OBS Studio
OBS Studio is free, open source software for recording and live streaming video on Windows, macOS and Linux. Developer advocates use it to record tutorials, talks and live coding sessions with screen, camera and audio mixed in scenes. It costs nothing and runs on modest hardware.
76.6k
GitHub (obsproject/obs-studio) · Sept 2026
32.2.2
obsproject.com · Sept 2026
Tool
Career Growth
OBS Project
An evening to set up
Beginner
Free
What it is
OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software) is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. It captures and mixes sources such as your screen, a single window, a webcam, images and audio into scenes, and switches between them with transitions. It runs on Windows 10 and 11, macOS 12 or newer (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux. As of 2026-09 the site listed version 32.2.2.
Features listed on the site include unlimited scenes, an audio mixer with filters such as noise suppression, VST plugin support, Studio Mode for previewing before you switch, a multiview of up to eight scenes, custom hotkeys, and plugins and scripts in Lua or Python. It streams to the major platforms.
Why a developer advocate should learn it
Video tutorials, recorded talks and live coding streams are a large part of developer relations content. OBS is the standard free tool for producing them. Knowing it means you can record a clean screen-plus-camera tutorial without paying for software, and later run live streams or recorded conference talks.
It is also useful for product managers recording demos and for technical writers making short walkthrough videos to accompany docs.
Prerequisites
A computer with a microphone. A cheap external microphone improves quality far more than a better camera does. Audio quality is the main reason viewers leave technical videos.
How to start
- Install OBS and let the auto-configuration wizard suggest settings for recording.
- Create two scenes: screen only, and screen with a small camera overlay.
- Add noise suppression to your microphone.
- Increase your editor and terminal font size so text is readable on a phone.
- Record a three-minute test explaining one small thing, watch it back and fix what bothers you.
Alternatives
Loom is quicker for short async videos but has limits on its free plan. Descript is useful for editing by transcript. OBS is the most flexible free option for recording and streaming.
Free vs paid
Free and open source under the GPL 2.0 licence. There are no paid tiers.
Common questions
Do I need a powerful PC? Recording at 1080p works on most modern laptops. Streaming and high frame rates need more.
Do I need to edit videos? Short tutorials can often be recorded in one or two takes. For longer content, pair OBS with a free editor.
Ready to start?
Opens on OBS Project in a new tab.
Stuck on something specific?
Writing only gets you so far. If you want an answer to your situation rather than the general case, book a session and we will work through it together. Sessions are free for approved Sefism members, and a few slots open each week.
Follow along
New writing, resources and project ideas land here first.