Linux Self-Hosted Streaming Solution Installation Guide for Ubuntu

If you want the most direct path to full infrastructure control, this page is the right starting point. Callaba Self-Hosted on Linux is for teams that want to run ingest, routing, recording, playback-related workflows, and API-connected media operations inside their own environment instead of depending on a fully managed cloud setup.

The practical trade-off is simple. Self-hosted gives you more control over routing, deployment timing, access boundaries, and infrastructure ownership. It also means your team owns the machine, updates, backups, monitoring, and rollback discipline. If you want pricing and broader product scope first, start with Callaba Self-Hosted pricing and overview. If you want the fastest evaluation path before committing to self-hosted infrastructure, use Callaba Cloud on AWS first and move to self-hosted when you need tighter control.

This guide keeps the install path straightforward: prepare the Linux host, run the scripts, open the dashboard, activate the license, and verify that the instance is ready for real streaming work.

What you will accomplish

By the end of this setup, you will have:

• a Linux server prepared for Callaba Self-Hosted
• the application installed and activated
• browser access to the local dashboard
• a stable base for ingest, routing, video API, and on-demand workflows

How to get Callaba Self-Hosted

1. Sign in to Callaba
2. Choose the self-hosted license that matches your deployment
3. Install and activate the software on your Linux server

If your team will run production ingest, distribution, or application workflows on top of the installation, the most relevant next pages are Multi-Streaming, Video API, and Video on Demand. For newer package details and codec-related updates, see the newer 8.2 installation notes.

Requirements

Minimum system requirements: 4 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD

Recommended system requirements: 8 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD if you plan to keep stream recordings or other local media outputs

Recommended OS: Ubuntu 22.04

Required packages: Docker and Docker Compose

Use the minimum profile only for light evaluation or narrow internal workflows. For production work, the recommended profile is the safer starting point because media routing, recordings, and background jobs make small machines feel constrained quickly.

Before you install

• Make sure you have shell access to the Linux machine.
• Confirm the server has internet access for package installation and license activation.
• Keep your Callaba account credentials and license key ready.
• Know the server IP you will use later to open the dashboard in the browser.

Prepare the Linux server

1. Clone the installation repository:

git clone https://gitlab.callabacloud.com/callaba-7/linux

2. Move into the project directory:

cd linux

3. Install the required packages and prepare the machine:

bash prepare.sh

If you are starting from a clean Ubuntu host, this is the shortest path. The goal of the prepare step is to remove avoidable setup drift before the application install begins.

Install Callaba Self-Hosted

After the server is prepared, run the installer:

bash install.sh

During installation, use the login and password from your Callaba account when the script requests license-related access details. This is the point where teams usually make the biggest avoidable mistake: they try to continue without valid account access or without planning how the instance will be activated after first login.

Update an existing installation

To update the software later, run:

bash update.sh

Use updates deliberately, not casually. In production environments, treat updates like planned change windows: know what instance you are changing, what workloads depend on it, and how you will validate the result after the update finishes.

Rollback if something goes wrong

If the update or install path needs to be reversed, use:

bash rollback.sh

Rollback matters because media systems fail in operational ways, not only technical ways. If the platform comes back up but ingest, routing, or dashboard functions behave differently than expected, the right move is often to roll back first and investigate second.

Remove the installation

To remove Callaba Self-Hosted completely, run:

bash remove.sh

This removes the application, data, files, and images stored by the installation. Do not run it on a system you still need for recordings, workflow state, or retained media.

Access the Callaba dashboard

Once the installation is complete, open your server IP address in the browser. That will bring you to the Callaba login page.

The default access pattern is:

• Login: admin
• Password: your server IP address without https://
• License: your license key

This default login path is useful for first access, but it should not be the end state of a serious deployment. Once the instance is working, treat credentials and access policy like production infrastructure, not like a one-time demo system.

Activate the license if needed

If the software is not activated with a valid key, the system will show a warning and will not work as expected. You can also activate it after first login.

Open the gear icon in the top panel:

Then open License settings and insert your key:

If activation problems appear, fix those before configuring ingest or playback workflows. A half-activated system is the wrong place to start operational testing.

What to do after the installation

Once the Linux instance is online and licensed, the next practical step depends on what the deployment is meant to do:

• For ingest and distribution workflows, start with Multi-Streaming.
• For application-controlled playback, asset workflows, and integration logic, continue with Video API.
• For archive, playback, and media library workflows, review Video on Demand.
• If you need a simpler evaluation before investing more time in Linux operations, start with Callaba Cloud and compare the operational burden directly.

When self-hosted is the right choice

Linux self-hosted deployment usually makes sense when your team needs tighter control than a managed cloud environment gives you. That may mean internal infrastructure rules, data-boundary requirements, custom routing, specialized GPU or codec handling, or a broader product strategy where the media stack becomes part of your own application platform.

If the real requirement is simply to test the workflow quickly, a managed cloud launch is often the faster first move. If the requirement is ownership, control, and infrastructure-level flexibility, self-hosted is the right path.

Final practical rule

Install Callaba Self-Hosted on Linux the same way you would introduce any production media service: prepare the machine cleanly, use the scripts in order, validate dashboard access immediately, activate the license before deeper testing, and only then start building ingest, playback, or API workflows on top of it.

Have questions? Send us a message at [email protected].