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The information below is useful when the Streaming.Center Radio Platform is installed on a dedicated or virtual server. If the radio is hosted on our servers, we have already taken all system requirements into account.

Minimum system requirements

Works if: You plan to have 1–5 radios with a small number of streams, without streaming to social networks or using the StereoTools audio processor, both of which consume significant CPU resources.

  • CPU: 1 core
  • RAM: 1Gb
  • Disk space: at least 10Gb

Works if: You have a few stations (up to 10) but want to work comfortably, enable additional options, run several simultaneous broadcast streams, and leave room for future growth.

  • CPU: 2 cores
  • RAM: 2Gb
  • Disk space: at least 20Gb

System requirements for radio hostings and large projects

Works if: You are a hosting provider with many stations.

  • CPU: We recommend a fully dedicated processor rather than a virtual one. The more powerful it is, the more radios you can host on a single server. According to our tests, the Intel Core i7 8700 processor can handle approximately 100 radios on a single server, while the Intel Core i5 13500 processor can handle 200-250 radios on a single server.
  • RAM: 16-32Gb
  • Disk space: at least 100Gb

Disk space and disk hardware

The minimum requirement for the Streaming.center Radio Platform is 10 gigabytes of disk space: this is enough for the operating system, log files, and the Radio Platform itself. Next, you should have a rough idea of how much audio content you have that you plan to upload to the server for broadcasting. Please note that if you make backups of the radio on the server, they also take up disk space.

For optimal performance, use an SSD or NVMe drive. HDDs are not recommended except when disk capacity is a priority and the server hosts only a small number of stations (1–10).

Supported operating systems

  • Ubuntu Linux 24.04
  • Ubuntu Linux 22.04
  • Ubuntu Linux 20.04
  • Centos Linux 7 (obsolete, not recommended for fresh installations)

OS Architecture

We support Linux operating systems with the x86-64 architecture.

Server network bandwidth

Network bandwidth is the main factor that determines your server’s simultaneous-listener limit. RAM and CPU have little effect on this limit. The following network connection speeds are commonly used:

  • 100 mbps: can host up to ~700 simultaneous listeners in 128Kbps MP3
  • 1 Gbps: can host up to ~7,000 simultaneous listeners at 128 Kbps MP3

Important Notice About Unreliable Hosting Providers and Potential Issues

Over the years of working with various hosting providers, we have gained extensive experience in dealing with different services. Based on this experience, we strongly recommend that our clients carefully evaluate the quality of the hosting they choose in advance.

Key Issues You May Encounter:

1. Weak Hardware Sold as a Powerful Server

Some providers may offer servers with seemingly high specifications, but in reality, they use outdated components. For example, you may be sold a server advertised as having a quad-core processor, but in fact, it could be a 15-year-old model. Such a processor would barely be sufficient for running our internet radio platform, and if high computational power is required (e.g., for StereoTools), the CPU may become overloaded and fail to handle the workload.

2. Bandwidth Limitations

Shared hosting services often suffer from artificially reduced network bandwidth. For instance, a provider may promise a 100 Mbps connection but actually allocate only 20 Mbps. This can lead to instability in streaming and data transfer issues.

3. Slow and Outdated Storage

Using old HDDs instead of modern SSDs or NVMe drives can significantly slow down server performance, especially when performing resource-intensive tasks such as data backups. We strongly recommend choosing servers equipped with SSDs or NVMe drives for stable and fast operation.

4. Cooling System Failures

There have been cases where server cooling systems failed, causing processors to overheat and throttle (reduce their clock speed). This results in a severe drop in performance, making it impossible for our platform to function properly.

Conclusion

All of these factors directly impact the stability and performance of our software. To avoid frequent support requests due to system instability, make sure to choose a reliable hosting provider and a high-quality server in advance. Doing so will save you time and effort and ensure the smooth operation of your internet radio platform.