Niek/obs-web: Browser Control for OBS Studio

Why Niek/obs-web targets a second-screen workflow

Niek/obs-web addresses a narrow but common OBS Studio problem: the operator is away from the keyboard or working from a mobile device, but still needs to change scenes or control an active broadcast. The interface turns OBS Studio into a remotely operated system through a web page. It is aimed at streamers, broadcasters, and production operators who regard OBS as the live production engine but do not want to perform every action at the workstation.

The documented controls cover scene switching, starting and stopping streams and recordings, Studio Mode, profiles, scene collections, transitions, and Replay Buffer. The interface also displays preview and output live views, supports fullscreen, and requests wakelock to keep a supported device screen awake. These features make the project closer to a production control panel than a general OBS configuration editor.

OBS-web does not replace OBS Studio. OBS remains responsible for scenes, sources, recording, streaming, and the websocket server. The browser interface is the remote controller. That boundary matters when evaluating adoption: OBS-web is most useful when the existing OBS scene design is already sound and the missing requirement is fast operation from another screen.

How the Svelte client reaches OBS-websocket

The repository contains a Svelte 5 application built with SvelteKit and Vite. Its package manifest includes `obs-websocket-js` version `^5.0.8`, which provides the client dependency used to communicate with the OBS websocket API. The architecture is therefore a browser client for a separately running OBS Studio instance. The README requires OBS v28 or higher with the latest OBS-websocket plugin. OBS v27 can also work when OBS-websocket v5 is installed manually.

A control request begins in the browser interface and is sent through the OBS websocket server. OBS processes the request against its current scene, profile, stream, or recording state. For viewing, OBS-web renders live preview and output images described as updating at 1 fps. Studio Mode exposes separate preview and program concepts, while scene and scene collection switching map directly to operations managed by OBS.

The README also describes bookmarking by specifying the OBS host in the URL. Based on the package and repository layout, OBS-web is packaged as a static front-end, with Vite handling development and builds and `@sveltejs/adapter-static` among the dependencies. The documentation does not describe a separate database or an OBS-web server-side control service. Internet control instead depends on exposing the OBS websocket endpoint through a WSS tunnel.

Installing OBS-web and starting the Vite interface

The README lists Node.js 22.17 or newer as the build requirement. From the repository root, `npm ci` installs the locked dependency tree, and `npm run dev` starts the development server. The package script binds Vite to the network and uses port 8080, which is relevant when the browser interface runs on a different device from the development machine.

This first use builds and serves the web client. The repository does not define an `npm test` script, so do not infer that `npm test` is part of the supported workflow.

npm ci
npm run dev

For a production-style static build, the repository provides the following alternative. The command runs through Vite and prepares the deployable site, but the README does not name the output directory, so a self-hosted deployment should confirm the generated files before serving them.

npm run build

The `start` package script serves the built application with `vite preview --host --port 8080`. It is the command used by the Dockerfile after the build.

npm run start

On the OBS machine, enable the server through `Tools -> obs-websocket Settings -> Enable WebSocket Server`. Then open the OBS-web URL on the same local network and connect to the configured OBS host. The README does not document connection fields, default credentials, browser pairing steps, or error messages, so those details must be verified against the current interface and OBS websocket configuration.

Running the ghcr.io container on port 8080

The repository publishes a Docker image through GitHub Container Registry. Its published invocation is concise because image creation is already encoded in the container image.

This command runs the image, publishes port 8080, and removes the container when it exits. The Dockerfile builds the Svelte application inside a Node LTS Alpine image, exposes port 8080, and starts it with `npm run start`.

docker run --rm -p8080:8080 ghcr.io/niek/obs-web

Afterward, the expected local endpoint is port 8080. The documentation does not specify whether users should publish it as HTTP or HTTPS, and it provides no container-specific OBS credentials or environment variables. Treat direct internet exposure as a separate network and access-control decision. The README points to OBS's SSL tunnelling instructions for a WSS route, which indicates that OBS-web expects secure transport when the connection leaves the local network.

