What is a live streaming API?

A live streaming API ingests video from your encoder, transcodes and packages it, delivers it over a CDN, and returns a playback URL. FastPix does all of it in one call, with RTMP, RTMPS, or SRT ingest and LL-HLS output.

Do I need to build an RTMP or streaming server?

No. Creating a stream returns a hosted RTMP ingest URL and stream key, and FastPix runs the server, transcoding, and multi-CDN delivery. There is nothing to provision or scale yourself.

How low is 'low latency' really?

Under 8 seconds glass-to-glass on standard LL-HLS. True sub-second latency requires WebRTC — a different product category that FastPix does not offer today, though it's on our roadmap. For interactive use cases that need sub-1s now, talk to us.

Can I use my existing encoder?

Yes. RTMP, RTMPS, and SRT are supported. OBS, Wirecast, vMix, FFmpeg, hardware encoders, anything that speaks standard live protocols.

How do I migrate from AWS MediaLive + MediaPackage?

Move ingest, transcoding, packaging, CDN, and replay archive into one FastPix Live API call. Keep your AWS account for downstream workflows if you want. Full AWS migration path.

How does auto-archive work?

Set auto_archive: true on stream creation. The moment the stream ends, FastPix packages the broadcast as a VOD asset using the same playback ID convention. Replay is ready in seconds.

How is FastPix Live different from Cloudflare Stream?

Cloudflare Stream is bundled with the rest of the Cloudflare edge. Choose them if you already run on Cloudflare. FastPix Live ships low latency LL-HLS, mid-event clipping, and auto-archive on one API. FastPix vs Cloudflare Stream.

How is FastPix Live different from AWS Elemental MediaLive?

AWS Elemental MediaLive requires you to also wire MediaPackage, MediaTailor, MediaStore, MediaConnect. FastPix Live is one API for ingest, transcoding, packaging, delivery, and replay. FastPix vs AWS.

Can I clip live content as it happens?

Yes. Mid-event clipping is available during the live stream, and the Clipping Agent can produce highlight clips automatically from the replay asset.

What is the max concurrent streams I can run?

Plan-based. Free trial pathway supports a small number of concurrent live streams; paid tiers scale up. See pricing.

How do I add live to a React or Next.js app?

Create the stream via the API, embed the FastPix Player with the live playback ID. Player handles LL-HLS, captions, and DRM.

How do I monitor live stream quality?

FastPix Video Data tracks every live session: connect rate, rebuffer ratio, viewer drop-off, regional spread. Real-time dashboard during live, full session log post-event.

What about CTV apps for live sports?

CTV apps (LG, Samsung, Roku) play LL-HLS via the FastPix player. Smart TV cert queue applies to native apps; web-player playback on Tizen and webOS is shipping today.

Can I run a 24/7 channel via Live + Cloud Playout?

Yes. Cloud Playout takes scheduled VOD assets plus live segments and produces a continuous channel with SCTE-35 markers for linear distribution.

What is the difference between RTMP and SRT?

Both send video into FastPix. SRT holds up better on unreliable networks, which matters for field production, while RTMP is the most widely supported.

Can I stream a pre-recorded file as live?

Yes. Point an encoder at the file, or use Cloud Playout to schedule a VOD asset as a live event.

How is FastPix Live different from Mux?

Mux is the longest-running API peer with the broadest reference roster. FastPix Live matches it with LL-HLS, mid-event clipping, and auto-archive on one API, with per-minute pricing. See FastPix vs Mux.

Live streaming API

Live streaming API for developers

FastPix is a live streaming API that ingests RTMP, RTMPS, and SRT from any encoder and broadcasts low-latency LL-HLS over a multi-CDN. Instant clipping and automatic live-to-VOD are built in, so live and replay run on one API.

Start building free Read the docs

1curl -X POST "https://api.fastpix.com/v1/live/streams"
2  --user "ACCESS_TOKEN_ID:SECRET_KEY"
3  -H "Content-Type: application/json"
4  -d '{
5    "playbackSettings": {
6      "accessPolicy": "public"
7    },
8    "inputMediaSettings": {
9      "maxResolution": "1080p",
10      "enableDvrMode": false,
11      "mediaPolicy": "public",
12      "metadata": {
13        "name": "fastpix_livestream"
14      }
15    }
16  }'

LL-HLS low-latency live RTMP+SRT standard encoder Auto live-to-VOD archive

Trusted by product teams shipping video at scale, from live sports to vertical news and premiere events. NVIDIA Inception and Google Cloud partner.

