Do you want to watch a sports match, an online auction, or a Q&A where your video freezes or the reactions arrive after the moment has already passed? Exactly! That\u2019s why in 2025, one of the biggest challenges for broadcasters is keeping latency low and streams reliable, even when the internet connection isn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n The protocol you use to deliver video plays a big role in this. RTMP and HLS are still widely used, WebRTC powers real-time interactions, and SRT (<\/span>Secure Reliable Transport<\/span>) has been gaining ground for its ability to keep streams stable and secure over less-than-perfect networks.<\/span><\/p>\n At Dacast, we recognize that no single protocol works for every scenario. That\u2019s why our platform supports multiple options today and has SRT on the roadmap. The goal is to give our users the flexibility to choose the protocol that fits their broadcast, whether that means scaling to large audiences or minimizing latency for highly interactive events.<\/span><\/p>\n Keep reading to learn exactly how SRT works, what makes it different from other protocols, and how to decide if it\u2019s the right choice for your streaming setup.<\/span><\/p>\n Secure Reliable Transport protocol<\/span>, or SRT, is an <\/span>open-source streaming protocol<\/span> first developed by <\/span>Haivision<\/span><\/a>, the Canadian company behind the Makito encoder. It was designed with one purpose in mind: to reduce latency and make video delivery more reliable across unpredictable internet connections.<\/span><\/p>\n What sets SRT apart is its ability to correct for packet loss, jitter, and bandwidth fluctuations while keeping video integrity intact. That makes it especially valuable in situations where timing is critical, such as live sports, breaking news, or interactive broadcasts. Beyond major broadcasters, it\u2019s also gained traction among independent creators streaming to platforms like Twitch or YouTube.<\/span><\/p>\n Today, adoption of SRT has grown dramatically. According to <\/span>Haivision\u2019s 2024 Broadcast Transformation Report<\/span><\/a>, nearly seven out of ten broadcasters (68%) now use SRT for live video transport, holding steady as the most widely adopted protocol.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For comparison, <\/span>RTMP<\/span><\/a> is still used by 56%, while 45% rely on UDP. These numbers reflect the continued trust professionals place in SRT for its low-latency performance, strong security, and flexibility.<\/span><\/p>\n SRT\u2019s open-source nature and the <\/span>SRT Alliance<\/span><\/a> have played a big role in driving adoption, creating a global community of developers and organizations improving the protocol together.<\/span><\/p>\n At Dacast, we support <\/span>multiple streaming protocols<\/span><\/a> today, with the SRT integration being on our roadmap. We are here to ensure broadcasters have the right tool for every use case, whether that\u2019s catering to huge audiences or keeping latency as close to real-time as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>SRT protocol<\/span> was first <\/span>introduced by Haivision in 2013<\/span><\/a> as a way to deliver low-latency, reliable video over less predictable networks. To accelerate adoption, the company made the protocol open-source on <\/span>GitHub in 2017<\/span><\/a> and allowed broadcasters and developers worldwide to use and improve it freely.<\/span><\/p>\n Industry recognition soon followed. In 2018, SRT earned a <\/span>Technology & Engineering Emmy Award<\/span><\/a> for its contribution to live video transport, and since then, it has been embraced by major broadcasters, streaming platforms, and CDNs. Companies like Microsoft, Wowza, Vimeo, and now Dacast, as <\/span>SRT alliance members in 2025<\/span>, have helped make it a trusted standard across the industry<\/span><\/p>\n SRT was built to solve the limitations of older <\/span>protocols like RTMP<\/span><\/a> and to improve reliability compared to HLS. To understand why it works so well, let\u2019s look at how it handles video transport.<\/span><\/p>\n RTMP relies on <\/span>TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)<\/b>. TCP establishes a connection before sending data, ensuring packet order but introducing higher latency when retransmitting lost packets.<\/span><\/p>\nTable of Contents:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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What is SRT (Secure Reliable Transport)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"SRT](\"https:\/\/prod-images.dacast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/SRT-streaming-workflow-diagram-1024x683.png\")
<\/p>\nHow Did SRT Protocol Come About?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How Does SRT Live Stream Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Transport Layer: UDP vs. TCP<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"SRT](\"https:\/\/prod-images.dacast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/SRT-vs.-RTMP-and-SRT-vs.-HLS-1024x683.png\")
![\"Benefits](\"https:\/\/prod-images.dacast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/jametlene-reskp-HJljK-svzBQ-unsplash-1024x683.jpeg\")