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Home/Streaming platform/Live Streaming/Create a live stream

Create a live stream

Step 1. Initiate the process

1. Navigate to Live Streaming section and select Create Live stream.

Live streaming section

If the button is non-responsive, you have exceeded your live stream limit. To create a new stream, remove an existing stream from the list or request technical support to increase your limits.

2. Enter the name of your live stream in the window that appears and click Create.

Enter the name of your live stream

A new page will appear. Perform the remaining steps there.

Step 2. Set the stream type and additional features

Live stream page

1. Ensure the Enable live stream switch is on.

By default, we offer live streams with low latency (a 4–5 second delay.) Low latency is available in two protocols: LL-DASH (compatible with all devices except iOS) and LL-HLS (compatible with iOS). You can also obtain legacy HLS with MPEGTS format segments, in which case, please read our article.

2. (Optional) Review the live stream name and modify it if necessary.

3. Select the relevant stream type: push or pull.

  • Choose pull stream if you have a streaming media server. The live stream will operate on your server. Our server will convert it from the RTMP, RTMPS or SRT protocol to MPEG-DASH and HLS protocols. Then, our CDN will distribute the original live stream in the new format to end users.

  • Choose push stream if you do not use your own media server. Establish the URL of our server and the unique stream key in your encoder (e.g., OBS, Streamlabs, vMix, LiveU Solo, etc). You can use protocols RTMP, RTMPS, and SRT too. The live stream will operate on our server, be converted to MPEG-DASH and HLS protocols, and be distributed to end users via our CDN.

  1. Enable additional features If you activated them previosly:
  • Record for live stream recording. It will be active when you start streaming. Remember to enable the toggle if you require a record of your stream.
  • DVR for an improved user experience: when the DVR feature is enabled, your viewers can pause and rewind the broadcast.

Step 3. Configure your stream for Push or Pull

If you selected pull

In the URL field, insert a link to the stream from your media server.

Live streaming section

You can specify multiple media servers separated by space in the URL field. In this case, the first media server will be the primary source, and the subsequent ones will serve as backup servers. If the signal from the first source fails, we will automatically continue the stream from the second source. Example: “rtmps://main-server/live1 rtmp://backup-server/live1 rtmp://backup-server/live2”.

If you selected push

1. From the drop-down list, select the encoder (OBS, VMix, Wirecast) you use for streaming.

2. Select the protocol for your stream: RTMP, RTMPS, or SRT. The main difference between these protocols is their security levels and ability to handle packet loss.

  • RTMP is the standard open-source protocol for live broadcasting over the internet. It supports low latency.
  • RTMPS is a variation of RTMP that incorporates SSL usage.
  • SRT is a protocol designed to transmit data reliably with protection against packet loss.

3. Copy the relevant data to insert into your encoder.

Insert the following values:

  • Server (URL) is the target server where your encoder will relay the broadcast; e.g., rtmp://vp-push-ed1.gvideo.co/in/ .
  • Stream key is the unique identifier of the created live stream.
URLs for encoder configuration

Copy the Push URL SRT. It contains the server URL, port, stream ID (internal for Gcore,) and stream key. For example:

srt://vp-push-ed1-srt.gvideo.co:5001?streamid=000000#12ab345c678901d…
SRT configuration

We provide backup links, which you can specify in the encoder interface. In case of inaccessibility and overloading of your primary server, the stream will be minimally interrupted and will continue automatically from the backup server.

Step 4. Start the stream

Start a live stream on your media server or encoder. You will see a streaming preview on the Gcore Live Stream Settings page if everything is configured correctly.

Step 5. Embed the stream to your app

Embed the created live stream into your web app by one of the following methods:

  • Copy the iframe code to embed the live stream within the Gcore built-in player.
  • Copy the export link in a suitable protocol and paste it into your player. Use the LL-DASH link if your live stream will be viewed from any device except iOS. Use LL HLS for iOS viewing.
Links for embeding them to the app

That’s it. Your viewers can see the live stream.

We only support statistic data collection for Gcore players. If you use your own, non-Gcore player, the statistics page will be empty. Independent of the player, you can view monitoring metrics for performance analysis and troubleshooting.

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