TRUSTED BY PRODUCT TEAMS SHIPPING VIDEO AT SCALE

Use cases

One API for live, replay, clips, and analytics.

Stream live sports with instant highlights.

4-to-7-second LL-HLS plus mid-event clipping, so you publish a highlight while the match is still live. Oceaniek streams live sports on it.

Run events that scale on demand.

Nothing to provision before a premiere and nothing to tear down after. Concurrency scales with your plan and the replay archives itself. AAO NXT runs premiere events on it.

Ship live and replay on one API.

Auto live-to-VOD means a small team skips building a second on-demand pipeline. Aadhan publishes vertical news live and on-demand from the same API.

How it works

From create to playback in three API calls.

TL;DR: 3 calls from create to playback

Create the stream

POST to /v1/live/streams and get back the RTMP ingest URL and the LL-HLS playback URL in one response.

Point your encoder

Paste the server and stream key into OBS, vMix, Wirecast, FFmpeg, or any hardware encoder over RTMP, RTMPS, or SRT.

Viewers watch

Hand the LL-HLS playback URL to any HLS player. The broadcast auto-archives to a VOD asset when it ends.

Ingest

Stream from any source.

Point any standard encoder at a single ingest URL. RTMP, RTMPS, and SRT are supported, with authenticated stream keys and a backup ingest for redundancy. Go live from a phone with the iOS and Android SDKs, or play an existing file out as a scheduled event.

RTMP, RTMPS, and SRT from OBS, vMix, Wirecast, FFmpeg, or hardware
Authenticated stream keys, backup ingest for redundancy
iOS and Android live SDKs for phone cameras
Play a VOD file out as a scheduled live event

Ingest

IngestRTMP · RTMPS · SRT

Stream keysAuthenticated

RedundancyBackup ingest

MobileiOS · Android SDK

Low latency

Low latency live streaming.

FastPix broadcasts LL-HLS at 4 to 7 seconds glass-to-glass. Playback is a standard .m3u8 URL that works in any HLS player, with no custom protocol and no player rewrite. Adaptive bitrate keeps playback stable on variable networks.

4 to 7 seconds glass-to-glass on LL-HLS
Standard .m3u8, plays in any HLS player
Adaptive bitrate for variable networks
Sub-second interactive is on the roadmap via WebRTC

1curl -X POST https://api.fastpix.com/v1/live \
2  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTPIX_API_KEY" \
3  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
4  -d '{"latencyMode":"low","playbackPolicy":"signed"}'

Delivery

Reach a global audience.

Delivery runs across a multi-CDN mesh of 300+ points of presence, chosen automatically per viewer. Concurrency scales with your plan, not with servers you provision, and you can simulcast the same broadcast to YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook at once.

Multi-CDN across 300+ points of presence
Per-viewer edge routing, automatic
Concurrency scales with your plan, no provisioning
Simulcast to YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook Live

Security

Protect every stream.

Gate playback with signed URLs that expire on your schedule, and protect the replay with studio DRM. The same playback policy you set on the live stream carries to the archived VOD.

Signed playback URLs with token expiry
DRM on the replay, Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady
Playback policy carries from live to replay
Authenticated ingest stream keys

Security

AccessPublic or signed

TokenSigned, with expiry

DRMOn replay

IngestAuthenticated keys

Live to VOD

Live to VOD, automatically.

Set auto_archive on stream creation and every broadcast becomes an on-demand asset the moment it ends, with the same playback ID and policy. Clip a highlight mid-event, and let viewers scrub back through the DVR window without leaving the live edge.

One flag, auto_archive: true
Replay asset ready seconds after the stream ends
Mid-event clipping while the broadcast is live
DVR: pause, rewind, and return to the live edge

Monitoring

Watch stream health live.

See bitrate and dropped frames update in real time, so you catch an encoder problem during the event, not after. Webhooks fire on connect, disconnect, and error, and Video Data tracks every session across live and replay.

Real-time bitrate and dropped-frame health
Webhooks on connect, disconnect, and error
Video Data QoE across live and replay
Regional and per-session breakdown

Security, compliance, and partnerships

PartnerNVIDIA Inception

PartnerGoogle Cloud Partner

Customers

“Low latency for live sports was non-negotiable. FastPix gave us that plus instant clip-to-publish for highlights on one API. We stopped fighting infrastructure.”

