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Live Streaming Overview

Live Streaming

AntCDN lets you ingest a live stream via RTMP or SRT, transcode it in real-time, and deliver a low-latency HLS playlist to viewers worldwide through the edge network.

How It Works

Your encoder (OBS / FFmpeg / hardware)
        │  RTMP or SRT  +  stream key
        ▼
   AntCDN ingest  ─→  real-time transcoding  ─→  global edge delivery
                                                          │
                                                    HLS playlist
                                          https://worker.antcdn.net/live/<edgeId>/master.m3u8

Core Concepts

Concept	Description
Stream	A live stream resource tied to an environment. Has a name, quality preset, and state.
Stream Key	Secret token embedded in the ingest URL. Rotate it to invalidate an old encoder session.
Edge ID	Public identifier used in the playback URL — safe to expose to viewers.
State	`idle` → `connecting` → `live` → `ended`. Your app can poll `GET /streams/{id}` to track state.

Quick Integration (3 steps)

1 — Create a stream

POST https://api.antcdn.net/v1/live-streams
Authorization: Bearer <api-key>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "My Live Show",
  "quality": "standard",
  "lowLatency": false,
  "recording": false
}

The response contains:

streamId — your stable resource ID
streamKey — shown once. Store it securely; rotate to get a new one.
ingest.rtmpUrl / ingest.srtUrl — server addresses for your encoder
playback.hlsUrl — the HLS master playlist URL to give to viewers

2 — Start your encoder

Point OBS (or any RTMP/SRT software) at the ingest URL with the stream key. See Encoder Setup for a step-by-step guide.

3 — Play the stream

1
<video src="https://worker.antcdn.net/live/{edgeId}/master.m3u8" controls></video>

Or use any HLS-capable player. See Playback for player examples.

Stream States

State	Meaning
`idle`	Stream created, no encoder connected
`connecting`	Encoder connected, transcoder warming up
`live`	Stream is running, HLS segments available
`ended`	Encoder disconnected, stream finished
`error`	Unexpected failure

Poll GET /streams/{streamId} every 3–5 seconds to track state transitions in your UI.