dec 10, 2025

Converted and exposed an RTSP stream to HLS using Cloudflare Tunnel.

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