Oceaniek engineering team

Live sports streaming

“Live + replay on the same API meant our small team didn't have to build a second pipeline for the on-demand library. auto_archive: true and we were done.”

Aadhan platform team

Vertical news publishing

LL-HLS

Low latency for live sports

Oceaniek

1 API

Live + replay + clips + analytics

Oceaniek

auto

Live-to-VOD archive on stream end

Aadhan

Separate live transcoding pipeline to maintain

Aadhan

Capabilities that ship

Six key capabilities

vMix + FastPix live

Partnered for optimal streaming performace with RTMPS and SRT protocals

Guide

Github repo for Android + iOS

SDKs to run live streaming on Android and iOS.

Github

Auto live-to-VOD archive

One flag. Replay asset playback-ready in seconds.

Live-to-replay guide

Simulcast

Broadcast to Youtube, Twitch, and Facebook Live simultaneously.

Simulcast guide

Mid-event clipping

Cut a 30-second highlight from the live stream and publish to social without waiting for the broadcast to end.

Live clipping guide

Webhooks on every stream event

Stream connect, viewer count crossings, errors, end-of-broadcast all webhook-fired.

Live webhooks

Built in

Everything else, nothing to assemble

DVR and rewind

Viewers pause, scrub back, and return to the live edge.

Instant clipping

Cut and publish a highlight before the broadcast ends.

Live captions

Real-time speech to text on the running stream.

Simulcast

One broadcast to YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook.

Auto live-to-VOD

Every stream archives to an on-demand asset.

Run VOD as live

Play an existing file out as a scheduled live event.

Backup ingest

A second encoder takes over if the first drops.

Mobile broadcasting

Go live from a phone with the iOS and Android SDKs.

CTV playback

Roku, Samsung, and LG through the FastPix Player.

Adaptive bitrate

Quality follows each viewer's connection.

24/7 channels

Continuous linear playout with SCTE-35 via Cloud Playout.

Webhooks

Every stream event delivered so your app can react.

Live chat

Pair the stream with PubNub for real-time chat.

Tech specs

Protocols, formats, and limits.

Ingest protocols, output formats, encoding ladders, security, captions.

Ingest protocols

RTMP

RTMPS

SRT

HLS pull (planned)

WebRTC (roadmap)

Output formats

LL-HLS

HLS

DASH

Recorded VOD (auto)

Resolutions

720p

1080p

Security

Signed playback URLs

Token expiry

DRM on replay

DVR

Pause

Resume

Rewind

Fast-forward

Webhooks

stream.connected

stream.started

stream.idle

stream.disconnected

stream.archived

stream.error

Source encoders

Local encoder

Cloud encoder

Remote production

Hardware encoders

Questions developers ask

Live streaming questions, answered.