The Dockerfile uses `node:lts-alpine` as its build base rather than pinning Node.js 22.17 in the container file. That is a reproducibility concern for operators who need a fixed build base. It is not necessarily a deployment failure, because the application is built inside the image, but rebuild behavior may vary as the LTS tag moves.

Local control works differently from WSS internet control

Local network control is the clearer adoption case. The browser and OBS Studio can communicate without an extra public endpoint, which avoids adding a tunnel to the initial setup. The URL host can be bookmarked, allowing a creator to reopen the same OBS-web interface from a desktop or mobile browser.

Remote internet control introduces an explicit boundary. The README says to use a WSS tunnel and links to the OBS project's SSL tunnelling instructions. The application documentation does not provide its own user accounts, password policy, role model, login flow, or access log. It also does not claim that the hosted URL at `https://obs-web.niek.tv/` is a relay that automatically connects to a private OBS instance.

That omission is substantial. Anyone adopting internet control needs to determine who can reach the websocket endpoint and whether the chosen tunnel is authenticated. OBS-web's control set includes actions that can stop a live broadcast, so endpoint protection should not be inferred from the presence of a browser UI. The project removes the need for a dedicated mobile control application, but it does not remove the need to secure the network path between the browser and OBS.

Where OBS-web differs from native OBS control

The closest alternative is the OBS Studio interface running directly on the production computer. Native OBS provides access to the complete scene construction workflow, including source placement, filters, audio behavior, transforms, and plugin-specific settings. OBS-web instead concentrates on actions that matter during a broadcast, such as selecting a prepared scene or starting a stream.

That narrower surface is its main practical advantage. An operator does not need to interact with the main OBS window when working at a different physical location. It also adds conventions tailored to control from a compact screen. Scenes containing `(hidden)` are hidden from the list, while sources in scenes containing `(switch)` can be presented visually through thumbnails. These are project-specific controls rather than general OBS behavior.

OBS-web is the wrong tool when the requested change requires rearranging a complex scene or debugging source and filter behavior. The README lists a live view at 1 fps, so it should not be judged as a high-frame-rate production monitor. It also does not document advanced audio mixing, plugin control, or granular transition configuration beyond the existence of custom transition support. Use native OBS for composition work and OBS-web for prepared-production switching.

Maintenance, releases, and GPL-3.0 obligations

The repository is not archived, and its last push was on 2026-10-12. That indicates recent repository activity, but it is not the same as a published release commitment. GitHub contains no GitHub releases, so there is no release history there to use as an upgrade or compatibility baseline. The README does document that OBS-web v4 is no longer maintained for older OBS systems that use OBS-websocket v4.

For supported installations, the documented compatibility boundary is also the primary upgrade check. Current OBS-web targets OBS-websocket v5. Moving to a new major websocket API, or operating OBS v27 without the manually installed v5 plugin, changes the setup. Upgrade planning should compare the OBS version, installed OBS-websocket plugin version, and current package compatibility instead of relying on GitHub release notes that do not exist.

The repository is licensed under GPL-3.0. Code reuse, modification, and distribution therefore carry the license's conditions and obligations. This review does not interpret the license or provide legal advice. The practical point for evaluators is to determine whether their deployment model, including container use or hosted access, is compatible with GPL-3.0 before incorporating the project. The package also locks development dependencies through `package-lock.json`, while the Docker build uses `npm ci`, giving local and image builds a shared lockfile mechanism.

Editorial conclusion

Niek/obs-web is appropriate for a creator who wants direct scene and stream controls from another browser, including a phone, and who can establish a safe connection to OBS Studio. It is a poor fit for operators that require advanced audio mixing, detailed scene editing, identity management, or a documented authentication layer for internet access. Before adoption, verify that OBS-websocket is enabled, decide whether the connection will remain local or cross a tunnel, and confirm that the GPL-3.0 distribution terms fit the intended deployment.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. License: GPL-3.0
3. Niek/obs-web on GitHub
4. Project website
5. README