---
name: "libpipewire-module-protocol-simple"
section: "7"
platform: "linux"
package: "libpipewire"
version: "1:1.6.10-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/libpipewire-module-protocol-simple"
---

# libpipewire-module-protocol-simple(7)

Protocol Simple

## NAME

libpipewire-module-protocol-simple - Protocol Simple

## DESCRIPTION

The simple protocol provides a bidirectional audio stream on a network socket.

It is meant to be used with the simple protocol player app, available on Android to play and record a stream.

Each client that connects will create a capture and/or playback stream, depending on the configuration options.

You can also use it to feed audio data to other clients such as the snapcast server.

## MODULE NAME

libpipewire-module-protocol-simple

## MODULE OPTIONS

- •

  capture: boolean if capture is enabled. This will create a capture stream or sink for each connected client.

- •

  playback: boolean if playback is enabled. This will create a playback or source stream for each connected client.

- •

  local.ifname = \<str\>: interface name to use

- •

  local.ifaddress = \<str\>: interface address to use

- •

  server.address = \[\]: an array of server addresses to listen on as tcp:(\<ip\>:)\<port\>.

- •

  capture.props: optional properties for the capture stream

- •

  playback.props: optional properties for the playback stream

## GENERAL OPTIONS

Options with well-known behavior.

- •

  **remote.name**

- •

  **audio.rate**

- •

  **audio.format**

- •

  **audio.channels**

- •

  **audio.layout**

- •

  **audio.position**

- •

  **node.latency**

- •

  **node.rate**

- •

  **stream.capture.sink**

- •

  **node.name**

- •

  **node.virtual**

- •

  **node.network**

- •

  **target.object**

By default the server will work with stereo 16 bits samples at 44.1KHz.

## EXAMPLE CONFIGURATION

```
# ~/.config/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d/my-protocol-simple.conf
context.modules = [
{   name = libpipewire-module-protocol-simple
    args = {
        # Provide capture stream, clients can capture data from PipeWire
        capture = true
        #
        # Provide playback stream, client can send data to PipeWire for playback
        playback = true
        #
        #audio.rate = 44100
        #audio.format = S16
        #audio.channels = 2
        #audio.position = [ FL FR ]
        #
        # The addresses this server listens on for new
        # client connections
        server.address = [
            "tcp:4711"
        ]
        capture.props = {
            # The node name or id to use for capture.
            #target.object = null
            #
            # To make the capture stream capture the monitor ports
            #stream.capture.sink = false
            #
            # Make this a sink instead of a capture stream
            #media.class = Audio/Sink
        }
        playback.props = {
            # The node name or id to use for playback.
            #target.object = null
            #
            # Make this a source instead of a playback stream
            #media.class = Audio/Source
        }
    }
}
]
```

## EXAMPLE CONFIGURATION FOR A SNAPCAST SERVER

```
 context.modules = [
 {   name = libpipewire-module-protocol-simple
     args = {
         # Provide sink
         capture = true
         audio.rate = 48000
         audio.format = S16
         audio.channels = 2
         audio.position = [ FL FR ]
         # The addresses this server listens on for new
         # client connections
         server.address = [
             "tcp:4711"
         ]
         capture.props = {
             # Make this a sink instead of a capture stream
             media.class = Audio/Sink
         }
     }
 }
 ]
 On the snapcast server, add the following to the `snapserver.conf` file:
\code{.unparsed}
 [stream]
 sampleformat =  48000:16:2
 source = tcp://127.0.0.1:4711?name=PipeWireSnapcast&mode=client
```

Snapcast will try to connect to the protocol-simple server and fetch the samples from it. Snapcast tries to reconnect when the connection is somehow broken.