What is a live streaming API?
A live streaming API ingests video from your encoder, transcodes and packages it, delivers it over a CDN, and returns a playback URL. FastPix does all of it in one call, with RTMP, RTMPS, or SRT ingest and LL-HLS output.
Do I need to build an RTMP or streaming server?
No. Creating a stream returns a hosted RTMP ingest URL and stream key, and FastPix runs the server, transcoding, and multi-CDN delivery. There is nothing to provision or scale yourself.
How low is 'low latency' really?
Under 8 seconds glass-to-glass on standard LL-HLS. True sub-second latency requires WebRTC — a different product category that FastPix does not offer today, though it's on our roadmap. For interactive use cases that need sub-1s now, talk to us.
Can I use my existing encoder?
Yes. RTMP, RTMPS, and SRT are supported. OBS, Wirecast, vMix, FFmpeg, hardware encoders, anything that speaks standard live protocols.
How do I migrate from AWS MediaLive + MediaPackage?
Move ingest, transcoding, packaging, CDN, and replay archive into one FastPix Live API call. Keep your AWS account for downstream workflows if you want. Full AWS migration path.
How does auto-archive work?
Set auto_archive: true on stream creation. The moment the stream ends, FastPix packages the broadcast as a VOD asset using the same playback ID convention. Replay is ready in seconds.
How is FastPix Live different from Cloudflare Stream?
Cloudflare Stream is bundled with the rest of the Cloudflare edge. Choose them if you already run on Cloudflare. FastPix Live ships low latency LL-HLS, mid-event clipping, and auto-archive on one API. FastPix vs Cloudflare Stream.
How is FastPix Live different from AWS Elemental MediaLive?
AWS Elemental MediaLive requires you to also wire MediaPackage, MediaTailor, MediaStore, MediaConnect. FastPix Live is one API for ingest, transcoding, packaging, delivery, and replay. FastPix vs AWS.
Can I clip live content as it happens?
Yes. Mid-event clipping is available during the live stream, and the Clipping Agent can produce highlight clips automatically from the replay asset.
What is the max concurrent streams I can run?
Plan-based. Free trial pathway supports a small number of concurrent live streams; paid tiers scale up. See pricing.
How do I add live to a React or Next.js app?
Create the stream via the API, embed the FastPix Player with the live playback ID. Player handles LL-HLS, captions, and DRM.
How do I monitor live stream quality?
FastPix Video Data tracks every live session: connect rate, rebuffer ratio, viewer drop-off, regional spread. Real-time dashboard during live, full session log post-event.
What about CTV apps for live sports?
CTV apps (LG, Samsung, Roku) play LL-HLS via the FastPix player. Smart TV cert queue applies to native apps; web-player playback on Tizen and webOS is shipping today.
Can I run a 24/7 channel via Live + Cloud Playout?
Yes. Cloud Playout takes scheduled VOD assets plus live segments and produces a continuous channel with SCTE-35 markers for linear distribution.
What is the difference between RTMP and SRT?
Both send video into FastPix. SRT holds up better on unreliable networks, which matters for field production, while RTMP is the most widely supported.
Can I stream a pre-recorded file as live?
Yes. Point an encoder at the file, or use Cloud Playout to schedule a VOD asset as a live event.
How is FastPix Live different from Mux?
Mux is the longest-running API peer with the broadest reference roster. FastPix Live matches it with LL-HLS, mid-event clipping, and auto-archive on one API, with per-minute pricing. See FastPix vs Mux.

Pricing

Per-minute pricing for live too.

Live encoded, delivered, and archived, all per minute. No platform fee and no minimum commit. See full pricing.

LIVE ENCODING

Per minute live broadcast.

$0.0324/ min encoded

Flat live encoding across 720p / 1080p / 2K / 4K. RTMP, RTMPS, and SRT ingest with backup keys included.

Flat rate at every resolution
RTMP / RTMPS / SRT ingest
Backup ingest included

LIVE DELIVERY

Per minute streamed.

$0.001/ viewer-min

Flat live delivery rate at every resolution. Multi-CDN, 300+ PoPs.

Multi-CDN, 300+ PoPs
Signed playback URLs
DRM available

REPLAY ARCHIVE

Per minute stored from live.

$0.002688/ min / month

auto_archive flips on; storage matches VOD Pro 1080p pricing.

auto_archive: true
Same as VOD storage pricing
Recording included

Three ways to get unstuck

Whatever kind of help you need, there is a path.

Engineering support

Talk to a video engineer.

Stuck on an API call, a webhook signature, or a player integration? Reach the engineering team directly. Response within hours, not days.

Contact engineering

Integration help

Docs, code samples, video tutorials.

Self-serve resources for the most common integrations. Quickstart guides, SDK examples, and detailed playback logs in your dashboard.

Browse the docs

Solution architect

Plan the rollout with a human.

New integration, migration off another platform, or a complex multi-tenant build. Book a session with a FastPix solution architect.

Join the Slack community

Developer resources

Live streaming API for developers

One API for live, replay, clips, and analytics.

From create to playback in three API calls.

Stream from any source.

Low latency live streaming.

Reach a global audience.

Protect every stream.

Live to VOD, automatically.

Watch stream health live.

Six key capabilities

vMix + FastPix live

Github repo for Android + iOS

Auto live-to-VOD archive

Simulcast

Mid-event clipping

Webhooks on every stream event

Everything else, nothing to assemble

DVR and rewind

Instant clipping

Live captions

Simulcast

Auto live-to-VOD

Run VOD as live

Backup ingest

Mobile broadcasting

CTV playback

Adaptive bitrate

24/7 channels

Webhooks

Live chat

Protocols, formats, and limits.

Ingest protocols

Output formats

Resolutions

Security

DVR

Webhooks

Source encoders

Live streaming questions, answered.

What is a live streaming API?

Do I need to build an RTMP or streaming server?

How low is 'low latency' really?

Can I use my existing encoder?

Per-minute pricing for live too.

Whatever kind of help you need, there is a path.

Everything you need to start building.

Five-minute quick-start

Full API reference

Webhook reference

Code samples

Slack community

Service status