After 7 years since the last stable 2.4.4 release in October 2018, Icecast 2.5 is now available for this open-source streaming media server designed to deliver live and on-demand audio content over the internet.
Known for its lightweight design, flexibility, and broad compatibility with clients and source software across platforms, Icecast is widely used by internet radio stations, community broadcasters, and individual streamers to deliver audio content in MP3, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, and AAC formats.
Surprisingly, given how much time has passed since the last stable release, the changes aren’t that big. In the new 2.5 version, the web interface receives general usability and visual improvements, including the introduction of an experimental dark mode, marked as experimental.
Regarding the event system, listener counts are now included in source events, providing more detailed real-time information for integrations, logging systems, and external monitoring tools that rely on Icecast’s event notifications.
Several protocol-level changes are part of this release. Icecast now supports X-Forwarded-For headers via virtual sockets, improving handling of client IP addresses when the server is deployed behind reverse proxies or load balancers.
In addition, handling of TLS clients under high buffer pressure has been adjusted, improving stability and behavior in demanding streaming scenarios. Plus, the Icecast API now reports more detailed data about connected clients, bringing better observability without changing existing workflows.
Finally, alongside user-visible changes, Icecast 2.5 streaming media server includes several smaller fixes and cleanup efforts across the CI and build infrastructure.
For more information, see the announcement.
